The Note's Must-Reads for Friday, February 3, 2012
The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com
Compiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson, Jacqueline Fernandez, Amanda VanAllen and Carrie Halperin
NEWT GINGRICH ABC News' Elicia Dover: " Newt Gingrich to Challenge Florida Republican Party for Proportional Delegates" Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is preparing to challenge the Republican Party of Florida after losing the Republican presidential primary there to Mitt Romney on Tuesday. The "winner-take-all" state had 50 delegates, all of which went to Romney, who won the state with 46 percent of the vote. LINK
Politico's James Hohmann: " Nevada tea party is torn" To pull off an upset in Nevada's caucuses, Newt Gingrich needs the tea party to embrace him. But that's not happening. Fractured and disillusioned, local activists concede that they don't have a single standard-bearer headed into Saturday's caucuses. LINK
PRESIDENT OBAMA ABC News' Jake Tapper: " President Obama, Democrats, Advertise Trump Endorsement of Romney" On his campaign Twitter account Thursday afternoon, President Obama tweeted out a video of real estate magnate/reality TV star Donald Trump endorsing Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney. "@BarackObama: In case you missed it: http://OFA.BO/FTvUmj," the tweet reads, with a link to Associated Press video from the endorsement announcement. LINK
MITT ROMNEY USA Today's Catalina Camia: " Trump endorses Romney" Donald Trump today formally endorsed Mitt Romney for president, saying the former Massachusetts governor is "smart" and "tough." At a news conference at Trump's hotel in Las Vegas, the real estate developer and reality TV star appeared with Romney and his wife, Ann. The endorsement comes two days before the Nevada caucuses, where a new statewide poll shows Romney with a huge lead over Newt Gingrich. LINK
The Wall Street Journal's Neil King Jr.: " Romney's Stance Hits Home" Mitt Romney has turned repeatedly to this city of sprawling subdivisions and sky-high foreclosure rates as he argues that the Obama administration has worsened the country's economic plight. Mr. Romney calls the city a place of "abandoned houses and abandoned dreams." But for some city residents and top officials, their plight also speaks to shortcomings in the Republican presidential candidate's own ideas on how to fix this region's profound housing slump. LINK
The Washington Times' By Stephen Dinan: " Trump urges Romney to 'go out and get 'em'; Angle backs Santorum" After repeatedly flirting with his own presidential bid last year, business tycoon Donald Trump on Thursday picked someone else as his stand-in, endorsing fellow businessman Mitt Romney."Mitt is tough, he's smart, he's sharp. He's not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country we all love," Mr. Trump said at his resort, the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. "Governor Romney, go out and get 'em. You can do it." LINK
The Hill's Cameron Joseph: " Romney gaffes alarm GOP" Congressional Republicans are worried Mitt Romney's propensity for verbal gaffes will hurt him in the fall. The former Massachusetts governor has had a series of foot-in-mouth moments that have set off alarm bells for the GOP and brought on gleeful attacks from Democrats. LINK
The New York Times' Laurie Goodstein: " Romney's Tough Immigration View Is at Odds With His Church" While Mitt Romney is taking a hard line on immigration even as the Republican primaries head toward the heavily Hispanic states of Nevada, Colorado and Arizona, the Mormon Church to which he belongs has become a decisive player in promoting policies that are decidedly more friendly toward immigrants. LINK The Washington Post's Aaron Blake: " Mitt Romney says he 'misspoke' about lack of concern for poor" Mitt Romney said in an interview set to air Thursday evening that he "misspoke" when he said that he was "not concerned about the very poor." In an interview with Nevada's "Face to Face with Jon Ralston," the former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential front-runner said he merely flubbed a line that he has said before. LINK
Bloomberg's John McCormick and Amanda J. Crawford: "Romney Doesn't Shy Away From Acknowledging Wealth Standing Next to Trump" Multimillionaire Mitt Romney shared a stage with billionaire Donald Trump as he accepted the backing of the real estate developer and reality television star, the latest sign the Republican presidential frontrunner isn't shying away from a focus on his wealth. The two men stood together yesterday and praised one another at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, a day after Romney came under attack for his comments about America's poor. LINK
ABC NEWS VIDEOS " Donald Trump Endorses Mitt Romney" LINK " Obama: Christian Faith Guides Tax Policy" LINK
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