US auto bailout was necessary: analysts

WASHINGTON — Just 18 days remain, but President Barack Obama and the top Republican in Congress remained far apart Thursday in negotiations aimed at avoiding the Dec. 31 austerity measures of big tax increases for all Americans and deep spending cuts that threaten to push the nation into a new recession. Obama’s daily schedule showed no meetings on the so-called “fiscal cliff,” and House Speaker John Boehner told reporters that the president continued to stall on Republican demands for spending cuts as part of any deal that includes raising taxes on the wealthy.

On Tuesday, six-term Republican senator Richard Lugar was ousted  in shocking defeat in the Indiana primary to Tea Party activist Richard Mourdock, Indiana state’s treasurer. Mourdock sent Lugar down in flames as he questioned Lugar's policies on immigration, Supreme Court nominees, the "Dream Act", and bank bailouts. Mourdock said Lugar was "not conservative enough".

Rick Santorum suspends his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, leaving Mitt Romney as the likely candidate to challenge President Barack Obama.

Reuters - President Barack Obama's re-election campaign regularly rips Mitt Romney, long viewed as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, for his economic policies.