Romney tops 50% in final Nevada tally  —  (CNN) - Mitt Romney won Saturday's Nevada caucuses with his highest portion of a state's vote yet, just over 50%, according to certified results released Monday by the Nevada Republican Party.  —  Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who also won …

Super Bowl ads: Pete Hoekstra's hits a nerve  —  The campaign of former Rep. Peter Hoekstra for U.S. Senate explained a racially charged Super Bowl advertisement they developed - complete with an Asian actress speaking in broken English - as a reflection of China's increasingly competitive education system.

Religious Caucus Causes Protest in Las Vegas  —  LAS VEGAS — A special Saturday night Republican caucus here intended to accommodate Orthodox Jews who could not vote before sundown became the scene of controversy and confrontation after caucusgoers were told that to be admitted they had to sign …

Greece takes step closer to default  —  By Kerin Hope in Athens, Alex Barker in Brussels and Quentin Peel in Munich  —  Lucas Papademos, the Greek premier, failed to make party leaders accept harsh terms in return for a second €130bn bail-out, pushing Athens closer to a disorderly default as early as next month.

Obama holds edge over Romney in general election matchup, poll finds  —  Boosted by improved public confidence in his economic stewardship, President Obama for the first time holds a clear edge over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general-election matchup, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The Citizens United catastrophe  —  We have seen the world created by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, and it doesn't work.  Oh, yes, it works nicely for the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country, especially if they want to shroud their efforts to influence politics behind shell corporations.

Presidential Fathers and Sons  —  For the seventh consecutive election, the next president will either be a privileged son or a man with no relationship with his biological father.  —  Voters this year look set to continue an odd pattern that's prevailed in presidential politics for a quarter century.

Things Are Not O.K.  —  In a better world — specifically, a world with a better policy elite — a good jobs report would be cause for unalloyed celebration.  In the world we actually inhabit, however, every silver lining comes with a cloud.  Friday's report was, in fact, much better than expected …

Deal Is Closer for a U.S. Plan on Mortgage Relief  —  With a deadline looming on Monday for state officials to sign onto a landmark multibillion-dollar settlement to address foreclosure abuses, the Obama administration is close to winning support from a crucial state that would significantly expand the breadth of the deal.

The budget rematch  —  The bell for Round Two of the fight between President Obama and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is about to ring.  —  Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, was bloodied in the first round after his proposal to revamp Medicare became a campaign poster for Democrats.

Syria's most senior defector: Assad's army is close to collapse  —  Bashar al-Assad's army is close to a collapse that could plunge the Middle East into a “nuclear reaction”, its most senior defector has told The Sunday Telegraph.  —  In his first full-length newspaper interview …

Egypt Will Try 19 Americans on Criminal Charges  —  CAIRO — Egyptian authorities on Sunday referred 19 Americans and two dozen others to criminal trials as part of a politically charged investigation into the foreign financing of nonprofit groups that has shaken the 30-year alliance between the United States and Egypt.