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Romney using Nev. as springboard for Feb. contests (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, greets campaign volunteers at a phone banking center in Las Vegas, Nev., Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - Mitt Romney expects Nevada's caucuses to kick off a month of primary and caucus contests to keep momentum on his side in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.


Gingrich hoping to beat Paul for 2nd place in Nev. (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a campaign stop at the International Church of Las Vegas on Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nev.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)AP - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has little hope for an upset in Nevada's caucuses and instead is looking to best rival Ron Paul for second place.


Romney, Gingrich expect Romney to win Nev. Vote (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, greets supporters at a campaign rally in Henderson, Nev., Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - A confident Mitt Romney is looking past his GOP opponents and Nevada's caucuses the day the state votes. Chief rival Newt Gingrich is bracing for defeat in a state the former Massachusetts governor won in 2008.


Nev. caucuses offer state a rare say in nomination (AP)

Worshipers pray during a prayer service before a campaign stop by Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at the International Church of Las Vegas on Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nev.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)AP - With its 24-hour casino gambling, legalized prostitution and drive-through wedding chapels, Nevada seems anything but conventional. When it comes to voting in presidential elections, it's as mainstream as it gets.


Santorum pushes discredited stroke claim (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at a campaign rally, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Hannibal, Mo. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)AP - Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum on Friday backed prominent conservative James Dobson's claim that President Barack Obama's administration would block medical treatment for stroke patients over age 70. Professional medical groups have called such statements bogus.


A political tip sheet for the rest of us (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign rally, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Elko, Nev. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)AP - A political tip sheet for the rest of us outside the Washington Beltway, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012:


Romney emphasizes patriotism - a lot (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds his hand to his heart as he recites the Pledge of Allegiance during a campaign rally in Elko, Nev., Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - Mitt Romney talks about his love for America almost every day. Twice now, the Republican presidential front-runner has even broken into song.


Romney campaign parts ways with debate coach (AP)
AP - The debate coach who worked with Mitt Romney ahead of two well-received debate performances in Florida is no longer with the Republican's presidential campaign.
Paul counting on rural Nevadans (Politico)
Politico - The GOP hopeful’s dedicated supporters are confident he can best Gingrich to win second place.
Super PACs worry DCCC chair (Politico)
Politico - He says Democrats lost the House in 2010 because they were outgunned in campaign spending.
Presidential spotlight shines on a dour Nevada (AP)
AP - In Nevada, people could once buy homes and feed their families with money earned from free-spending tourists who flocked to Sin City for relaxed gambling and liquor laws.
Analysis: How economy is viewed can differ sharply (AP)

President Barack Obama shakes hands with firefighters after speaking about the economy during an event at Fire Station #5 in Arlington, Va., Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - The stronger the economy gets, the more the presidential race comes down to what voters believe: Are things actually getting better? Or is it all still a mess?


AP Exclusive: US No-Fly list doubles in 1 year (AP)

FILE - Jayashri Srikantiah, staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California, holds up copies of records showing passengers checked on no fly lists from San Francisco International Airport, as plaintiffs Jan Adams, right, and Rebecca Gordon, center, look on during a news conference in San Francisco, in this April 22, 2003 file photo. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the government on behalf of Americans who believe they're on the no-fly list and have not been able to travel by air for work or to see family. The no-fly list has swelled to 20,000 people before, such as in 2004. At the time, people like the late Sen. Ted Kennedy were getting stopped before flying — causing constant angst and aggravation for innocent travelers. But much has changed since then.  (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)AP - The Obama administration has more than doubled, to about 21,000 names, its secret list of suspected terrorists who are banned from flying to or within the United States, including about 500 Americans, the Associated Press has learned. The government lowered the bar for being added to the list, even as it says it's closer than ever to defeating al-Qaida.


Civilian deaths in Afghan war up for fifth straight year: U.N. (Reuters)
Reuters - More than 3,000 civilians were killed in the war in Afghanistan in 2011, the fifth year in a row the number has risen, the United Nations said on Saturday in a report likely to revive tension between the Afghan government and its Western backers.
Obama presses Congress to pass aid to homeowners (Reuters)
Reuters - President Barack Obama on Saturday pressed lawmakers to pass his proposal to provide up to $10 billion in aid to struggling homeowners, saying a failure to address the housing crisis would put the rest of the economy at risk.
Analysis: Politics drives exit from Afghanistan (AP)
AP - The Taliban are not beaten, the peace process is bogged down in internal squabbles and Afghan security forces aren't ready to take control of the nation. Yet the U.S. and its partners are talking about speeding up — rather than slowing down — their exit from the war.
After Florida win, Romney campaign confident of Hispanic support (Daily Caller)
Daily Caller - Mitt Romney won the Florida primary Tuesday by a commanding 14-point margin, thanks in no small part to the Hispanic community.
Democrats slam Romney in preview of possible November race (Daily Caller)
Daily Caller - Democrats dumped on Gov. Mitt Romney Tuesday night, saying he won the Florida GOP primary only because of expensive negative ads, that the GOP turnout was low, and that Romney is both “extreme” and “out of touch.”
Life at Conception Act Petition Proposed (ContributorNetwork)
ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Wis., and the National Pro-Life Alliance are circulating a petition in an effort to put an end to the atrocities legalized by Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that allows for abortion on demand.
Sarah Palin Defends the Gingrich ‘Legacy’ (ContributorNetwork)
ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | Sarah Palin burst upon the scene a fresh face. You had this feeling she was shoving it to the Harper Valley PTA types who didn't think a woman from the backcountry should be in politics.

Post Politics: Breaking Politics News, Political Analysis & More - The Washington Post
If U.S. economy strengthens, Mitt Romney’s pitch could be undercut

SPARKS, Nev. — With Friday’s jobs report punctuating the nation’s steadily improving conditions, Mitt Romney and his advisers are confronting an unexpected economic turnaround that threatens to undercut the central rationale for his candidacy.

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Many House GOP freshmen still undecided about a presidential nominee

A year after storming the Capitol in the vanguard of the tea party revolution, the House Republican freshman class has fallen largely silent on the most pressing issue facing their party at the moment: Who should be the GOP presidential nominee?

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Defiant Gingrich campaigns in Nevada against long odds

LAS VEGAS — Stoney’s Rockin’ Country dance hall is a place that celebrates defiance of long odds: Every night, inebriated non-cowboys climb up on a mechanical bull under the mistaken impression that they can hang on. On Thursday nights, they do it in bikinis.

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OMB personnel changes are on the way

Changes are coming to the top ranks of the Office of Management and Budget just as the agency prepares to release President Obama’s proposed fiscal 2013 federal budget on Feb. 13.

With OMB Director Jacob J. Lew moving across the street to serve as White House chief of staff and Jeffrey D. Zients sliding into the acting director role, other staffers will be asked to pick up elements of Zients’s previously broad portfolio as deputy director for management.

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Mitt Romney’s Mormon advantage

Mitt Romney’s opponents really never had much of a chance in Nevada.

And it’s largely because of Romney’s Mormon religion.

While Romney’s faith has rightly been described as a liability in previous states — most notably Iowa and South Carolina, where evangelical Christians have balked at supporting Romney — it’s hard to call it anything but a trump card in Nevada (so to speak).

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President Obama’s claim that some wanted to let the auto industry die

“It’s good to remember that the fact that there were some folks who were willing to let this industry die. Because of folks coming together, we are now back in a place where we can compete with any car company in the world.”

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Gifts and pocket fillers on the campaign trail

LAS VEGAS — A pair of hand-knit slippers, adorned with a Mormon symbol. Rosary beads. A tiny stack of yard signs. An autographed Ron Paul placard.

Nevada had its strange moment in the political spotlight this week, as stage-managed campaigns roared through with rallies and TV ads. This was faux intimacy, done in a city where faux is a fact of life: The casinos are named after Paris and New York, and the dust-dry streets around them are named, aspirationally, for trees and oceans.

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Gingrich suggests Romney ‘clearly against the American ideal’

Newt Gingrich goes on the attack, Romney was once a Democrat, Santorum didn’t qualify for the ballot in Indiana and Florida Democrats seem ready to go to court.

Make sure to sign up to get “Afternoon Fix” in your e-mail inbox every day by 5 (ish) p.m!

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Nevada caucus: The Fix prediction contest!

Do you want an offiical Fix t-shirt? Of course you do! And it’s easy.

All you have to do is guess the finish order and vote share of all four GOP presidential candidates in Nevada’s Saturday caucuses. (Okay, maybe not that easy. Those shirts are highly coveted; we can’t just give them away.)

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The best Nevada music: A Fix playlist

The Nevada caucuses are tomorrow, and that means we need music to listen to while we wait for the results.

Here’s how you can help. Tell us your favorite songs from or about the Silver State with the hashtag #fixplaylist, and we’ll add them to our primary day playlist. Deal?

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The Donald Trump bump: It exists on @MentionMachine

Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday, a gesture that isn’t likely to have much of an effect on Romney’s support among GOP voters.

A Washington Post-Pew R esearch Center poll taken in January showed that only 13 percent of Republicans said they were more likely to support a candidate who won Trump’s endorsement.

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Gingrich’s ‘Dancing Queen’ ringtone strikes again

For the second time at a campaign-trail event in recent months, former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) was interrupted Thursday.

But it wasn’t by protesters, or by supporters of a rival campaign.

It was by ABBA.

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Trump’s endorsement of Romney mocked by Democratic National Committee chair

Celebrity mogul Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday afternoon that he is backing Mitt Romney is a classic “me for me” endorsement, as our colleagues at The Fix have noted – a move that appears to help the endorser more than the endorsee.

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Komen no longer owns pink

It’s time to take back the pink. And pay more attention to the red.

It’s time to declare that the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which just ‘revised its revision of its funding policy,’or something like that, no longer owns that color. And neither, though I myself am a breast-cancer survivor, does the breast cancer cause.

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Obama ruling requires Catholic institutions to violate church teaching

President Obama quoted C.S. Lewis on Thursday morning, and normally that would have made my day. The president is good at talking about his Christian faith, as he did at a National Prayer Breakfast, and ought to do more of it if he wants to relieve Americans of some of their most basic misconceptions about him.

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Unity eludes Nevada tea party in GOP presidential race

LAS VEGAS — In 2010, as the tea party rose to prominence, the movement splintered in Nevada and helped nominate Republican Sharron Angle in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.

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Will racism hinder Obama’s re-election?

About this blog: In their new book “The End of Race? Obama, 2008, and Racial Politics in America,” Donald R. Kinder and Allison Dale-Riddleassert that racism kept Barack Obama from achieving a landslide victory in 2008. The role of race in that election, they argue, was similar to the impact religion had in the 1960 presidential race when many voters rejected John F. Kennedy simply because he was Catholic. The question now becomes: What role will racism play in 2012 election? Have Americans gotten past their biases, or will the same questions linger in the voting booth? Here, Kinder, a political science professor and a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, addresses the issue.

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Corporations are sending more contributions to super PACs

Corporations appear to be embracing, albeit slowly, new campaign rules that allow them to make direct contributions to political groups.

The super PACs that have been playing a significant role this election season are getting more of their funding from corporate coffers — 23 percent, according to an analysis of federal records.

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Attorney general, Republicans spar over ‘Fast and Furious’ at congressional hearing

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. testified Thursday for more than four hours on Capitol Hill in a showdown with House Republicans, who threatened to hold him in contempt if he does not quickly turn over more documents on a botched gun operation.

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Riding high on jobs report, Obama seizes offensive against Congress, Republicans

The sluggish state of the economic recovery has been at the heart of Republican attacks on President Obama, as he begins to make his case for reelection. Over the past several months, though unemployment began to decline, the White House has maintained a cautious optimism, noting each time that although economic signs were improving, much more work remained to be done.

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Boehner-Cantor staff rumbles ‘to be expected,’ speaker says

Reports of a rivalry between the top two House Republicans have been greatly exaggerated.

So says House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Asked Thursday about reports of staff-level disagreements between his office and that of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the speaker told reporters at the Capitol that tiffs between staffers are “to be expected” and downplayed any disagreements between himself and his top deputy.

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Keep your Super Bowl (Give me show tunes!)

The super-sized hype about this weekend’s annual football playoff always feels like a huge party -- one I am not invited to -- going on in the next apartment.

I’ve never followed the NFL and will not be watching this weekend’s annual national programming and advertising veneration of the league's championship game, either.  It's nothing against football; I am just not much of a TV sports fan in general.  My source for competitive entertainment  has always been politics: More drama and less pain.

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Senate Democrats to Nationals Park for retreat

Senate Democrats have apparently found a way to generate excitement for what’s usually a dry program focused on messaging and policy: Hold it at a fun locale.

We hear that the Senate Dems’ retreat next week — a regular event typically held in dull conference rooms in less-than-hotels in cities like Baltimore or Williamsburg — will instead likely take place at Nationals Park.

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Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich financial documents