Obama to Joplin High School grads: You’re the source of inspiration
Joplin, Missouri (CNN) – On the eve of the one year anniversary of the tornado that ripped apart the southern Missouri town of Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 residents and injuring 900 others, President Barack Obama told graduating high school seniors they and their town serve as an inspiration. "We can define our own lives not [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 11:00pm
Gingrich: Bain is fair game, but Democrats best avoid it
(CNN) - Having levied his own criticism on Mitt Romney's background leading the private equity firm Bain Capital, Newt Gingrich had a warning for President Barack Obama's campaign: the issue is fair game, but be wary. "We found out when we got in a fight with Mitt Romney over this that it didn't work," he [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 10:35pm
Christie to fund-raise for Romney
(CNN) – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will appear at a Tuesday fund-raiser in New York with Mitt Romney, Romney's campaign told CNN on Monday. The appearance with Christie comes amid a three-day string of fund-raisers in New York and Connecticut, which Romney’s national finance chairman predicted at a Monday afternoon event would "raise more [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 7:20pm
Karzai: I will not let congressman into Afghanistan
(CNN) - If Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California, an influential member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is looking for a country to visit as a member of a congressional delegation, he can cross Afghanistan off his list. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Rohrabacher have been at loggerheads over the congressman's push for a more decentralized [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 6:23pm
Romney campaign buys second week of ads
Washington (CNN) - Mitt Romney's campaign purchased a second week of ads on Monday, according to a Republican media tracking source. Team Romney bought $1,026,000 of time in the battleground states of Ohio and Iowa for spots that will begin airing for a week on Wednesday. The commercials are set to run on broadcast stations [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 5:46pm
CNN’s GUT CHECK for May 21, 2012
CNN's GUT CHECK | for May 21, 2012 | 5 p.m. - n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle BREAKING… GAME ON, 2012: OBAMA DRAWS LINE IN THE SAND OVER PRIVATE EQUITY, SAYING THIS IS WHAT THE CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT. OBAMA: "THIS IS NOT A, QUOTE, DISTRACTION." [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 5:34pm
TRENDING: Obama: Romney's Bain record is fair game
(CNN) – President Barack Obama took Mitt Romney to task on Monday, arguing the likely GOP presidential nominee's history as a corporate CEO does anything but qualify him for the Oval Office. "When you're president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, then your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 5:29pm
Study: Congressional speaking levels move back a grade
Washington (CNN) – If the findings of a new study on congressional speech levels represented their actions, senators would be busy passing notes in history class, while representatives attempted to trick the substitute trigonometry teacher. A new study by the Sunlight Foundation found that Congress speaks at an average grade level of 10.6, equivalent to [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 4:36pm
Obama campaign: We didn't ask for Booker video
(CNN) – President Barack Obama's campaign spokesman said Monday that neither the president's campaign nor the White House asked Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker to produce a web video clarifying his take on a spate of recent campaign attack ads. Ben LaBolt was asked by CNN's Brooke Baldwin if the campaign requested the Booker [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 3:19pm
Axelrod chides Booker for defending Romney
(CNN) – David Axelrod, the president's senior campaign strategist, scorned fellow Democrat and Obama supporter Cory Booker after the Newark mayor defended Mitt Romney this weekend. "In this particular instance, he was just wrong" Axelrod said Monday in an interview with MSNBC. – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker Following a week of intense attacks [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 2:50pm
Obama and Clinton to hold second joint fundraiser
(CNN) - It's 44 and 42, part two. Former President Bill Clinton will lend President Barack Obama some additional fund-raising star power in early June at the second of three fund-raisers the two agreed to jointly headline, the campaign said in a Monday email to supporters. – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker Obama's campaign [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 1:25pm
Cheney to fund-raise for Romney
(CNN) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, will host a fund-raising event for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a campaign aide confirmed Monday. The event is scheduled for July 12 at Cheney's home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker Romney's campaign has largely kept its [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 12:16pm
Perry makes voice heard in Texas Senate race
(CNN) – Texas Gov. Rick Perry cut a TV new ad backing Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in his campaign for U.S. Senate, a little more than a week ahead of the Lone Star State's Republican primary. "We have a lot to be proud of," the former presidential candidate said in the ad released Monday. "That's [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 11:08am
Pro-Obama super PAC fund-raising lags behind rival
(CNN) - The super PAC supporting President Barack Obama's re-election reported raising just under $1.6 million in April, well below the amount raised by the group supporting Obama's rival Mitt Romney. Priorities USA Action also reported having $4.7 million cash on hand at the end of April, slightly more than half of the amount in [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 10:35am
Voters split between Obama and Romney on top three issues
(CNN) - A survey released Monday showed Americans split over which presidential contender would best handle the issues they consider the most pressing, saying President Barack Obama would best tackle health care costs while Republican Mitt Romney was better poised to slash the federal debt and deficit. The poll, from Gallup, asked Americans to assess [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 9:39am
Dems enter second week of Bain attacks amid criticism
(CNN) – President Barack Obama's re-election team began their second week of attacks on Mitt Romney's record as a private executive Monday, using a web video to highlight a paper plant that went bankrupt after being acquired by a company owed by Bain Capital, Romney's former firm. The Democrats' second week of bearing down on [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 8:20am
GOP problem: 'Their voters are white, aging and dying off'
Washington (CNN) - When presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney appears before Latino small-business owners in Washington on Wednesday, he'll address a group whose explosive birth rates foreshadow a seismic political shift in GOP strongholds in the Deep South and Southwest. "The Republicans' problem is their voters are white, aging and dying off," said David [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 8:11am
Colbert spawns army of crazy super PACs
New York (CNNMoney) – In late March, Stephen Colbert expanded his super PAC experiment, admonishing his late-night viewers to start organizations of their own on college campuses across America. They listened, and now the Federal Election Commission's roster of approved super PACs is filled with groups registered to addresses in college towns. Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 8:09am
Jury resumes deliberations in John Edwards trial
Greensboro, North Carolina (CNN) – The jury in the corruption trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards reconvenes for deliberations Monday. The jury convening in Greensboro, North Carolina, was dismissed for the day Friday, after its first day of deliberations. Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 8:07am
'Fatally flawed': Why third parties still fail despite voter anger
Washington (CNN) - They had the money. They had the organization. They had the ballot access. What they were missing, however, was a candidate. Most Americans have probably never heard of Americans Elect. But as polls show dissatisfaction with both parties nearing all-time highs, a group created for the 2012 campaign to field a third-party [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 8:02am
ON THE TRAIL: May 21, 2012
(CNN) - Mitt Romney, while not holding any public campaign events, will attend two fundraisers Monday morning in New York. First Lady Michelle Obama will hold a campaign event in Cleveland, Ohio later in the day. See the full schedule after the jump. 10 a.m. ET: Mitt Romney attends a fundraiser in New York. 12 [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 7:36am
POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Monday, May 21, 2012
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more. WASHINGTON/POLITICAL: CNN: Boehner and Pelosi say they feel good heading into November Current House Speaker John Boehner and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi engaged in an elections expectations debate [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 21, 4:27am
Donations to pro-Romney super PAC slowed with primary season
Washington (CNN) – While Mitt Romney’s major challengers suspended their campaigns and the primary season essentially ended in April, donations to the super PAC supporting Romney's candidacy and its spending slowed down as well, according to a monthly financial report filed Sunday with the Federal Election Commission. Restore Our Future brought in $4,608,000 in [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 20, 5:39pm
TRENDING: Political jabs are 'nauseating,' mayor says
(CNN) – Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey, a Democrat, said Sunday that some of the current politicking makes him sick - including criticism of Mitt Romney from his own party. Booker, whose national standing is on the rise, distanced himself from attacks on Romney's record at the private equity firm Bain Capital, which [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 20, 3:00pm
Gingrich is millions in the hole
(CNN) – Newt Gingrich ended his campaign earlier this month with nearly $4.8 million in campaign debt, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission that reflected campaign activity through the end of April. Debts of $1 million to a charter airline company, $466,370 for security services, $181,977 for public relations consulting and [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 20, 1:15pm
Boehner and Pelosi say they feel good heading into November
(CNN) - Current House Speaker John Boehner and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi engaged in an elections expectations debate Sunday, with both forecasting a party victory in November. Boehner, R-Ohio, acknowledged there will be some tough battles for Republicans, but said most GOP members are doing “very well.” – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 20, 11:40am
Axelrod: Fund-raising pitch cited Wright threat to combat super PACs
(CNN) – David Axelrod on Sunday defended a fund-raising push on behalf of President Barack Obama's re-election that played off the threat of a proposed Republican-backed ad plan that would have linked the president to comments made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Obama's campaign adviser said the pitch, which came in [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 20, 10:45am
State of the Union's 'Early Bird' morning research for Sunday, May 20
Good Sunday morning. The staff is working its way in and we're preparing for today's program. Prepare along with us – check out what we're reading this morning. On our radar: a deadly earthquake in Italy, protests in Chicago during a NATO summit with world leaders and a recall election in Wisconsin that that political [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 20, 4:44am
TRENDING: Rubio unleashes harsh attack on Obama in South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) – Florida Sen. Marco Rubio condemned President Barack Obama on Saturday in unusually harsh terms, calling him one the most “divisive” and “destructive” political figures the country has ever seen. “For all the policy disagreements that we have with our president, it is hard to understate how much he inspired people [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 9:55pm
Gingrich stumps for Romney, calls for unity
(CNN) – In his first campaign swing for Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich this weekend called for party unity and a need to rally behind the likely GOP presidential nominee. "We're now all on the same team, period," Gingrich said at the Georgia GOP convention Friday, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. – Follow the Ticker on [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 7:33pm
NAACP backs same-sex marriage
(CNN) - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Saturday announced its backing of same-sex marriage, more than a week after President Barack Obama also expressed support for the issue. "The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure political, social and economic equality of all people," Roslyn M. Brock, chairman [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 7:23pm
Hunger strike against Hatch?
(CNN) - The longest McKay Christensen has ever gone without food is 36 hours. But now he's vowed to give up eating altogether in a bizarre protest against Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, saying he won't take a bite until the veteran GOP senator agrees to take part in a televised debate ahead of the [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 3:56pm
Romney is on a boat
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (CNN) – Likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney took a day off from the campaign trail Saturday to spend some alone time on a boat in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. As seen in the photo above, Romney got out on the waves with Secret Service as company. Earlier this week, the former Massachusetts [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 2:25pm
Minnesota same-sex marriage fight re-energized - on both sides
Minneapolis (CNN) – Minneapolis is a conflicted city. It's home to one of the largest gay pride festivals in the Midwest and was once dubbed the "gayest city in America" by The Advocate magazine. The metropolitan area is also home to the conservative power base of Rep. Michele Bachmann. And in six months, voters there [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 12:39pm
McMahon takes first at Conn. GOP convention
(CNN) - Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon won the Connecticut Republican convention by a wide margin Friday night, crossing one hurdle in her second bid for a U.S. Senate seat from the state in two years. "My family and I are humbled by the overwhelming support we received tonight at the Connecticut Republican Convention," she [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 12:27pm
Obama calls for financial regulation, GOP for budget in weekly addresses
(CNN) – After a rough week in the investment industry, President Barack Obama used his weekly address Saturday to urge Congress to stand by increased regulations of Wall Street, while Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin continued the Republican call for the Democratic-led Senate to pass a budget. The recession was caused by Wall Street treating [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 19, 6:00am
Bush to return to White House for ceremony
(CNN) - Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, will return to the White House on May 31 for the hanging of his official portrait, a spokesman for Bush said. "They are looking forward to seeing a lot of their friends from the administration and they are grateful to the president and first [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 6:54pm
Video: Obama loves 'the man in the mirror,' Priebus says
(CNN) - Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus argued Friday the president was more focused on "the man in the mirror" than holding true to his campaign pledges. "My point is he's a person in love with the sound of his own voice. He loves giving speeches, but he doesn't love following through on his [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 5:41pm
Obama ended April with $115 million in bank
(CNN) - President Barack Obama's campaign ended the month of April with over $115 million in the bank, federal campaign filings posted Friday showed. The campaign had $115,157,432.79 cash on hand after raising $25.7 million that month. Combined with other Democratic efforts, including the Democratic National Committee, they raised $43.6 million in April, slightly more [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 5:38pm
TRENDING: Biden: Convict won 'frustrated, angry' votes
(CNN) – Frustration with the economy led to an incarcerated man winning 40% of votes in the West Virginia Democratic primary earlier this month, Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday. In an interview with WTOV, Biden said he doesn't "blame people, they're frustrated, they're angry." – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker "When you're out [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 4:59pm
CNN’s GUT CHECK for May 18, 2012
CNN's GUT CHECK | for May 18, 2012 | 5 p.m. - n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle First on CNN… The Romneys donate their own money to presidential bid: Mitt and Ann Romney each donated $75,000 this week to the Romney Victory Fund, the joint [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 4:59pm
Romney mocks 'bridge to nowhere'
Hillsborough, New Hampshire (CNN) – Mitt Romney stood in front of a so-called "bridge to nowhere" Friday and mocked President Obama's stimulus program for failing struggling Americans. "That's your stimulus dollars at work: A bridge that goes nowhere," Romney told roughly 150 supporters, then generalized his criticism of the stimulus program. "It is without question [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 4:12pm
NC state rep apologizes for Mormon marriage comment
(CNN) – A Democratic North Carolina state representative apologized Friday for saying in an interview with CNN that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon faith allows individuals to "have multiple wives." In the interview with CNN Political Reporter Peter Hamby, state Rep. Alma Adams said, "From what I understand about the Mormon faith you can [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 3:45pm
First on CNN: Romneys donated $150,000 of own money to presidential bid
Washington (CNN) - Mitt and Ann Romney each donated $75,000 this week to the Romney Victory Fund, the joint fundraising committee between Romney's campaign and the Republican National Committee, a Romney campaign source told CNN. Under the law, $75,800 is the maximum amount an individual can contribute to the fund. Although the law allows a [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 3:23pm
Romney castigates California
Hillsborough, N.H. (CNN) – Mitt Romney knows the chances of California going for him in November are slim, so why not call the state out as an example of economic policy gone awry? A day after musing over a move to low-tax haven Florida, Romney–who owns a home in La Jolla, California–cast the Golden State [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 3:04pm
Making the call: Romney dials up 43
(CNN) – Likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney called former President George W. Bush to thank him for his support, two sources told CNN. On Tuesday, Bush made headlines when he gave an off-the-cuff endorsement for the former Massachusetts governor, telling an ABC News reporter "I'm for Mitt Romney," as the doors of an elevator [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 2:16pm
Another Republican enters Senate race in Florida
(CNN) - The Republicans seeking to oust Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida have more company in their race: former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon. Weldon - who represented the state's space coast until 2008, when he left Congress and returned to practicing medicine - announced Friday he's joining the field of Republicans seeking to unseat Nelson, [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 2:02pm
House passes $643 billion defense bill
Washington (CNN) - The GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Friday passed a nearly $643 billion military spending bill - a measure at odds with prior defense spending agreements and President Barack Obama's Pentagon plans. The measure passed in a 299-120 vote. An overwhelming majority of Republicans backed the measure, while the bulk of Democrats opposed [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 1:22pm
Romney to address Latino business summit
(CNN) - Mitt Romney will address a gathering of Latino small business owners next week, furthering his bid to attract voters in a bloc that will prove essential to winning the White House in November. Romney will speak at the Latino Coalition's Annual Economic Summit in Washington, the group said Friday. Romney's campaign also confirmed [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 12:25pm
Will we see a 'Newt for Mitt' sign?
(CNN) – At Georgia's GOP convention this weekend, Newt Gingrich will begin boosting support for Mitt Romney, the same man the former House speaker vehemently campaigned against just months ago. Gingrich said he would campaign for Romney when he suspended his presidential campaign in early May, though he offered only lukewarm praise for the presumptive [...] Read more...
CNN Political Ticker, May 18, 11:21am