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NAMPA, Idaho—The staccato of nail guns echoes across a cavernous building here as workers piece together manufactured houses with easy-to-clean linoleum floors and rugged interiors for muddy oil-field workers. There is no oil and gas production in Idaho, but that doesn't mean the U.S. energy boom has bypassed this bedroom community west of Boise. Fleetwood Homes of Idaho, a subsidiary of Cavco Industries Inc., has increased production by 25% since last fall at its Nampa factory, hiring 40 workers and adding hours for employees. It is building the extra-insulated "Dakota" model for shipment 1,000 miles east to the Bakken oil...

After more than three hours of debate, the House of Representatives has voted to overturn the controversial state law that allows foreign nationals to obtain New Mexico driver’s licenses, regardless of whether they are in the country legally.

Union leaders are asking Democratic candidates for governor to veto the next state budget if it doesn't restore collective bargaining for public workers and at least one leading candidate - Kathleen Falk - has agreed, participants in the private meetings say.

ATLANTA - Mitt Romney says he's a better tea party candidate than his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.The former Massachusetts governor lashed out at Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum on Wednesday, the day after losing contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado.Romney says his opponents are members of a Republican Party that had lost its way. He says spending on lawmakers' pet projects doubled under Gingrich, a former House speaker. He says Santorum, a former senator, was a major proponent of that type of spending.Romney says the tea party movement was created to fight Washington insiders who spend too much...

Santorum Delivers a GOP Stunner Former Senator Wins in Minnesota, Missouri; Romney Campaign Plays Down Nonbinding Contests By NEIL KING JR. And DANNY YADRON DENVER—Rick Santorum jolted the Republican presidential race Tuesday by winning nominating contests in Missouri and Minnesota, puncturing Mitt Romney's claim to be the unstoppable front-runner. Mr. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, was running neck and neck with Mr. Romney in preliminary returns from Colorado, a state Mr. Romney won by a wide margin in 2008. With about 70% of the Colorado vote counted, Mr. Santorum had 38%, to 36% for Mr. Romney. Four years ago, Mr....

By MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN And NEIL KING JR. Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum handily won Missouri's primary election Tuesday night and was showing signs of strength in Minnesota's caucuses, threatening to deal national front-runner Mitt Romney a setback in two Midwestern states. With results from Colorado just trickling in, the returns from the other two states holding nominating contests Tuesday looked to give a jolt of momentum to Mr. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator.

US Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg tells Egyptians: Don’t look to the “OLD US Constitution” for guidance in drafting a new constitution. Justice Ginsburg holds in high esteem the constitution of South Africa and Canada.

Open for discussion.

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The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a new "public advocate" charged with listening to immigrants' concerns about its law enforcement policies — but Republicans said the position amounts to an official mouthpiece for illegal immigrants being deported.

SAN FRANCISCO – Supporters and opponents of California's ban on same-sex marriage were anxiously awaiting a federal appeals court decision Tuesday on whether the voter-approved measure violates the civil rights of gay men and lesbians. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that considered the question plans to issue its long-awaited opinion 18 months after a trial judge struck down the ban following the first federal trial to examine if same-sex couples have a constitutional right to get married. The 9th Circuit does not typically give notice of its forthcoming rulings, and its decision to do...

The “Occupy DC” protest group is planning to disrupt the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference using a range of potentially illegal tactics that could even include violence against participants, Scribe has learned. The planned disruptions at CPAC come only days after U.S. Park Police raided Occupiers’ tent cities at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., confiscating a number of tents, and prohibiting Occupiers from camping out there any longer. During a Thursday meeting at McPherson Square, until Saturday the epicenter of the protests, Occupiers brainstormed tactics for shutting down or disrupting the conference, according to a source who...

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation’s senior vice president for public policy, Karen Handel, resigned from her post Tuesday morning following the breast cancer group’s decision to de-fund, then re-fund, Planned Parenthood.Due to her outspoken pro-life views when she ran for Georgia governor in 2010, in the days and week following the decision to revoke funding from the abortion provider and the subsequent reversal of that decision, Handel became the name most closely associated with the policy changes that lead to Komen’s decision to pull funding.Noting the important role the breast cancer organization has been playing for more...

SAN FRANCISCO -- California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional,

PublicPolicyPolling@ppppollsReply Retweet Favorite · Open Minnesota is Santorum 33, Romney 24, Gingrich 22, Paul 20. 35% still say they could change their minds though...

Fatah and Hamas announced Monday they had reached another reconciliation agreement to end their differences – this time under the auspices of Qatar. According to the new accord, dubbed the Doha Declaration, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is to serve as interim prime minister of a unity government consisting of independent figures. The government’s main mission, the agreement stipulates, would be to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections and rebuild the Gaza Strip. No date has been set for the elections. But some Palestinians said the vote would take place 90 days after the formation of the new government. Other...

Former California Gov. Pete Wilson today endorsed Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination, part of a rising move within the party to rally around the frontrunner. Romney has made a big effort to line up high-profile endorsements, although several notables, such as former Florida Gov. and conservative darling Jeb Bush, have remained neutral. Wilson, although considered a conservative in California, is viewed as fairly moderate within the current GOP. In his endorsement statement, Wilson called Romney “an enthusiastic believer in American exceptionalism” and called him “a spectacular example of it.” (American exceptionalism is a term traced back to Frenchman Alexis...

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas' attorney general agreed Monday to temporary voting maps that add new Hispanic-dominated districts and could save the April 3 date for primary elections statewide. But at least one influential minority group said it would fight the new plan. Still, the proposal marks a rare moment of agreement in a bitter legal clash that has dragged on since last summer, even reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. Minority groups filed a lawsuit alleging the GOP-controlled Legislature drafted redistricting maps that were discriminatory and ignored a burgeoning Hispanic population. A San Antonio federal court had given the state...

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The Talk Shows February 5th, 2012 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): 2012 GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum; Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-VA; former Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): 2012 GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Govs. Mitch Daniels, R-Ind., and Deval Patrick, D-Mass.; Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Gingrich; former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.THIS WEEK (ABC): 2012 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Govs. Martin O'Malley, D-Md., and Bob McDonnell, R-Va.; Tony Perkins, president of the Family...

Mitt Romney Wins Overwhelming Victory In Nevada Caucuses Dan Balz February 4 LAS VEGAS — Mitt Romney won an overwhelming victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, giving the former Massachusetts governor his second consecutive victory of the year as he tightened his claim to dominant front-runner status in what had been a turbulent Republican presidential race. After his easy victory in Florida last Tuesday, Romney’s big win in Nevada, where he also won four years ago, will provide additional momentum heading to Tuesday’s caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota and set him up for more significant primaries in Michigan and Arizona at...

A Georgia judge rejected a 'birther' challenge that claimed..... In a 10-page order Judge Michael Malihi dismissed one challenge that....

LAS VEGAS — Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino executive keeping Newt Gingrich’s presidential hopes alive, has relayed assurances to Mitt Romney that he will provide even more generous support to his candidacy if he becomes the Republican nominee, several associates said in interviews here. The signals from Mr. Adelson, whose politics are shaped in large part by his support for Israel, reflect what the associates said was his deep investment in defeating President Obama and his willingness to play a more prominent role in the Republican Party and conservative causes. The assurances have been conveyed in response to a highly...

Newt Gingrich will stay in the Republican presidential nomination contest despite an expected loss to Mitt Romney in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, the former speaker told The Washington Times late Saturday afternoon. “We had excellent fundraising meetings and calls yesterday,” Mr. Gingrich said. “Super Tuesday and beyond look good.” The Georgia native thus dispelled rumors circulating in the press that his campaign had scheduled a press conference for late Saturday, after the results were in from the Nevada caucuses. “We will probably be a solid second here with [Rick] Santorum in last place,” Mr. Gingrich said, while acknowledging indirectly that attracting...

– The Newt Gingrich campaign held a meeting with approximately 60 donors Friday in Las Vegas, including casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a source with knowledge of the session told CNN. Gingrich, who attended the meeting, had a brief discussion with Adelson at the session, the source said. The long-time friends are legally barred from speaking about the Adelson family's $11 million contributions to the super PAC supporting Gingrich's White House bid.

In a potential Election 2012 matchup, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is at 45% while President Obama earns 44%. This is the first time in any poll that Santorum has led the president.

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — An Army officer ordered a court-martial Friday for a low-ranking intelligence analyst charged in the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history. Military District of Washington commander Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington referred all charges against Pfc. Bradley Manning to a general court-martial, the Army said in a statement. The referral means Manning will stand trial for allegedly giving more than 700,000 secret U.S. documents and classified combat video to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks for publication.

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Live stream of Newt Gingrich event. International Church of Las Vegas Friday, February 3 - 7:30-8:30 pm PT Location: International Church of Las Vegas 8100 Westcliff Drive Las Vegas, NV 89145 Note: this event will be streamed live on http://www.iclv.com.

You did not misread the headline; and it’s not just a truism about Mr. Gingrich’s political orientation, I mean he’s correct—that Florida’s winner-take-all primary system isn’t fair. According to Republican National Committee guidelines, all contests held prior to April 1 must allocate delegates proportionally. But Florida, not wishing to change procedures or fall behind other states, decided to flout the RNC rule, which means that Mitt Romney will get all 50 of its delegates. Mr. Gingrich—who came in second—will get none. Under a proportional system, Mr. Romney would receive 23 and Mr. Gingrich 16. Not only that, NPR has calculated...

Rick Santorum is on the verge of being left off the ballot in the the Indiana primary, three sources told BuzzFeed Friday. The former Pennsylvania senator is more than 30 signatures short of the 500 needed in the 7th Congressional district, which includes Marion County, where Indianapolis is located, a source close to the Santorum campaign said. The Marion County chief deputy of voter registration on the Democratic side, Scott Carr, confirmed that Santorum had not submitted 500 valid signatures. An Indiana Republican source said Santorum is "a couple dozen" signatures short, but that Newt Gingrich will be on the...

Two elections supervisors are taking action after an NBC2 investigation uncovers flawed record keeping and human error allowing people who are not citizens of the United States to vote. No one knows how widespread this problem is, because county election supervisors have no way to track non-citizens who live here. So NBC2 did something election officials never thought to do, and found them on our own. "I vote every year," Hinako Dennett told NBC2. The Cape Coral resident is not a US citizen, yet she's registered to vote. NBC2 found Dennett after reviewing her jury excusal form. She told the...

Earlier this week, the Rick Santorum campaign reminded potential voters that Newt Gingrich has made more than one “deal” with liberals. Today, his campaign released a new minute-long satellite radio ad that pinpoints the problem with Gingrich’s fanciful idea to build a moon base: We simply can’t afford it. “Reckless spending has led to a 15 trillion dollar national debt … And what does Newt Gingrich suggest? Spending half a trillion dollar on a moon colony,” the ad says. Gingrich received criticism from the comment he made last week in Florida, and Team Santorum uses it in the new spot...

In a profanity-laced tirade, a Memphis DJ last week used an on-air interview to berate a local Republican congressional candidate -- calling her a "token negro" who is doing the bidding of "white folk." DJ Thaddeus Matthews called Charlotte Bergmann, who is black, "stupid." He referred to her as a "curly-haired nigga." When she walked out of the interview, he refused to shake her hand, saying he didn't want to get her "whiteness" on him. The outrage? The fury? In Memphis, you can hear the crickets. Bergmann told FoxNews.com that, while the web video of the interview has gotten a...

Komen for the Cure just released the following statement from Nancy Brinker and the Susan G. Komen Board of Directors: We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives. The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.

The U.S. economy produced another solid month of job gains in January, offering a hopeful sign for hiring in the year ahead. Employers added a net 243,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday. That’s higher than December, when employers added a net 200,000 jobs, and it marked the seventh straight month in which at least 100,000 jobs were created. That hasn't happened since 2005. The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent in January from 8.5 percent in the prior month. The unemployment rate has fallen for the past five months and is now at its lowest level...

(Reuters) - Gunmen in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula kidnapped two American women on Friday in an apparent attempt to hold them for ransom, security sources said.

Iranian officials announced they have successfully launched a new satellite into orbit, the latest in the Islamic Republic's space program. Iran's state news agency IRNA said the satellite was launched Friday. It is reportedly designed to collect data on weather conditions and monitor for natural disasters. IRNA also said the Navid, or Gospel in Farsi, weighs some 110 pounds and will orbit the earth at an altitude of up to 234 miles (375 kilometers). Navid is the third small satellite Iran has launched in recent years. None have had a life-span of much more than a month. It falls into...

A defining moment in Mitt Romney's post-pro-life-conversion political career came in his third year as governor of Massachusetts, when he decided Catholic hospitals would be required under his interpretation of a new state law to give rape victims a drug that can induce abortions. Romney announced this decision -- saying it was the "right thing for hospitals" to do -- just two days after he had taken the opposite position. The story begins in 1975, when Massachusetts enacted a law that said, "No privately controlled hospital .. shall be required to permit any patient to have an abortion ... or...

Rep. Buerkle (R-NY) questions Attorney General Eric Holder during the full committee hearing "Fast & Furious: Management Failures at the Department of Justice" on February 2, 2012.

On Wednesday the Arizona Senate Government Reform Committee discussed a package of bills that are intended to curb public employee union corruption. SB 1485 would prohibit government bodies from collectively bargaining with public employee unions. SB 1487 would end the practice of automatic payroll deductions for union dues. SB 1486 would ban the practice of compensating public employees for union work.

No matter who wins the nomination or who wins the coming election, we're going to need FR more than ever to hold their feet to the fire!! The more power the liberals and GOP establishment concentrate for themselves in the central government, the dimmer the chances for freedom surviving in America. Romney proves through is love for RomneyCare exactly who and what he is. Reagan warned us that the socialists would try to impose socialism on us through socialized healthcare, well here it is. Romney says that he wants all 50 states to impose their own similar top down government...

Actual title is : It’s baaack! The plan to kill talk radio. Group advising White House wants to restore controversial policy An organization that helped to craft President Obama’s environmental policies has recommended the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, purportedly as a method of silencing critics of the theory of global warming. The Presidential Climate Action Project, or PCAP, last year released an extensive list of recommendations for the White House in a 75-page paper entitled, “Building the Obama Administration’s Climate Legacy.” Primary among the PCAP’s recommendations is that the Department of Energy should join the U.S. Department of Housing...

Donald Trump will endorse Mitt Romney for president, sources with knowledge of the endorsement tell CNN.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to more healing in the nation's battered jobs market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 367,000, the Labor Department said. The prior week's figure was revised up to 379,000 from the previously reported 377,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 375,000. Claims have been lower than 400,000 for eight of the last 10 weeks, holding below a level associated with labor market healing. The four-week moving average for initial claims, a trend measure that smooths...

With just days to go before Nevada Republicans head to the polls to choose who they want to take on President Obama in November, reality show host Donald Trump is injecting himself into the race and endorsing Newt Gingrich. Trump's office announced Wednesday that he would make a major announcement Thursday morning in Las Vegas, without providing details of what he would say. Two sources confirmed to CBS News that the publicity savvy businessman plans to endorse the former House speaker in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Nevada holds its caucus Saturday.

[snip]...Jablonski remained true to his word -- neither he nor Obama showed up for the January 26 hearing. I noted last week that Obama was not scheduled to be anywhere near Atlanta on the date of the hearing, although I had wondered if still, perhaps, Georgia might be on his mind. According to reports in the blogosphere, the president's schedule on the morning of the 26th was open, and according to an unnamed source, Obama watched the live feed of the hearings. Perhaps Obama, as well as the several mainstream media news outlets I spotted at the hearing, were merely...