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On the campaign trail, October 2012

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:28:12 GMT

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Monday, November 5, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

The following is the twelfth and final edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2012 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after a brief mention of some of the month's biggest stories.

In this month's edition on the campaign trail: a fan of Wikinews asks a critical question at the Second presidential debate; Gary Johnson discusses Syria and foreign intervention with Wikinews, and three candidates give the their final plea to voters ahead of the November 6 election.

1 Summary
2 Wikinews fan sparks controversy at second presidential debate
3 Gary Johnson speaks to Wikinews on Syria and foreign intervention
4 The final pleas...
5 Related news
6 Sources

Summary[edit]

October opened with President Barack Obama comfortably leading Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in most polls. This changed following the first presidential debate, which opinion polls and commentators declared as a Romney victory. Around 67 million Americans watched the Jim Lehrer-moderated debate, which focused on economic matters. CBS News analysis described the debate as possibly the best night of the Romney campaign, finding him in control of the discourse and appearing "reasonable, pragmatic and respectful." On the other hand, the analysis characterized Obama as cautious, lacking energy, and exercising poor body language, particularly in his propensity to look down at his podium while Romney spoke. One memorable exchange occurred when Romney argued that he would cut federal funding to Lehrer's network PBS, prefacing that he actually liked Lehrer, the network, and its Sesame Street character Big Bird, but argued that he would not continue "to borrow money from China to pay for it." Afterwards, Romney experienced a bounce in the national polls, surpassing Obama for the lead in several. Shortly after the debate, September's economic report was released, revealing a fall in unemployment to 7.8 percent, the lowest rate since the beginning of the Obama presidency. However, the Obama campaign hit a potential stumbling block as State Department officials reported details on the September 11 embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya that led to the deaths of four Americans including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. The administration had earlier claimed the attacks resulted from Innocence of Muslims protests, but it emerged the attacks were planned. The report raised questions of what the administration knew and why better protection was not provided to the consulate. The story broke just shy of the one and only Vice Presidential Debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan, held in Danville, Kentucky. Though analysts drew contrasting conclusions on who won the debate with many believing Biden had won it on substance, much post-debate discussion focused on Biden's aggression, use of the word "malarkey", incessant smiling and laughing, and interruptions of both Ryan and the moderator Martha Raddatz of ABC News.

Third party candidates Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson, Virgil Goode, and Gary Johnson participate in the 2012 Free and Equal presidential debate.
Image: Connie Ma.

Shortly thereafter, the second presidential debate commenced in Hempstead, New York, moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley. The debate's town hall format allowed the candidates to walk around the stage as they answered pre-selected questions from audience members. In contrast to the first debate, Obama appeared energetic and aggressive, as did Romney. CBS News described the debate as "contentious" with Obama and Romney attacking each other often and appearing to almost "come to blows" on one exchange. One such exchange occurred when Romney and Obama went back-and-forth about oil leases on federal lands. Obama claimed oil production increased during his administration; Romney agreed but countered that the increase was due only to private production, and that oil leases and production on federal lands actually decreased. The Benghazi attack presented another contentious topic at the debate with Obama claiming that he labeled the incident as a terrorist attack on the day after it happened, which Crowley confirmed, though she also noted the administration later claimed the incident was a reaction to the Innocence of Muslims. Before the next debate, the candidates appeared jointly at a less serious event, each taking part in the traditional Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner hosted by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, where they joked about the election, their opponent, and themselves. The final debate held at Florida's Lynn University and hosted by CBS News' Bob Schieffer focused on foreign affairs, which the candidates often appeared to agree on. Notably, Romney avoided criticism of the president for his handling of the September 11 Benghazi attack. One disagreement between the candidates concerned the issue of military strength. Romney accused Obama of proposing budget cuts for the military and criticized him for maintaining a Navy with the fewest battleships since 1917. Obama countered that "we also have fewer horses and bayonets. Because the nature of the military has changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines."

The next day, four third party candidates excluded from the national debates for not meeting the Commission on Presidential Debates' polling threshold, but who satisfied the commission's ballot access requirements, took part in a debate of their own sponsored by the Free and Equal Elections Foundation and broadcast on C-SPAN with Larry King as the moderator. Those taking part in the debate included former New Mexico governor and Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, former congressman and Constitution Party nominee Virgil Goode, former Salt Lake City Mayor and Justice Party nominee Rocky Anderson, and physician Jill Stein, presidential nominee of the Green Party. The two candidates that received the highest number of votes following the event, Johnson and Stein, were then invited to a one-on-one-debate scheduled for the next week. The event was postponed due to the Superstorm Hurricane Sandy. Sandy hit the northeast coast on the final week of campaigning, causing damages largely in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The destruction and lack of electricity in certain areas raised questions of how the election could take place on November 6 amid such chaos. Furthermore, analysts questioned whether Obama's response to the crisis would help him win the race. As Election Day neared, Obama secured critical endorsements from former Secretary of State Colin Powell and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Nevertheless, in the RealClearPolitics average for October 31, Romney and Obama remained in a statistical tie. Polling also indicated that the most critical swing states were Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, New Hampshire, Florida, Virginia, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina.

Wikinews fan sparks controversy at second presidential debate[edit]

Kerry Ladka, a senior sales associate at Global Telecom Supply and self-professed fan of Wikinews, was one of the individuals picked to address President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at the October 16 presidential debate in Hempstead, New York. His question, which involved the September 11 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, sparked one of the debate's most contentious and controversial moments.

According to Ladka, the Gallup organization randomly selected him to ask a question, which he devised without their assistance. In fact, prior to asking, Ladka explained to viewers that his question arose during a discussion with his friends at work.

Kerry Ladka asks President Obama a question during the second presidential debate.
Image: The New York Times.

Speaking directly to President Obama, Ladka mentioned the reports that the U.S. State Department denied additional security forces to the Libyan embassy before it was breached. He then asked, "Who was it that denied enhanced security and why?"

Obama responded that upon hearing of the breach, he gave three instructions to his national security advisers: (1) increase security at the Libyan embassy and other U.S. embassies throughout the region; (2) investigate the matter; and (3) find and prosecute the culprits of the attack. He then criticized Romney's reaction to the event as "trying to make political points." Romney responded that it took the administration too long to label the break-in as a terrorist act while casting blame on a YouTube trailer. Obama countered that he actually did refer to the attack as a terrorist act at the Rose Garden on the subsequent day and expressed outrage that Romney would suggest "anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we’ve lost four of our own". This remark led to a war of words between Romney, Obama, and moderator Candy Crowley.

Romney repeatedly asked Obama whether he actually said the attack was a terrorist act and not a "spontaneous demonstration." Obama twice responded, "please proceed" before citing the transcript of his remarks from the Rose Garden. After the moderator confirmed the president's statement, Obama asked her to do so "a little louder". With Crowley doing so, Romney then argued that the administration instead had maintained the act was a reaction against a video, which Crowley also confirmed. Romney next attempted to question why the Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice "went on the Sunday television shows and spoke about how this was a spontaneous reaction", but Crowley decided to move on to other questions.

Ladka told The Washington Post he did not believe Obama adequately answered the question during the debate, but noted that afterwards, Obama approached him and explained that he had wanted, in the days following the attack, to ensure the intelligence he received on the matter was correct, and that to avoid endangerment he did not want to explicitly name any individual in the State Department responsible for denying security.

To the Post, Ladka remained undecided on whom he would give his vote. But now after time for further deliberation, he tells Wikinews he has come to a decision. Though he felt Romney was "very impressive" at the debate, he believes President Obama was the winner and has decided to cast his ballot for the President on Election Day.

Gary Johnson speaks to Wikinews on Syria and foreign intervention[edit]

Though the fallout from the break-in at Benghazi was the main foreign policy focus in October, there was also some discussion, especially during the final two-party debate, about the unrest in Syria and actions of the Bashar al-Assad government, which led to the killings of roughly 30,000 people and displacement of 300,000.

Gary Johnson.
Image: Gary Johnson.

During the third and final debate between Obama and Romney, both seemed to agree that the United States should help the anti-government forces in Syria. Gary Johnson, in contrast, has a completely different viewpoint on both Syria and the question of foreign intervention.

In an exclusive interview with Wikinews, Johnson asserts that assistance for the Syrian rebels for humanitarian purposes may simply lead to the rise of a faction worse than the regime in power. Broadly speaking, he finds that "we intervene in the name of humanity, and the result is...more times than not, a situation that is worse, not better."

Nevertheless, Johnson does not hold an absolutist view against foreign intervention. When questioned about the need to intervene in the case of a genocide, he responded "I don’t think any of us want to stand by and watch that happen." However, for any kind of military intervention, Johnson favors congressional approval.

But for what actually constitutes a genocide requiring intervention, Johnson holds, "let me borrow from a Supreme Court justice that was asked his definition of pornography. [He said] You know, I can’t give you a definition of pornography but I’d like to think that when I see it I recognize it."

The complete interview with Governor Johnson on these and other issues can be read here.

The final pleas...[edit]

With Gary Johnson and Jill Stein making their case to voters at the final Free and Equal debate, Wikinews provided the opportunity to the three other third party presidential candidates with enough ballot access and write-in certification to theoretically win the election.

Those making their final pleas include: former congressman Virgil Goode, nominee of the Constitution Party; America's Party nominee Tom Hoefling; and former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, nominee of the Justice Party.

Ballot access maps for each of the three candidates appear below their respective statements.

Virgil Goode: Virgil Goode is the only candidate who will stop illegal immigration and block automatic citizenship for children born in the US of illegal aliens. He is also the only candidate who will protect jobs for US citizens by stopping so many green card holders from entering the United States. Lastly, he will work to stop the domination by Big Money PACs of federal elections. Save America and Vote for Virgil Goode.


Goode answers questions after the first Free and Equal debate. Image: Connie Ma.		Ballot access (violet), write-in certification (light violet), no access (gray) Image: Ariostos.

Tom Hoefling: Without faith there can be no justice. The two things are inextricably linked.

What is justice? To put it most simply, it is right-doing. In terms of the law and self-government, it is doing right to all persons equally and equitably.

But how can we possibly perfect justice in this country, as the framers of our Constitution purposed to do, if we pay no mind to the laws of nature and of nature's God? It is not possible.

Is there a desire in your heart to help save this country and restore America's greatness? Then trust God, seek His will, and do right. Join together with your fellow citizens who are of the same mind and heart, and retake the reins of your own self-government. If enough Americans will do this, without compromise, and do it in time, there is hope for this country and for our posterity. We can, if we choose to follow God and do right, once again be a shining city on a hill.

But if we refuse, and choose instead to be faithless and unjust by continuing to kill the babies and destroy God's institution of marriage and the natural family, our children and grandchildren, those who survive our brutal savagery, will curse us. They will rightfully convict us of squandering their precious heritage, one that was dearly bought with blood, sweat, and tears by our just and faithful forebears.

Our generation is a link in the chain between the past and the future. Please, my fellow Americans, I beg you, don't let it be broken. Strengthen the things that remain, before it is too late.


Tom Hoefling. Image: Tom Hoefling.		Ballot access (cyan), write-in certification (light cyan), no access (gray) Image: Ariostos.

Rocky Anderson: I propose an alternative to the corrupt two-party system that has created a militarist and corporatist government for sale to the highest bidders. My Justice Party campaign calls for people to demand a government that is genuinely of, by, and for the people.

Peace and prosperity require: (1) aggressive action on climate change; (2) creating a vibrant economy with living wage jobs through a WPA-like initiative, and returning outsourced jobs to the U.S.; (3) a significant reduction in military spending; (4) equal rights, regardless of race, religion, and sexual orientation; (5) a Medicare-for-all system providing better outcomes with lower costs; (6) prosecution of financial crimes, enforcement of financial regulations, including reinstatement of Glass-Steagall; (7) a restorative criminal justice system and an end to the disastrous “war on drugs”; (8) tax fairness; (9) Social Security and Medicare not be plundered; and (10) dismantlement of the imperial presidency and restoration of the U.S. Constitution.

My foreign policy will promote peace and respect for human rights, not the empire-building wars of aggression supported by both major parties. I will promote long-term U.S. security and build better relationships with other nations by ending the immoral drone killings that have already killed hundreds of innocent civilians and created more hatred and hostility toward the U.S.


Anderson poses with a supporter after the first Free and Equal debate. Image: Connie Ma.		Ballot access (blue), write-in certification (light blue), no access (gray) Image: Ariostos.

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Sources[edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"2012 Electoral Map" — RealClearPolitics, November 4, 2012 (date of access)
"General Election: Romney vs. Obama" — RealClearPolitics, November 4, 2012 (date of access)
"Presidency2012: Ballot Access" — Politics1.com, November 4, 2012 (date of access)
Michael Cooper. "Disruption From Storm May Be Felt at the Polls" — The New York Times, November 2, 2012
Associated Press. "NYC Mayor Bloomberg backs Obama for re-election, citing climate change" — Fox News, November 1, 2011
"The politics of Hurricane Sandy" — The Economist, October 29, 2012
Richard Winger. "Gary Johnson-Jill Stein Debate, Set for October 30, Likely to be Postponed Due to Storm" — Ballot Access News, October 27, 2012
"Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama for president" — CBS News, October 25, 2012
Chris Good. "Minor-Party ‘Don Quixotes’ Beat Up on Republicans, Democrats in Debate" — ABC News, October 24, 2012
Ryan Grim and Joshua Hersh. "Presidential Debate: Obama, Romney Agree On Foreign Policy" — The Huffington Post, October 23, 2012
"Transcript of the Third Presidential Debate" — The New York Times, October 22, 2012
Jilian Fama. "Best Jokes from the Obama vs. Romney Stand-Up Comedy Duel" — ABC News, October 19, 2012
Daniel Fisher. "Did Obama Really Take Away Those Oil Leases?" — Forbes, October 17, 2012
Eric Wemple. "Presidential debate: Libya questioner says Obama didn’t answer" — The Washington Post, October 17, 2012
Brian Montopoli. "Analysis: Tougher Obama rebounds in second debate" — CBS News, October 16, 2012
"Full Transcript of the Second Presidential Debate" — The New York Times, October 16, 2012
Peter Hamby, Mark Preston and Paul Steinhauser. "Five things we learned from Thursday's vice presidential debate" — CNN, October 13, 2012
Bradley Klapper (AP). "State Dept reveals new details of Benghazi attack" — Yahoo! News, October 10, 2012
Michael A. Fletcher and Neil Irwin. "Unemployment rate falls to 7.8% in September" — The Washington Post, October 5, 2012
Emily Swanson and Ariel Edwards-Levy. "Presidential Debate Instant Polls Show Romney Wins" — The Huffington Post, October 4, 2012
Brian Montopoli. "Debate analysis: Romney lands blows against cautious Obama" — CBS News, October 3, 2012

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Obama, Romney battle over foreign policy in final U.S. presidential debate

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:58:36 GMT

Thursday, October 25, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

2012 US presidential election candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney took part Monday in their third and final presidential debate at Lynn University in Florida. The topic of the debate was foreign policy and the candidates discussed the Arab Spring, Iran, and Mali, among other issues.

Barack Obama
Image: US Senate.

Mitt Romney
Image: Gage skidmore.

Mr. Obama criticised Mr. Romney's foreign policy positions as "all over the map". "Every time you have offered an opinion you have been wrong." "You said we should have gone into Iraq, despite the fact there were no weapons of mass destruction. You said we should still have troops in Iraq to this day. You said we shouldn't be passing nuclear treaties with Russia." Mr. Romney countered saying Mr. Obama had failed to take proper advantage of the Arab Spring: "I congratulate him on taking out Osama bin Laden and going after the leadership of al-Qaeda, but we can't kill our way out of this mess".

Mr. Romney said Mr. Obama was proposing military budget cuts. He said "the highest responsibility of the President of the United states ... is to maintain the safety of the American people, and I will not cut our military budget by a trillion dollars... That in my view is making our future less certain and less secure". Mr. Obama accused Mr. Romney of not properly understanding modern defense priorities. "You mention the navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets. Because the nature of the military has changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines".

	Well governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets. Because the nature of the military has changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines".
—Barack Obama

Mr. Romney criticized his opponent for visiting the Middle East on an "apology tour", and said he would be tougher with Iran. "I think from the very beginning, one of the challenges we've had with Iran is that they have looked at this administration and felt that the administration was not as strong as it needed to be. We're four years closer to a nuclear Iran and we should not have wasted these four years." Mr. Obama said he would stand with Israel against Iranian threats but added that the main national security concern was terrorist networks. He said his administration had focused on "those who actually killed us on 9/11" and said that under his leadership, "al-Qaeda's core leadership has been decimated". Mr. Romney said northern Mali had been taken over by "al-Qaeda-type individuals" .

Mr. Romney criticized China for "holding down artificially the value of their currency". He added "on day one, I will label them a currency manipulator, which allows us to apply tariffs where they're taking jobs." Mr. Obama countered saying under Mr. Romney's policy America would be "buying cars from China instead of selling cars to China".

A poll, taken by CBS straight after the debate, indicated 53% of voters thought Mr. Obama had done better, while only 23% thought Mr. Romney had done better.

Both candidates now have plans for continued campaigning ahead of the election on November 6. Mr. Obama is to travel through Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, and Nevada as well as appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in a two-day "America Forward Tour". Mr. Romney is to hold two joint rallies with his vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan in Nevada and Colorado before going on to campaign in Iowa and Ohio. Mr. Romney's advisers said he would also consider making a speech on government spending and debt in the next few days.

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Sources[edit]

"Obama on the attack in final presidential debate" — Channel 4 News, October 23, 2012
"Obama and Romney in final push" — BBC News Online, October 23, 2012
Ruby Cramer. "Why Mitt Romney Kept Talking About Mali" — BuzzFeed, October 22, 2012

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Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

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Obama and Romney battle in second U.S. presidential debate

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:04:18 GMT

Friday, October 19, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

United States president Barack Obama criticized his presidential challenger Mitt Romney over his response to the killing of the U.S ambassador to Libya on Tuesday in the second of three presidential debates. At the debate in Hempstead, New York, President Obama was critical of Mr Romney for trying to score "political points" from the incident.

	While we were still dealing with our diplomats being threatened, Governor Romney put out a press release, trying to make political points, and that's not how a commander-in-chief operates
—Barack Obama

"While we were still dealing with our diplomats being threatened, Governor Romney put out a press release, trying to make political points, and that's not how a commander-in-chief operates" Obama said, referring to Romney's initial response to the incident before the full details were known of what had happened.

Mr Obama faced criticism for the apparent lack of security at the U.S Consulate in Benghazi. Tuesday, U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she took responsibility for the failure in security at the counsulate, which led to the ambassador's death.

Elsewhere in the debate, there was controversy as moderator Candy Crowley appeared to side with President Obama when Mr Romney said that President Obama was not quick enough to call the killing of the ambassador "terrorism". "He did, in fact, sir," Crowley said, siding with Obama. On the day of the attack, President Obama actually said "...no acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation". Despite that comment, some of President Obama's top aides had initially attributed the killing to the film Innocence of Muslims which led to protests elsewhere in the Middle East. The rest of the debate was mostly dominated by the economy, jobs and taxes.

The next debate is scheduled to take place on October 22 at Lynn University in Florida. The candidates will be seeking to clinch the votes of the millions of undecided voters.

Barack Obama
Mitt Romney

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Sister links[edit]

Attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi

Sources[edit]

"'Aggressive Obama fights back in US debate'" — Channel 4 News, October 17, 2012
"'Obama hits back in fiery second debate with Romney'" — BBC News Online, October 17, 2012

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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

On the campaign trail, August 2012

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:11:59 GMT

Thursday, September 6, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

The following is the tenth in a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2012 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after a brief mention of some of the month's biggest stories.

In this month's edition on the campaign trail: Wikinews interviews the Peace and Freedom Party vice presidential nominee, analysts react to the Republican choice for vice president, and Wikinews updates readers on the candidates who challenged President Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries.

1 Summary
2 Peace and Freedom Party VP nominee speaks to Wikinews
3 Analysts react to Republican VP selection
4 Update on 2012 Democratic candidates
5 Related news
6 Sources

Summary[edit]

August began with the Obama re-election campaign's continued attacks on presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's decision to not release his tax records from previous years. Democratic Senator Harry Reid alleged that an unnamed investor from Romney's former business Bain Capital advised him Romney had not paid any taxes in the undisclosed years. The Romney campaign rejected the validity of Reid's comments, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham accused Reid of lying. Thereafter, the Obama campaign began airing a new advertisement that referred to Romney's tax plan as "Robin Hood in reverse" or "Romney Hood". The Romney campaign countered that it was actually Obama, and not Romney, who wished to increase taxes. Further controversy spawned from the Obama-allied Priorities USA Action Political Action Committee, which ran ads connecting Romney to the cancer death of the wife of a Union leader at GST Steel. The leader said he lost healthcare coverage after Bain, which had operated the plant for a short period, shut it down. The Romney campaign claimed the shutdown occurred while Romney was running the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and asked the Obama campaign to disavow the ad; however, an Obama spokesman claimed no involvement and refused to denounce the ad. In response, Romney debuted an ad that attacked Obama as someone "who will say or do anything to stay in power", arguing he had "squandered...one of his key attributes...[as] a different kind of politician who was going to take us to a better place." The Obama campaign offered to end the ads attacking Romney for his tax records if he released his records from the previous five years; Romney declined. His spokesman argued, "It is clear that President Obama wants nothing more than to talk about Governor Romney's tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters". A Huffington Post report from early August suggested Obama's ads were negatively affecting Romney's likability rating and his position in the polls. Nevertheless, analysis of the previous month's receipts showed that despite the attacks, for the third straight month, the Romney campaign raised more money than Obama.

Paul Ryan prepares to deliver his acceptance speech after Mitt Romney introduces him as his running mate.
Image: Tony Atler.

On August 11 during an event in front of the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, Virginia, Romney named Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate. After an introduction, Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee and author of the budget proposal The Path to Prosperity, argued the ticket "won't duck the tough issues — we will lead." In response to the selection, Obama staffers remarked it "makes clear that Romney would be a rubber stamp for the congressional GOP" and the choice provides the Obama campaign with "clear advantages". Shortly thereafter, Obama's running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, himself made headlines after commenting to a partly African American audience in Virginia, "in the first 100 days, [Romney's] going to let the big banks write their own rules — unchain Wall Street. They’re going to put y’all back in chains." Romney cited this as an example of the Obama presidency's "angry and desperate" state and called on Obama to "take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago". Biden's were not the only controversial remarks connected with the August campaign. Discussing conception as a result of rape, Republican Senate candidate and Congressman Todd Akin of Missouri told a local St. Louis radio program, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." The comment drew condemnation from Republicans including Romney, who labeled it "inexcusable" and asked that Akin step down from the race. Obama described the remarks as "offensive" and his campaign attempted to use it to revive the "war on women" rhetoric; Democratic National Committee chairwoman Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz argued, "Akin’s choice of words isn’t the real issue here. The real issue is a Republican Party — led by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan — whose policies on women and their health are dangerously wrong."

Prior to the Republican National Convention, then-Tropical Storm Isaac was projected to make landfall near the event in Tampa, Florida. Though it eventually made landfall as a Hurricane near New Orleans, the first day of the convention was largely cancelled and Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal decided not to attend. Nevertheless, the convention was held. On the first regular day: the Romney-Ryan ticket was officially nominated; though it attracted controversy as most of the Maine delegation walked out of the proceedings as ten of the state's twenty delegates were given to Romney instead of Congressman Ron Paul. Paul had held an event before 10,000 spectators at the University of South Florida's Sun Dome a day prior to the scheduled start of the convention, where he proclaimed that his Revolution continued. After the nomination, nominee's wife Ann Romney and New Jersey governor Chris Christie addressed the convention in prime time speeches. The next day, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and New Mexico governor Susanna Martinez spoke to the delegates before Paul Ryan officially accepted the vice presidential nomination in a speech that notably included the line, "College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life." On the final day of the convention, actor and former Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Mayor Clint Eastwood made a surprise appearance and delivered an impromptu speech, which included an interview of a chair representing Obama, emphasizing his unmet promises as president. After addressing attendees, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida introduced Romney, who took the stage and formally accepted the Republican Party presidential nomination. In his speech, Romney discussed his family, recalled some personal anecdotes, and criticized Obama, arguing the "centerpiece of the president’s entire re-election campaign is attacking success." Addressing Obama supporters, Romney agreed "hope and change had a powerful appeal" but asked, "If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn’t you feel that way now that he’s President Obama? You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him." In response to the convention, Obama remarked, "what they offered over those three days was more often than not an agenda better suited for the last century. ... We might as well have watched it on a black-and-white TV." Early polling analysis showed the convention improved Romney's likability ratings, and in the national RealClearPolitics average for August 31, Romney edged closer with 45.9 percent support, behind Obama's 46.4 percent.

Peace and Freedom Party VP nominee speaks to Wikinews[edit]

Cindy Sheehan in 2007.
Image: dbking.

In August, comedienne Roseanne Barr, star of the popular '90s sitcom Roseanne, won the presidential nomination of the left-wing Peace and Freedom Party. She named peace activist Cindy Sheehan as her running mate. Wikinews reached out to Sheehan to discuss the campaign.

Sheehan is best known for her active opposition to the War in Iraq following the loss of her son Casey there in 2004. In protest of the war, she set up camp outside President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, demanding a pullout of U.S. troops and prosecution of Bush administration officials for war crimes. According to her website, Sheehan also advocates Revolutionary socialism, believing it to be key to loosening the "Imperialist/Capitalist two-party stranglehold" on U.S. and world politics.

This campaign is not Sheehan's first foray into electoral politics. In 2008, she challenged then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for Congress as the nominee of the Green Party, finishing second in a field of seven candidates. During the campaign, she championed the reduction of U.S. troops abroad, and endorsed economic democracy, bank nationalization, single-payer health care, education subsidies, marijuana decriminalization, alternative fuels, and electoral reform.

Now, as the Peace and Freedom Party vice presidential nominee, Sheehan campaigns on a similar platform that promotes socialism, feminism, and environmentalism. Thus far, the party has attained ballot access in California, Colorado, and Florida.

With Wikinews, Sheehan reveals her reason for joining Roseanne, discusses her responsibilities as the vice presidential nominee, and details what she personally contributes to the ticket.

WSSWhy did you agree to be the running mate of Roseanne Barr?

Cindy Sheehan: I have a long relationship with Roseanne Barr dating back to 2005 when we met in L.A. after my son was killed and we connected on the level of mothers. She supported me when I ran against Nancy Pelosi in 2008 by coming up and doing an event with me in SF and various other things. I think Roseanne has the ability to reach everyone with a message that I have been spreading since my campaign: that capitalism is the main problem in our country — everything for profit and nothing for the people — and the solution is socialism. I was honored to accept her invite.

WSSWhat are your responsibilities in this position?

Cindy Sheehan: Campaign events to raise awareness to our issues and the Peace and Freedom Party and to spread the Party all over the country and increase registration here in California to keep us on the ballot. I will do interviews and represent the campaign whenever or wherever needed.

WSSHow do you complement Roseanne on the ticket?

Cindy Sheehan: I have been an avowed socialist and member of the Peace and Freedom Party for almost four years now and have written two books on socialist revolution called: Myth America: 20 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution and Revolution, A Love Story. Except for the abstentions of the Freedom Socialist Party, my nomination was unanimous because I think I am slightly more grounded in socialist ideology and am a member in good standing of the party.

I also have experience running a pretty major campaign and being a candidate for federal office.

Analysts react to Republican VP selection[edit]

After Mitt Romney's selection of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, Wikinews tracked down two political analysts who had previously offered their insights on possible Republican Party vice presidential picks.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney stands with his running mate, Paul Ryan
Image: monkeyz uncle.

In March, Dan Judy of North Star Opinion Research discussed the possibility that Puerto Rico governor Luis Fortuño would receive the vice presidential nomination, and in June, examined the prospect of Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. Judy did not believe either had a realistic chance of winning the nomination, and with Romney's pick, his expectation proved correct. Though both Paul and Fortuño delivered prime time speeches at the Republican National Convention, neither did so as the vice presidential nominee; that was reserved for Ryan.

Judy sees the selection of Ryan as a positive for the Romney campaign. He feels that as "one of the few serious policy thinkers in either party", Ryan will shift the campaign into "a more serious, solutions-oriented campaign that will make President Obama's campaign, which has focused almost solely on personal attacks against Mitt Romney, look petty and small." Moreover, he believes Ryan can help Romney win in the swing state of Wisconsin, which no Republican presidential candidate has won since President Ronald Reagan was re-elected in 1984.

Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball, who in June also rejected the idea of a Rand Paul ticket, differs from Judy somewhat in his assessment of the Ryan pick. He agrees that the selection will raise policy issues, particularly entitlement reform, but questions whether that will help or hurt Romney. He believes the announcement itself was poorly planned since it occurred on a Saturday morning in August during the Olympics, and that it initially did not lead to a poll boost for Romney. Nevertheless, Kondik argues, "the running mates for either candidate are not vitally important; this [election] is about Obama and Romney."

Update on 2012 Democratic candidates[edit]

With the Democratic National Convention looming, Wikinews decided to update on some of the candidates who challenged President Barack Obama during the Democratic primaries earlier this year. Of the three candidates chronicled: one is actively continuing his presidential campaign, one is backing a third party ticket, and another recently encountered a major roadblock to his goal of preventing Obama's unanimous nomination.

Time Warner Cable Center, the venue for the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Image: Blueboy96.

Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry of West Virginia, who received 22,734 votes in the Democratic primaries overall and who, after a strong second-place showing in the Oklahoma primary, qualified for delegates that the state party later denied, has been waging an independent campaign in several states to appear on the November ballot. According to Terry, he has ballot access in West Virginia, and has attained official write-in status in Colorado. Currently, he is petitioning to appear on the Kentucky and Nebraska ballots, and is hoping to be certified as a write-in candidate in Virginia, Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.

Historian Darcy Richardson of Florida, who garnered 41,730 votes in the primaries, decided afterwards to seek the nomination of the Reform Party of the United States, but dropped his bid late in July due to the party's lack of ballot access. Fitness model Andre Barnett ultimately won the Reform Party nomination in August. Richardson says that he is now supporting the Peace and Freedom Party presidential ticket of Roseanne Barr and Cindy Sheehan, and is helping to organize the party's chapter in Florida, where it recently gained ballot access.

Attorney John Wolfe, Jr. of Tennessee, who won 117,033 votes, more than any other challenger, and who qualified for delegates in Louisiana and Arkansas, which the state parties refused to recognized, has pursued lawsuits against the parties, hoping to have his delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention to prevent the unanimous renomination of President Obama. However, on August 30, a federal district court threw out his suit against the Arkansas party, arguing that the stripping of delegates, for failing to properly file for the delegates, did not violate Wolfe's constitutional rights. Nevertheless, Wolfe argued that the refusal to grant delegates to him amounted to a disfranchisement of the 42 percent of Arkansas Democrats that voted for him in the primary.

When asked if he planned to attend the Democratic National Convention, Wolfe did not immediately respond. The convention is to be held September 4–6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Randall Terry
Darcy Richardson
John Wolfe, Jr.

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Sources[edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"Democratic Convention" — The Green Papers, September 6, 2012 (date of access)
Washington Post. "Obama mocks GOP convention in speech" — San Francisco Chronicle, September 1, 2012
"General Election: Romney vs. Obama" — RealClearPolitics, August 31, 2012
"Poll: Romney’s Likeability Improves Following Republican Convention" — Fox News, August 31, 2012
AP. "Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Clint Eastwood close out RNC 2012" — WLS-TV, August 31, 2012
Andrew DeMillo (AP). "Judge dismisses Wolfe's lawsuit against Ark. Dems" — San Francisco Chronicle, August 30, 2012
Alex Pappas. "Romney in convention speech: ‘Centerpiece’ of Obama campaign ‘attacking success’" — The Daily Caller, August 30, 2012
Charles Krauthammer. "Krauthammer Analysis: Paul Ryan, Condoleezza Rice and Susana Martinez Deliver Speeches on President Obama’s ‘War on Success’" — Fox News, August 29, 2012
gopconvention2012. "Senator Rand Paul" — YouTube, August 29, 2012
gopconvention2012. "Governor Luis Fortuno" — YouTube, August 29, 2012
Neil Johnson. "Maine GOP delegates walk out of convention after Paul backers replaced" — Bangor Daily News, August 29, 2012
Jeff Zeleny. "Nomination Secure, Romney Pitch Starts" — The New York Times, August 28, 2012
"Bobby Jindal skips Republican convention as storm looms" — New York Daily News, August 28, 2012
Richard Winger. "Peace & Freedom Party is now Ballot-Qualified in Florida" — Ballot Access News, August 27, 2012
Susan Saulny. "Paul Makes Sure His Voice Is Heard in Tampa" — The New York Times, August 26, 2012
"First day of RNC effectively canceled as Isaac looms" — Bay News 9, August 26, 2012

Heidi Przybyla and Kathleen Hunter. "Akin Staying In Senate Race Even After Resignation Calls" — Bloomberg L.P., August 21, 2012
David Jackson. "Romney declines Obama deal on tax return releases" — USA Today, August 17, 2012
Mackenzie Weinger. "GOP slams Joe Biden ‘chains’ remark" — Politico, August 14, 2012
Neil Munro. "Romney swings back at Obama super PAC for using woman’s death in ad" — The Daily Caller, August 10, 2012
Richard Winger. "Colorado Has 17 Presidential Candidates, the Most Crowded Presidential General Election Ballot in U.S. History" — Ballot Access News, August 9, 2012
Sam Stein. "Obama Leads Romney By 7 Points As Negative Ads Take Toll" — The Huffington Post, August 9, 2012
"Bio of Cindy Sheehan for Peace and Freedom Party Ticket" — Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox, August 8, 2012
Jamie Dupree. "Romney raises more money again in July" — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 7, 2012
Dana Bash. "Reid puts GOP in a bind over Romney's taxes" — CNN, August 7, 2012
Alexander Mooney. "Obama debuts 'Romney Hood'" — CNN, August 6, 2012
Sam Stein and Ryan Grim. "Harry Reid: Bain Investor Told Me That Mitt Romney 'Didn't Pay Any Taxes For 10 Years'" — The Huffington Post, July 31, 2012
"Wisconsin result could inspire further attacks on unions" — Reuters, June 6, 2012

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Mitt Romney officially nominated at Republican National Convention

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:20:37 GMT

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts, was officially nominated yesterday evening by the Republican Party as its candidate for the President of the United States at the party's National Convention in Tampa, Florida.

Mitt Romney (left) and Paul Ryan, 2012 Republican nominees for President and Vice President.
Image: Gage Skidmore.

Romney reached the required 1,144 vote threshold needed to win the Republican nomination at about 5:40 PM EDT yesterday evening when the New Jersey delegation cast its 50 votes in support. The official nomination of Romney is the conclusion of the Republican presidential nomination process, which began with the Iowa caucuses on January 3.

Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign is his second run for the presidency. Romney first ran for the Republican nomination in 2008, losing in the nominating process to John McCain, who was defeated in the presidential election by, the current President, Barack Obama.

U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, who was selected by Mitt Romney as the then-presumptive nominee's running mate earlier this month, received the Republican vice-presidential nomination by acclamation, since there were no other candidates.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, the now-official Republican ticket, will face the nominees of the Democratic Party, which will be selected at the Democratic National Convention next week. The presumptive Democratic nominees are incumbent President Barack Obama and incumbent Vice President Joe Biden.

Several delegate votes were also cast in favor of U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas, despite the fact that he had not won the popular vote in any of the Republican caucuses or primaries.

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Sources[edit]

"Mitt Romney officially wins Republican presidential nomination" — Newsday, August 28, 2012
Mitchell Landsberg. "It's official: Mitt Romney is the GOP presidential nominee" — Los Angeles Times, August 28, 2012
"Republicans nominate Paul Ryan for vice president" — Mercury News, August 28, 2012

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Tropical Storm Isaac creates worries across US gulf states

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:04:34 GMT

Monday, August 27, 2012

Weather

Sister links[edit]

Tropical Storm Isaac (2012)

Sources[edit]

"Hurricane warnings issued from Louisiana to Florida panhandle as Tropical Storm Isaac lashes Florida Keys" — Fox News Channel, August 26, 2012
Dean Schabner. "Isaac hits Florida Keys;Hurricane warnings issued for Gulf Coast" — ABC News, August 26, 2012

Some information contained in this article was obtained from television, radio, or live webcast sources. Reporter's notes and the broadcast source details are available at the discussion page.

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Miami police shoot, kill naked man chewing face of male victim

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 00:33:23 GMT

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Florida

Sources[edit]

Daniela Guzman and Julie K. Brown. "Police seek witnesses to savage attack on the MacArthur Causeway; exclusive video shows snippets of the crime scene" — The Miami Herald, May 27, 2012
Daniela Guzman and Julie K. Brown. "Naked man killed by Police near MacArthur Causeway was ‘eating’ face off victim" — The Miami Herald, May 27, 2012
"Miami Police Shoot, Kill Man Eating Another Man’s Face" — CBS Miami, May 27, 2012
Jim Gold. "Report: Miami police shoot naked man chewing on victim's face" — msnbc.com, May 26, 2012

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Disco diva Donna Summer dies at 63

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:40:08 GMT

Friday, May 18, 2012

Related news

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4 December 2012: Australian Paralympian Janet Shaw dies aged 46

Collaborate!

Donna Summer performing at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 2009.
Image: Harry Wad.

US disco singer Donna Summer died Thursday aged 63 in Key West, Florida, following a struggle with lung cancer. During her career, Summer won five Grammy Awards and had nineteen number one singles in the US charts.

Summer's family gave the following statement: "Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy."

Her first hit was the 1975 track Love To Love You Baby, which was banned by the BBC.

The 1977 Giorgio Moroder-produced single I Feel Love pioneered the use of synthesisers. Brian Eno told David Bowie upon hearing the song, "I've heard the sound of the future".

After disco's popularity wound down, Summer moved across genres, with the 1979 song Hot Stuff earning her a Grammy Award for best rock vocal performance. She said of this: "I am actually the first woman — not black woman — but woman, period, to get a rock-and-roll Grammy".

Donna Summer also appeared in the 1979 movie Thank God It's Friday, and her performance of the song Last Dance earned her an Academy Award for best song.

Her popularity in the gay community was threatened in the 1980s after it was reported that she had made anti-gay remarks at a concert, specifically that "AIDS is the result of your sins". In 1989, she told the gay magazine The Advocate that she did not make the statements she was reported to have made, and expressed regret at the loss of friends to AIDS: "I never said, ‘If you are gay, God hates you.’ Come on. Be real. I don’t understand that. Anybody who really knows me knows I wouldn’t say that."

Summer was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1948 as LaDonna Adrian Gaines. She learned she could sing in her church's gospel choir and then in musicals. In 1973, she married an actor she had met in Austria, Helmuth Sommer, from whom she gets the name "Summer". Before her divorce in 1975, Summer gave birth to Mimi Summer. Five years later, she remarried to Bruce Sudano, a musician, who fathered two daughters, Brooklyn and Amanda.

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Sources[edit]

Paul Toohey. "Disco legend Donna Summer dead at 63" — Herald Sun, May 18, 2012
"Donna Summer, queen of disco, dies at 63" — BBC News Online, May 17, 2012
"Obituary: Donna Summer" — BBC News Online, May 17, 2012
Jeremy Kinser. "Donna Summer: The Music Legend Dies At 63" — The Advocate, May 17, 2012
Jeremy Kinser. "EXCLUSIVE: Donna Summer Denied Making Antigay Remarks That Hurt Her Career" — The Advocate, May 17, 2012
Alexander Baron. "Op-Ed: Donna Summer RIP (1948-2012)" — DigitalJournal.com, May 17, 2012

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Florida man accused of threatening to bomb animal shelter

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:44:02 GMT

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Florida

Sources[edit]

Associated Press. "Outrage, death threats over dog's death" — Miami Herald, April 26, 2012
Tony Holt. "Riverview man accused of making bomb threat surrenders" — Hernando Today, April 26, 2012
"Man, 52, arrested for bomb threat on animal shelter" — WTVT, April 26, 2012

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Florida court blocks drug testing state workers

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:09:25 GMT

Friday, April 27, 2012

Florida

Sources[edit]

Tom Brown. "Florida judge blocks drug tests for state workers" — Reuters, April 26, 2012
Lizette alvarez. "Court Rules Florida Governor’s Drug-Testing Order Unconstitutional" — New York Times, April 26, 2012

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Florida judge awards Zimmerman $150,000 bond in Trayvon Martin shooting

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:05:56 GMT

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Crime and law

Sources[edit]

Rene Stutzman and Jeff Weiner. "George Zimmerman granted $150K bond, apologizes to Trayvon Martin's family" — Orlando Sentinel, April 20, 2012
Matt Gutman and Ben Forer. "George Zimmerman Tells Trayvon Martin's Parents 'I Am Sorry'" — ABC News, April 20, 2012

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Zimmerman stands before judge for the Trayvon Martin shooting

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:41:24 GMT

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Crime and law

Sources[edit]

Associated Press. "Zimmerman makes court appearance in Trayvon case" — AZCentral.com, April 12, 2012
Lizette Alvarez. "2nd-degree murder charge in shooting" — The New York Times, April 11, 2012
Sonya Ross and Suzanne Gamboa (AP). "Trayvon Martin parents elated by Zimmerman arrest" — KXAN.com, April 11, 2012
Gary Fineout and Brendan Farrington. "Second-degree murder charge in Trayvon Martin case" — The Salt Lake Tribune, April 11, 2012
Sari Horwitz. "George Zimmerman is charged with 2nd-degree murder in Trayvon Martin shooting" — The Washington Post, April 11, 2012
Cora Currier. "The 23 states that have sweeping self-defense laws just like Florida’s" — ProPublica, March 22, 2012, 1:05 p.m.

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Manson Family leader Charles Manson to seek parole in California murders

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:49:54 GMT

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Crime and law

Sources[edit]

Ellen Killoran. "Charles Manson Parole 2012: At 77, Notorious Criminal Still Has Family Of Supporters" — The International Business Times, April 9, 2012
Andrew Blankstein and Shelby Grad. "Charles Manson up for parole, not a model prisoner" — The Los Angeles Times, April 7, 2012

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Report indicates continued severe weather problems still looming

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:02:51 GMT

Friday, March 30, 2012

Environment

26 March 2013: Kiribati acquires international funding for solar power
8 March 2013: Wikinews interviews British scientist Dr Paul Dolman about proposal to cull deer population
19 January 2013: US Navy ship damages Tubbataha Reef National Park
13 January 2013: Fires burn across eastern Australia amid summer heatwave
30 November 2012: Locally designed, low emissions car launched in Qatar

To write, edit, start or view other Environment-related articles, see the Environment Portal

A 586-page report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released Wednesday indicated governments should prepare for continued weather-related catastrophes. The report noted highly populated and very poor areas are at highest risk, and stressed no country or continent is safe from these ongoing threats. The panel consists of Nobel Prize-winners, whose work in climatology indicates more intense tropical cyclones.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was created by the United Nations in 1988.
Image: Wilfried Huss / Anonymous.

The report placed blame regarding recent disasters on a combination of climate change caused by humans, population changes and poverty. The panel was founded in 1988 by the United Nations.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates recent severe weather conditions are costing upwards of US$80 billion per year. The report focused heavily on issues pertaining to coastal areas of the United States, specifically noting damage in those areas could increase 20 percent by 2030.

The authors of the report stated some portions of India may become uninhabitable for floods and other problems.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change pointed out other cities at lesser risk, such as: Miami, Shanghai, Bangkok, China's Guangzhou, Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, Myanmar's Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon), and India's Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta). Inhabitants of small island nations may have to leave their homes because of elevated sea levels and major storms. A total of 220 authors worked on the report.

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Sources[edit]

"'Climate change behind extreme weathers'" — ianslive.in, March 29, 2012
Seth Borenstein. "Mumbai, Miami on list for big weather disasters" — MSNBC.com, March 28, 2012

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U.S. Senator Marco Rubio endorses Mitt Romney for president

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:01:07 GMT

Friday, March 30, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Official portrait of Senator Marco Rubio.
Image: US Senate.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for president during the Wednesday night broadcast of the Fox News program Hannity. As justification for his decision, Rubio argued that Romney will be the Republican Party presidential nominee and offers "a stark contrast to ...[President Barack Obama]’s record."

Rubio, who is Cuban American, took office in 2011 after defeating former Florida governor Charlie Crist. He often receives mention as a potential running mate for the still-undecided 2012 Republican Party presidential nominee.

The Associated Press estimates that Romney currently leads his opponents for the nomination, Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, with 568 of the 1,144 delegates necessary to win. 1,258 delegates remain in play.

Gingrich and Santorum are continuing their presidential runs in the hope of forcing a brokered convention to deny Romney the nomination. Rubio warned of such a scenario in the Hannity interview, commenting that it would "be a recipe for disaster" and would help re-elect the Democrat, Obama.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush offered a similar justification in his endorsement of Romney earlier this month, calling on the party to "unite behind Governor Romney".

Other potential vice-presidential nominees such as New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Virginia governor Bob McDonnell have already thrown their support to Romney.

Rubio claims to have not spoken with Romney about the vice-presidential nomination, and has previously denied any interest in it.

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Sources[edit]

"Republican Delegate Tally" — The New York Times, March 30, 2012 (date of access)
Reid J. Epstein and Scott Wong. "Marco Rubio endorsement signals GOP fight may be ending" — Politico, March 30, 2012
Caroline May. "Rubio endorses Romney" — The Daily Caller, March 28, 2012

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	I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. I did not know if he was armed or not.
—George Zimmerman

	It is the search for justice for Trayvon that has brought us to this moment.
—Angela Corey, Florida special prosecutor

English Wikinews RSS feed.

On the campaign trail, October 2012

Contents

Summary[edit]

Wikinews fan sparks controversy at second presidential debate[edit]

Gary Johnson speaks to Wikinews on Syria and foreign intervention[edit]

The final pleas...[edit]

Related news[edit]

Sources[edit]

Obama, Romney battle over foreign policy in final U.S. presidential debate

Sources[edit]

Obama and Romney battle in second U.S. presidential debate

Sister links[edit]

Sources[edit]

On the campaign trail, August 2012

Contents

Summary[edit]

Peace and Freedom Party VP nominee speaks to Wikinews[edit]

Analysts react to Republican VP selection[edit]

Update on 2012 Democratic candidates[edit]

Related news[edit]

Sources[edit]

Mitt Romney officially nominated at Republican National Convention

Related news[edit]

Sources[edit]

Tropical Storm Isaac creates worries across US gulf states

Sister links[edit]

Sources[edit]

Miami police shoot, kill naked man chewing face of male victim

Sources[edit]

Disco diva Donna Summer dies at 63

Sources[edit]

Florida man accused of threatening to bomb animal shelter

Sources[edit]

Florida court blocks drug testing state workers

Sources[edit]

Florida judge awards Zimmerman $150,000 bond in Trayvon Martin shooting

Related articles[edit]

Sources[edit]

Zimmerman stands before judge for the Trayvon Martin shooting

Sources[edit]

Manson Family leader Charles Manson to seek parole in California murders

Sources[edit]

Report indicates continued severe weather problems still looming

Sources[edit]

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio endorses Mitt Romney for president

Related articles[edit]

Sources[edit]