South Carolina Primary: Romney 27%, Santorum 24%, Gingrich 18%  —  What a difference a caucus makes.  Rick Santorum who two months ago had one percent (1%) support among likely South Carolina Republican Primary voters now is running a close second there with 24% of the vote.

Could Typo Rewrite Caucus History?  —  Caucus Vote Counter Says Romney Mistakenly Given 20 Votes  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — Caucus night was chaotic in many places, with hundreds of voters, candidates showing up and the throngs of media who followed.  The world's eyes were on Iowa.

Santorum Booed After Gay Marriage Exchange  —  Rick Santorum was booed after a lengthy back-and-forth with several students in Concord, N.H., on the issue of same-sex marriage, which is legal in New Hampshire.  —  As Santorum addressed a group of college students, one asked …

For vision and national unity, Huntsman for GOP nominee  —  DISSATISFACTION WITH the economy, expressed in spasms of anger toward Wall Street and Washington; the dashed hopes of many who believed that Barack Obama's election would create a new spirit of unity; and genuine uncertainty …

Obama Administration Plans Immigration Rule Change  —  A senior member of the Obama administration said Thursday that the administration plans to change a rule to reduce the time the spouses and children of undocumented immigrants are separated from citizen relatives while they try to win legal status in the United States

U.S. Adds 200,000 Jobs; Unemployment Rate at 8.5%  —  The United States added a robust 200,000 new jobs last month, the Labor Department said Friday, in a sign that the long-awaited economic recovery has finally built up a head of steam.  —  The nation's unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent in December …

Judge rules for Walker campaign in case against state election officials  —  Waukesha — A judge ruled Thursday that the state Government Accountability Board needs to take more aggressive action to vet recall signatures that are expected to be submitted in two weeks against Gov. Scott Walker and other Republican office holders.

Private sector jobs looking much stronger  —  In the previous post, we talked about the new monthly jobs report, but in keeping with tradition, here's a slightly different chart — one showing just the private sector job market.  —  Overall, the U.S. economy added 200,000 jobs in December …

Woman Scratches, Rubs Butt Over $30M Painting  —  Police say she was drunk  —  This work by Clyfford Still, titled “D No. 1,” was not damaged by a drunken woman.  —  A Colorado woman dropped her pants at a museum and rubbed her rear end all over a painting valued at $30 million, according to police.

U.S. December Hiring Probably Accelerated  —  Hiring in the U.S. probably accelerated in December for a second month, pointing to a strengthening labor market heading into 2012, economists said before a report this week.  —  Payrolls climbed by 155,000 workers after rising 120,000 the previous month …

Rick Santorum: ‘We Always Need a Jesus Candidate’  —  WINDHAM, N.H. - Rick Santorum addressed his largest crowd ever Thursday evening while speaking at an event set up by a tea party group, the 9/12 project.  —  Santorum addressed the crowd and and took questions for almost two hours …

States enact record number of abortion restrictions in 2011  —  By almost any measure, issues related to reproductive health and rights at the state level received unprecedented attention in 2011.  In the 50 states combined, legislators introduced more than 1,100 reproductive health …

SCOTUS expected to weigh Montana campaign finance appeal  —  The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to wade into the hot-button debate over corporate cash in politics again, just in time for the 2012 election season.  —  The conservative group American Tradition Partnership announced plans Thursday …

Walmart Blacklisted By Major Pension Fund Over Poor Labor Practices … Walmart , Algemeen Burgerlijk Pensioenfonds , Socially Responsible Investing , Abp , Divestment , Investment , Labor Issues , Pension Funds , Ufcw , Walmart Labor , Business News  —  A major pension fund and longtime investor …