Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama approval Rises To 50% - in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 8-11. The first time since July, more Americans have approved than disapproved of the President's performance. Reuters.com has more here.

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Gingrich Loses Alabama - perhaps, signaling the end of his campaign for the Republican Party nomination. Rick Santorum was the big winner, capturing both Alabama and Mississippi. Mitt Romney won the caucuses in Hawaii and finished a very close third in Alabama and Mississippi. You can read more here.

Politico.com has their 5 Takeaways here.

Delegate totals are now Romney - 495, Santorum - 252, Gingrich - 131 and Paul - 48.

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Romney Campaign Looks To Win Illinois - Mitt Romney needs a win in Illinois next Tuesday to solidify his frontrunner claim. A poll by The Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV shows Romney with 35%, Santorum - 31%, Gingrich 12% and Paul 7%. The Chicago Tribune has more here.

The Illinois primary follows caucuses in Missouri and the Puerto Rico primary on Saturday.

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Obama Hosts British Prime Minister Cameron - the visit included front row seats last night in Dayton, Ohio to watch the opening round game in the NCAA tournament. The NY Times has more here.

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Panetta in Afghanistan - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is meeting with Afghan officials following the tragic shooting deaths of 16 civilians by a U.S. soldier. The incident has triggered fresh calls for the U.S. military to withdraw from Afghanistan. TheHill.com has more here.

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Assad Rejects Annan Proposal - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he will not accept any terms until the opposition lays down their arms. CNN.com has more here.

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