Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Unemployment Claims Drop To 4 Year Low - the data released by the Labor Department showed the four week average for claims filed is the lowest since April 2008. You can read more here.

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Greece Reaches Financial Bail Out Agreement - an anxious world financial market has been watching closely as political leaders in Greece wrangled over austerity measures. You can read more here.

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U.S. Government Reaches Settlement with Banks - the agreement to be announced today and is expected to include 26 Billion from five major banks. It is projected the settlement could provide aid to 2 million homeowners behind in their mortgages. The NY Times has more here.

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Same-Sex Marriage Approved in Washington State - The state house voted 55-43, following approval by the state senate last week. Washington becomes the seventh state to approve same-sex marriage and come after an appeals court ruled Proposition 8 which sought to ban same sex marriage in California was unconstitutional. The Washington Post has more here.

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Random People Chosen From a Phonebook Better Than Congress - was what 43% indicated in a recent poll by Rasmussen. 38% disagreed and 19% were not sure. This poll follows a recent Gallup poll which showed Congressional approval had hit an all time low 10%. Rasmussen has more here.

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Violence Continues in Syria - as diplomatic negotiations underway, President Assad continues the violent attack on the city of Homs. CNN.com has an update here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Santorum's Turn to Shine - after winning all three contests yesterday. Unfortunately, for Santorum, no delegates were at stake in Missouri and the other two states are non-binding delegate states. TPM.com has more here.

The two big losers yesterday were Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) came in a surprising second in Minnesota with 27% and received 10%-12% in the other two states.

An interesting stat pointed out by David Kurtz of TPM.com is Romney did not win a single county in either Missouri or Minnesota.

Politico.com has their 7 takeaways here.

CNN.com has their 5 Things They Learned here.

Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post has his winners and losers here.

Interestingly, President Obama has seen his approval rating rise since the Republican nomination process began.

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Quinnipiac Poll Shows Obama Winning Virginia - a crucial swing state that Obama won in 2008. Obama beats all GOP candidates, besting Romney with a narrow 47-43%, 49-41% over Santorum, 47-40% over Paul and crushing Gingrich 52-37%. You can read the full poll results here.

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California Circuit Court Halts Proposition 8 - the ruling by the ninth circuit panel that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional has put the issue of gay marriage in the state on hold, for now. It appears likely an appeal will be filed with the Supreme Court ultimately weighing in on this issue. TPM.com has more here.

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Russia Says Assad will Agree to Dialogue - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Larov is trying to begin a dialogue with opposition forces, while opposition forces say the only solution is for President Assad to step down. You can read more here.

While, the U.S. actions to date have focused on diplomatic measures, CNN is reporting the U.S. military is beginning reviewing military options in Syria. You can read more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Republican Caucuses Today - and one primary in Missouri which offers no delegates to the winner. TheHill.com has an update here.

Rick Santorum is expected to do well there and coupled with what is looking like a possible win in Minnesota, may propel him into the latest anyone-but-Romney candidate.

However, with lack of campaign funds and organization, it is doubtful Santorum will receive much traction. Romney is expected to win Colorado and Gingrich is becoming the latest GOP candidate to begin to fade.

Regardless, of the outcomes today, Romney will still be the Republican front runner.

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Romney Says Komen Should Not Fund Planned Parenthood - in a statement that could come back to haunt him. In an interview on a conservative talk show, Mitt Romney went on to say "he was pro-life". TPM.com has more here.

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Republicans Continue to Push Keystone XL Pipeline - House Republican leaders are considering adding a provision to the upcoming Highway bill and/or the payroll tax extension bill. Reuters.com has more here.

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Obama Reverses - OK's Use of Super Pac - “We’re not going to fight this fight with one hand tied behind our back,” Jim Messina, the manager of Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign, said in an interview. “With so much at stake, we can’t allow for two sets of rules. Democrats can’t be unilaterally disarmed.” The NY Times has more here.

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Russian Foreign Minister Arrives In Syria - following the veto by Russia and china of the U.N. resolution calling for a transition to democracy. Russian foreign Minister met with President Assad as the bloody military crack down on dissidents in the city of Homs continues. The Washington Post has more here.

Bloomberg.com is reporting Assad is asking Russia to broker talks with the insurgents. you can read more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama Pre-Super Bowl Interview with NBC Matt Lauer.



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Minnesota and Colorado Up Next For Republicans - Mitt Romney is expected to win both caucus states, but not showing up in Minnesota may hurt him. Romney is relying on former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to campaign for him. Interestingly, Minnesota is a nonbinding delegate state, meaning the delegates won are free to vote for any candidate at the Republican convention. Public Policy Polling has it Santorum 29%, Romney 27%, Gingrich 22% and Paul 19%. The StarTribune.com has more here.

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Obama Leads Both Romney and Gingrich - in a new national poll released by The Washington Post/ABC News shows President Obama ahead of Mitt Romney 51% - 45% and Obama 54% - Gingrich 43%.

In bad news for Republicans, 55% of the voters who have been closely following the campaign to date, say they disapprove of what the Republican candidates have been saying.

By more than a 2-1 margin, voters say the more they learn about Mitt Romney, the less they like him.

When asked, based on his performance to date, if Obama deserved a second term, the results were split evenly Yes - 49% and No - 49%. You can read more poll results here.

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The Citizens United castastrophe - is a good read by E. J. Dionne on how money in politics is turning democracy upside down. An excerpt: In the short run, Congress should do all it can within the limits of Citizens United to contain the damage it is causing. In the long run, we have to hope that a future Supreme Court will overturn this monstrosity, remembering that the first words of our Constitution are “We the People,” not “We the Rich.”

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Abbas to Lead Interim Palestine Government - Palestinian President Abbas would head the unity government prior to elections in the West Bank and Gaza. How Israel will react to an interim government which includes Hamas, remains to be seen. The Washington Post has more here.

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Egypt To Proceed With Trial of 19 Americans - In total, Egypt plans to try over 40 individuals (including 19 Americans) who worked for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The charge is they were receiving foreign money to influence politics in Egypt. This has led the U.S. to reassess their commitment for 1.55 billion in aid to the country. This comes as the military has been slow to transition to civilian and democratic rule. The NY Times has more here.

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49% of Voters Wiling for U.S. to Attack Iran Over Nuclear Weapons - scary results from a poll released today from TheHill.com. 31% opposed U.S. military action to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and 20% were not sure. You can read more here.

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