W hat in the world is the matter with the Republican Party? This is an election year when pretty much everything should be going the GOP’s way. A Democratic president is facing the worst reelection environment in a generation. The conservative base is fired up to defeat him and should be riding high after securing the largest GOP House majority since the 1940s. Looser campaign finance restrictions have unleashed the ability of the party’s wealthiest donors to spend unlimited amounts. Read full article > >

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Election 2012: Republicans united on goal — beat Obama — divided on how to get there

BEIJING — As China moves to invest billions in businesses around the world, one major industrial nation has so far soaked up very little of the cash: the United States. The issue will be on the agenda next week during Vice President Xi Jinping ’s official visit to the United States. The Obama administration has made seeking Chinese investment a priority, with an eye toward creating more American jobs. But the flow of funds dropped sharply last year, and experts say the task is complicated by a perception that the United States is an unfriendly place for Chinese investors. Read full article > >

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U.S. says it wants investment, but China remains wary

The Obama administration will free 10 states from the requirements of No Child Left Behind, responding to complaints from teachers and school administrators across the country that the nation’s main education law is outdated and punitive. Read full article > >

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Obama: 10 states to receive No Child Left Behind waivers

“When you include the number of people who have quit looking for work because they’re convinced the Obama administration’s economy is so bad they can’t find a job, it jumps up to about 12 percent. When you include the number of people who have part-time jobs who wish they had a full-time job, it’s at 16 percent or 17 percent. I mean, this is an administration which has actually shrunk the workforce fairly dramatically. In the last year, it’s the lowest male participation rate in the labor force since the 1940s — so right after World War II.” Read full article > >

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The unemployment number: Is Gingrich right that it’s flawed?

The budget coming Monday from the Obama administration will send the NASA division that launches rovers to Mars and probes to Jupiter crashing back to Earth. Scientists briefed on the proposed budget said that the president’s plan drops funding for planetary science at NASA from $1.5 billion this year to $1.2 billion next year, with further cuts continuing through 2017. Read full article > >

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Obama’s budget would cut Mars program, solar system exploration

Seeking to stoke a political vulnerability for President Obama, Republican lawmakers moved Wednesday to amp up pressure on the White House over a controversial new health-care rule that critics say violates religious liberty — vowing to press for legislation to repeal the provision unless the administration relents. Read full article > >

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Boehner vows action to overturn Obama administration rule on birth control

TEHRAN — A former U.S. Marine sentenced to death in his native Iran for spying for the CIA could be saved if the Obama administration would consider a prisoner swap, his Iranian attorney said Wednesday. Read full article > >

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Ex-Marine sentenced to death in Iran needs U.S. intervention, lawyer pleads

The Post has just released some new polling that demonstrates very strong support for Obama’s counterterrorism policies, including 83 percent of Americans approving of his use of drone strikes against terror suspects overseas. Read full article > >

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Greg Sargent: Liberals, Dems approve of drone strikes on American citizens abroad

Facing criticism from religious-affiliated institutions, the Obama administration promised on Tuesday to explore ways to make a new health insurance requirement more flexible.

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Obama Addresses Ire on Health Insurance Contraception Rule

Takes a shot at Obama too.

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Santorum Hits Mitt in Victory Speech

The CIA is expected to maintain a large clandestine presence in Iraq and Afghanistan long after the departure of conventional U.S. troops as part of a plan by the Obama administration to rely on a combination of spies and Special Operations forces to protect U.S. interests in the two longtime war zones, U.S. officials said. Read full article > >

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CIA digs in as Americans withdraw from Iraq, Afghanistan

Two fundraisers for President Obama are brothers of a casino magnate linked to violence and corruption in Mexico who is seeking a pardon.

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Major Obama Donors Are Tied to Pepe Cardona, Mexican Fugitive

In which Obama beats him.

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Romney Complains About ‘Flawed’ Poll

President Barack Obama tells a US network that he deserves a second term in the White House, as a poll puts his approval rating above 50%.

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Obama: ‘I deserve a second term’

Even as Mitt Romney tries to fend off the continuing challenge from Newt Gingrich and focus his attention on President Obama, he is now being forced to deal with another rival: Rick Santorum.

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The Caucus: Romney Takes Aim at a New Target – Santorum