Monday, April 2, 2012

Today's Top Stories

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks to a crowd at a town-hall style campaign event in, Madison, Wis., Sunday, April 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

As Romney nears nod, GOP base nods off

Pledges of support from powerful Republicans last week may have edged Mitt Romney closer to the GOP presidential nomination, but the former Massachusetts governor still struggles to fire the imaginations of most in his party - even the coveted endorsements from former President George H.W. Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida seemed underwhelming in tone.

D.C. Council challengers hope turnout translates into turnover

Voters have the chance to oust one-third of the D.C. Council in primary elections Tuesday, but that doesn't mean it will happen.

Army's 'chilling trend' puts women at risk

The Army is pushing more women closer to the front lines and in closer contact with men even as the number of sexual attacks on female soldiers has surged during the past six years.

Massachusetts militia scores another victory over Virginia

Lawmakers from Massachusetts managed to outflank their Virginia counterparts on the House floor last week, powering through a bill that officially designates Salem as the birthplace of the U.S. National Guard - based on the town's claim to having the country's first militia starting in 1629.

Metro police: Not quite D.C.'s finest

It was just after midnight, and Isaiah N. Nichols was prowling Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast Washington looking for sex. Twenty dollars, answered a woman who was "trying to make some money."

Obama's vision for Koreas a long shot

President Obama struck a hopeful note recently when he compared the unification of North and South Korea to the reuniting of East and West Germany, but the goal of uniting the peninsula seems as distant as ever.

Biden slams Republicans for blocking programs for renewable energy

More investment in "green" technology is shaping up to be a cornerstone of President Obama's re-election effort, and the administration's No. 2 man on Sunday accused Republicans of standing in the way of wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy.

CURL: Romney's fortunes turn on high court health care ruling

From the day President Obama's trillion-dollar health care package passed in March 2010, political pundits have been pronouncing the Republicans' top hopeful, former Gov. Mitt Romney, dead in the water.

Santorum eyeing Pennsylvania primary

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum continued on Sunday to reject calls that he drop out of the race and concede victory to front-runner Mitt Romney.

Syria conference: Gulf countries to fund rebels

An international coalition said Sunday that it will provide funding and communications equipment to Syrian rebels and opposition activists, reflecting a shift toward military options that might oust Syrian President Bashar Assad after a year of failed diplomacy aimed at stopping his crackdown on dissent.

Inside the Beltway: A Ron Paul narrative

"Like sharks smelling blood in the water, the establishment is looking for any excuse to close in, declare this race over, and Mitt Romney the winner." (Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky describing certain Republicans in a fundraising message on behalf of "my dad," Republican hopeful Rep. Ron Paul).

Blacks have trouble clearing cervical cancer virus

Provocative new research might help explain why black women are so much more likely than whites to develop and die from cervical cancer: They seem to have more trouble clearing HPV, the virus that causes the disease.

Wisconsin's Sen. Johnson endorses Romney

Two days before Wisconsin Republicans go to the polls, GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has picked up another key endorsement in the Badger State.

For South Koreans, U.S. education means split families

As American teenagers go, Sally Kim is pretty typical. She's crazy about singer Bruno Mars and the Plain White T's rock band, spends way too much time on Facebook and can't wait to start college in the fall.

Mexican agents probe family in 3 ritual murders

It was a family people took pity on, one the government and church helped with free food, used clothes and farm animals. The men were known as trash pickers. Some of the women were suspected of prostitution.

Former Mexican President de la Madrid dead at age 77

Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, who led Mexico from 1982 to 1988 during economic crisis and a devasting earthquake, died Sunday at age 77, President Felipe Calderon announced on his Twitter account.

Commentary

MILLER: America's high tax leadership

The United States is now, officially, the worst place to do business in the developed world. On Sunday, Japan lowered its corporate tax rate in the hopes of luring business to its shores, handing the title of highest tax rate to the Land of the Free. The market reaction on Monday will tell whether money will begin flowing away from us and toward the more business-friendly Asian country.

MURRAY: War on coal escalates

Faced with rising gas prices, President Obama recently outlined what he calls an "all-of-the-above" energy policy "that develops every available source of American energy - oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, biofuels and more." You may notice something missing there - coal, America's most abundant and affordable fuel source. The administration's "all of the above" strategy is anything but.

ZUBRIN: Obama shoots down Mars exploration

In its budget submitted to Congress Feb. 13, the Obama administration zeroed out funding for NASA's future Mars exploration missions. The Mars Science Lab Curiosity is en route to the red planet, and the nearly completed small Maven orbiter, scheduled for launch in 2013, will be sent, but that's it. No funding has been provided for the Mars probes planned as joint missions with the Europeans for 2016 and 2018, and nothing after that is funded, either. This poses a crisis for the American space program.

KNIGHT: Overplaying the hate card

If Oscars were awarded for liberal hysteria, California's Rep. Barbara Lee would be a perennial contender. On Tuesday, at a congressional forum on the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, Ms. Lee proclaimed that it was the result of "a toxic and deadly mix."

EDITORIAL: Obama's lotto ticket

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Thursday that President Obama wasn't going to buy a lottery ticket. That's a shame. By Friday, the multi-state Mega Millions jackpot had reached $640 million. The biggest spender in the history of the world could have had a fair shot at the world's biggest cash prize by matching the six numbers drawn.

An Ignoble Experiment

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2012/04/02