Monday, February 13, 2012

Company that runs Empire State Building plans $1 billion IPO – USATODAY.com

Santorum overtakes Romney in Michigan - The Hill's Ballot Box

Rick Santorum has overtaken Mitt Romney in the race for the GOP primary vote in Michigan, a state long considered a lock for Romney that has become a make-or-break test for his campaign.

New polls from Republican-leaning American Research Group and the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling both give Santorum the lead in Michigan, where Romney grew up and his father was a popular governor.

Merkel taking Europe in wrong direction: Soros

American billionaire George Soros slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel in an interview published on Sunday, warning that her policies could lead to a repeat of the Great Depression.

"I admire Chancellor Merkel for her leadership. But unfortunately she is taking Europe in the wrong direction," the financier and philanthropist told the weekly Der Spiegel.

Soros warned against addressing the crisis with spending cuts, urging the injection of funds instead.

"Otherwise we will repeat the mistakes that plunged America into the Great Depression in 1929. That's what Angela Merkel doesn't understand," he said.

US President Franklin Roosevelt addressed the crisis in 1933 with his New Deal, inspired by British economist John Keynes, which combined a reform of the banking system with major infrastructure projects.

Soros also told Der Spiegel, in remarks published in German on the magazine's website, that he thought Europe could handle the crisis without the help of the International Monetary Fund.

He said it was a mistake to offer a bailout to Greece tied to high interest rates. "That's why the country can't be saved today, and the same thing will happen to Italy if we put this country in the straitjacket of paying harsh interest rates," Soros said.

A Greek default would cause an escalation of the crisis and could lead to a run on Italian and Spanish banks, and "Europe would explode," he said.


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Oil Rises as Greece Passes Austerity Measures, Iran Supply Threat Grows - Bloomberg

Oil rebounded from a three-day low in New York after Greece’s parliament approved austerity measures to obtain an international bailout, while concern grew that a ban on Iranian oil may constrict supplies.

Futures climbed as much as 1.3 percent as the euro headed toward a two-month high after 199 lawmakers supported the bill in a roll-call vote shown live on state-run Vouli TV, against 74 who opposed it. The measures were needed for a 130 billion-euro ($172 billion) aid package, Greece’s second since May 2010. Oil may extend gains after companies controlling more than 100 supertankers said they would stop loading cargoes from Iran, tightening sanctions on OPEC’s second-biggest producer.

Presidential Candidates Stopping In Ohio | Ohio News Network

MASON, Ohio - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will speak Friday at Manor House in Mason during the Warren County Republican Party's Lincoln Reagan Dinner.

This will be Santorum's first stop in Ohio on the campaign trail for the Republican presidential nomination.

According to the chairman for the Warren County Republican Party, Warren County has a history of pulling in presidential candidates.

"I think that this year is no exception," said Jeff Monroe. "In fact, it's probably more important than ever. Warren County is a pivotal county. We've seen that in the past and we fully anticipate it being again."

This year's dinner is scheduled to start at 6 pm Friday, and Santorum is expected to make remarks at around 6:30 pm before heading to a Brown County event.

"We're pretty staunch conservatives and I think one of the top Republican counties in the state, and this definitely puts us on the map," Kubicki said. "It's pretty awesome."

Tickets are available at wcrp.ticketleap.com or by calling (513) 649-7167.

Admission is $60 per ticket for the general reception or $600 for a table of 10. It's an additional $40 per ticket for a private reception with keynote speaker Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia.

Santorum is not the first Republican presidential candidate to visit Ohio ahead of the March 6 primary. Newt Gingrich stopped by Feb. 7 and 8.

On Thursday, Mitt Romney is scheduled to attend the Cuyahoga County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner.

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©2012 by By ONN. WHIO-TV in Dayton contributed to this report.. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.