Romney cites Olympics success - The Washington Times

		Sunday, February 19, 2012 Today's Top Stories
Romney cites Olympics success Mitt Romney returned to Salt Lake City on Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Winter Games he helped lead, but the GOP presidential candidate came under attack for urging the federal government to provide big bucks for Olympic expenses. Gas prices are highest ever for this time of year Gasoline prices have never been higher this time of the year. At $3.53 a gallon, prices are already up 25 cents since Jan. 1. And experts say they could reach a record $4.25 a gallon by late April. Questions surface on Gingrich campaign travel payments When Newt Gingrich's campaign disclosed in October it planned to pay the candidate $70,000 for travel expenses in the third quarter, the transfer was an anomaly among presidential campaigns. Justice says Supreme Court should revisit campaign finance The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a Montana law that had banned corporations from running political ads, but Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the case makes it likely the Supreme Court will have to revisit the Citizens United ruling that has unleashed a flood of ads this year. Huguely murder case goes to jury Wednesday Prosecutors in their closing arguments on Saturday portrayed George W. Huguely V as a hulking male athlete kicking in a bedroom door and scaring a young woman half his size into cowering on her bed in a corner before he killed her. Whitney Houston remembered at N.J. hometown funeral Clapping hands and swaying to gospel hymns in the church where Whitney Houston's powerful voice once wowed her congregation, the biggest names in entertainment sang along with the choir to remember the pop superstar at her hometown funeral Saturday. AP: Iran poised for big nuke jump Iran is poised to greatly expand uranium enrichment at a fortified underground bunker to a point that would boost how quickly it could make nuclear warheads, diplomats tell the Associated Press. Terror suspect arrested near U.S. Capitol A 29-year-old Moroccan man was arrested Friday on accusations he planned to detonate a suicide bomb in the U.S. Capitol before undercover agents thwarted him through a lengthy sting operation, the Department of Justice said. Maryland House approves same-sex marriage The House voted Friday night to approve Gov. Martin O'Malley's same-sex marriage bill, sending the legislation to the Senate and clearing what was likely its most formidable legislative hurdle. Congress passes payroll tax cut Acting with striking bipartisanship, Congress on Friday passed a full-year extension of the payroll tax cut and renewed enhanced unemployment benefits, sending the bill on to the White House and delivering a major victory to President Obama. Obama's Chinatown stop serves ban-facing shark fin President Obama purchased lunch at a San Francisco restaurant that serves shark fin soup, after signing a law last month that protects sharks from being harvested for their fins. Dow average closes within 50 points of 13,000 The Dow edged teasingly close to the 13,000 marker on Friday, a milestone it hasn't reached since before the financial crisis brought the U.S. economy to its knees. Iranian exiles begin move to new home in Iraq Four hundred Iranian dissidents on Friday started relocating from Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, to a temporary home near the Iraqi capital's international airport that they have compared to a concentration camp. German president quits in scandal over favors Germany's president resigned Friday in a scandal over favors he allegedly received before becoming head of state, creating a major domestic distraction for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she grapples with Europe's debt crisis. Obama raises $29 million for campaign, Dem Party President Obama raised $29.1 million for his campaign and for the Democratic Party in January, a strong fundraising month that put him ahead of the pace he set in the last quarter of 2011. Thai police search for two bomb-making suspects Police on Friday were hunting for two suspects in a bungled plot to bomb Israeli diplomats in Bangkok this week. Commentary DECKER: The agony of Pat Buchanan Conservative commentator and columnist Patrick Buchanan has been fired by MSNBC for being too controversial. "I don't think the ideas that [Mr. Buchanan] put forth [in his bestselling book "Suicide of a Superpower"] are appropriate for the national dialogue, much less on MSNBC," said MSNBC President Phil Griffin. This weak explanation does nothing to counter the reality that the liberal network has decided to censor its most prominent nonliberal voice. STEWARD: Voodoo environomics President Obama's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline wasn't, as he claimed, based on science or the environment. It certainly wasn't based on sound economic policy, either. The decision was, in fact, the product of voodoo environomics: a destructive blend of bad science based on fear-mongering and manipulated research, the bad economics of green-job fantasies and "starve the beast" energy politics. STANLEY: MSNBC blacklists Buchanan It's official: Pat Buchanan has been fired from MSNBC. Mr. Buchanan broke the news with a blistering column that charged liberals with "blacklisting" him from the network. He wrote, "The modus operandi of these thought police ... is to brand as racists and anti-Semites any writer who dares to venture outside the narrow corral in which they seek to confine debate. All the while prattling about their love of dissent and devotion to the First Amendment, they seek systematically to silence and censor dissent." EDITORIAL: A fatal tweet In America, sending the wrong tweet can mean embarrassment, ostracism or losing your seat in Congress. In Saudi Arabia, it can cost you your head. GREEN: No Master Lock on job creation President Obama traveled to Milwaukee Wednesday to praise security company Master Lock for setting an example of "insourcing" and promising business leaders who re-create jobs in America that "your country will do everything we can to help you succeed." He was jazzed about the roughly 100 union positions the Wisconsin lock-maker created in its flagship factory after shutting down some manufacturing in China. Other Recent Articles Mike Leach loses appeal in suit vs Texas Tech Stella McCartney shakes up fashion show Red Sox' Wakefield retires after 19 years J&J consumer health segment recalls infant Tylenol AP Top Technology News At 2 p.m. EST Victoria Azarenka back from brink to No. 1 Another rally for Erik Compton Whitney Houston's voice still soars Bengals LB Maualuga pleads not guilty to assault "Degrassi" actor Neil Hope died 5 years ago John Glenn reunites with 50-year-old Mercury team NASCAR president says penalties likely for 48 team ESPN sorry for offensive headline on Lin story AP Top Entertainment News At 5:23 a.m. EST Italy's 'Cesar Must Die' wins Berlin film festival		Most Read Stories NRA official: Obama wants to outlaw guns in 2nd term Admiral nominee rose through ranks despite 'illogical act' MILLER: Applying to register a gun in D.C. Shanahan's pedigree, larger market could tempt Manning Top D.C. lobbyist says he deserves special aid Latest from WT Communities Independent Social Contributors Ad Lib After Washington, Ron Paul still loses Maine to Mitt Romney Who's Foster Friess and why is he Santorum's big headache? The High Tide and the Turn Planned Parenthood fraud charges: Taxpayers funding abortions Ron Paul and the Israel question Media Migraine Whitney Houston funeral service emotional, uplifting farewell (Slideshow) Whitney Houston funeral schedule on cable TV & online Saturday History on Purpose Ruth Bader Ginsburg vs. Frederick Douglass and the U.S. Constitution Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation For Advertising Opportunities Click Here