WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidential candidate Rick Santorum implored conservatives Friday not to settle for Mitt Romney’s more moderate record, and to instead insist on nominating an unapologetic conservative that “the party’s excited about.” Speaking to a packed crowd at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the former senator tried to capitalize on his surprising victories over Romney in the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses this week. He dismissed the idea of reaching out to moderates, saying conservatives’ whole-hearted enthusiasm is needed... Read more

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Rick Santorum stirs his ever-growing crowds when he promises to right a country awash in “immoral debt” and to replace an administration he argues has “callousness toward life and family and faith.” Of the GOP presidential hopefuls, Santorum is by far the most public and emphatic about his faith, drawing on his Catholicism and deeply held views on social issues as the foundation of his message. It serves to solidify his standing among religiously motivated voters... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the Marine Corps on Friday to re-investigate and take appropriate action against the Marine snipers who posed with a logo resembling a notorious Nazi symbol. The top Marine officer apologized for the incident and ordered his commanders to look into the use of such symbols by snipers and reconnaissance Marines and make sure they are educated on how inappropriate such actions are. The rapid-fire announcements came on the heels of demands from... Read more

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey and Iran, regional heavyweights and heirs to imperial pasts, expanded trade in the past decade and papered over their traditional rivalry with diplomacy and rhetoric. Now these neighbors have staked out opposing positions in Syria, where outside players seek to sway an outcome to the bloodshed that could, in turn, alter power balances in the Middle East. Iranian-Turkish tension could grow if regional efforts to end the violence intensify as expected after Russia and China vetoed... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling — though improving — economy pushed to the background. Social issues don’t typically dominate the discussion in shaky economies. But they do raise emotions important to factors like voter turnout. And they can be key tools for political candidates clamoring for attention, campaign cash or just a change of subject in an election year. “The public is... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s military rulers warned Friday that the country faces conspiracies that seek to topple the state and spread chaos, in a message intended to undermine activists who plan to mark the anniversary of President Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow with anti-army protests. The statement from the council of generals who took power when Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011, came on the eve of a planned general strike aimed at pressuring the military to give up power. Protest... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s military rulers warned Friday that the country faces conspiracies that seek to topple the state and spread chaos, one day before activists plan to mark the anniversary of the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak with protests and a general strike. In a statement read on state TV Friday, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that took power when Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011, said it would not bow to pressures to accelerate the... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities barred a British woman from leaving Egypt on Friday because she is on a list of foreigners under investigation over ties to foreign nonprofit groups accused of fomenting unrest in the country, an airport official said. The government’s crackdown on the NGOs has caused one of the most serious rifts between Egypt and its strategic ally, the United States. U.S. officials and legislators have warned it could sever the $1.5 billion in U.S. aid to... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — A political tip sheet for the rest of us outside the Washington Beltway, Thursday, Feb. 9: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AT CPAC, DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? If Mitt Romney needs some good news in an otherwise lousy week, he might find it in an improbable place: the packed hallways of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. One day of a dozen hallway interviews is no scientific survey. But the comments Thursday were remarkably... Read more

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A federal judge ruled Thursday that two claims could move forward against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for alleged sexual abuse by clergy, laying the groundwork for about 570 claims to follow. The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests feared that if the archdiocese had been successful on its arguments — that the two claims were beyond the statute of limitations for fraud — 95 percent of the cases could have ultimately been dismissed. “This is a... Read more