Former Rep. Anthony Weiner may announce that he is running for mayor as soon as next week. The former congressman has hired a campaign manager, according to a new report.

Weiner has hired Danny Kedem, who most recently worked on a failed Staten Island congressional race last year, Politico.com reports. Kedem has worked on mayoral races in the past.

Weiner will likely announce that he is running next week, sources told Politico. In addition to Kedem, Weiner has also hired a press secretary and other staffers.

A poll released last month placed Weiner in second place in the mayoral race, trailing only City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Quinn led the race with support from 26 percent of voters, and Weiner came in second with 15 percent, according to the NBC New York/Marist poll.

The former congressman resigned in 2011 amid a sexting scandal. After removing himself from the public eye for nearly two years, Weiner said in a New York Times Magazine interview last month that he was considering a run for mayor because it is “now or never” for him to return to politics.

Since his interview with the Times, Weiner has conducted a number of other media interviews. He also returned to Twitter last month.

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Now he’s coming after your headphones.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg who has previously banned smoking in public places, cracked down on noisy, limited soda sizes and aims to get rid of Styrofoam, has now turned his gaze or rather his ears towards getting people to crank down the volume on their headphones.
The city is planning a social media campaign blitz as well as conducting focus groups to warn young people about the dangers of loud music blasting through their headphones, the health department said yesterday.

With grant money from the Fund for Public Health in New York, the Hearing Loss Prevention Media Campaign will use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to alert users to the risks of hearing damage, including increased risk of injury.
The New York Post reported that the campaign would cost $250,000, although the health department said they were still unsure of the final cost.

The rise of personal media players such as the iPod have increased cases of hearing loss, with a rise of more than 30 percent between 1988 and 2006, the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported.

“I’m seeing [hearing damage and loss] more and more in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Usually we see it in the 50s and 60s,” said Dr. Ana Kim, Director of Otologic Research at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. She recommends keeping the volume lower than 50 percent and using headphones rather than earbuds.

However, headphones may be less satisfying to the user since earbuds physically block outside sounds and are louder than over-the-ear or on ear headsets, B&H communications director Henry Posner said.

But the ultimate hearing damage still depends on the music volume.

“Users who abuse them, playing music so loud folks standing nearby can hear what’s being played, are the problem. I’m all for safety but this is an instance where I don’t think we can necessarily blame one brand or design,” Posner said.

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“I am absolutely confident that all of you are going to do just amazing things in your lives,” Obama tells staff members at his Chicago headquarters on Wednesday following his victory over Republican Mitt Romney.

Obama says the campaign team is “so much better than I was” at meeting goals and in effectiveness than he had been as a young community organizer in Chicago.

Becoming emotional, Obama says his work in running for office has come “full circle.”

“Because what you guys have done means that the work I’m doing is important. And I’m really proud of that. I’m really proud of all of you,” Obama says, wiping away tears.

The workers respond with loud applause.

Obama also became emotional in his final rally on Monday night in Iowa, as his voice broke and he wiped tears from his eyes as he reflected on those who had helped his campaign.

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After a long, bitter and expensive campaign, national polls show Obama and Romney are essentially deadlocked ahead of Tuesday’s election, although Obama has a slight advantage in the eight or nine battleground states that will decide the winner.

Obama plans to visit three of those swing states on Monday and Romney will travel to four to plead for support in a fierce White House campaign that focused primarily on the lagging economy but at times turned intensely personal.

The election’s outcome will impact a variety of domestic and foreign policy issues, from the looming “fiscal cliff” of spending cuts and tax increases that could kick in at the end of the year to questions about how to handle illegal immigration or the thorny challenge of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The balance of power in Congress also will be at stake on Tuesday, with Obama’s Democrats now expected to narrowly hold their Senate majority and Romney’s Republicans favored to retain control of the House of Representatives.

In a race where the two candidates and their party allies raised a combined $2 billion, the most in U.S. history, both sides have pounded the heavily contested battleground states with an unprecedented barrage of ads.

The close margins in state and national polls suggested the possibility of a cliffhanger that could be decided by which side has the best turnout operation and gets its voters to the polls.

In the final days, both Obama and Romney focused on firing up core supporters and wooing the last few undecided voters in battleground states.

Romney reached out to dissatisfied Obama supporters from 2008, calling himself the candidate of change and ridiculing Obama’s failure to live up to his campaign promises. “He promised to do so very much but frankly he fell so very short,” Romney said at a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday.

Obama, citing improving economic reports on the pace of hiring, argued in the final stretch that he has made progress in turning around the economy but needed a second White House term to finish the job. “This is a choice between two different versions of America,” Obama said in Cincinnati, Ohio.

FINAL SWING-STATE BLITZES

Obama will close his campaign on Monday with a final blitz across Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa – three Midwestern states that, barring surprises elsewhere, would be enough to get him more than the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.

Polls show Obama has slim leads in all three. His final stop on Monday night will be in Iowa, the state that propelled him on the path to the White House in 2008 with a victory in its first-in-the nation caucus.

Romney will visit his must-win states of Florida and Virginia – where polls show he is slightly ahead or tied – along with Ohio before concluding in New Hampshire, where he launched his presidential run last year.

The only state scheduled to get a last-day visit from both candidates is Ohio, the most critical of the remaining battlegrounds – particularly for Romney.

The former Massachusetts governor has few paths to victory if he cannot win in Ohio, where Obama has kept a small but steady lead in polls for months.

Obama has been buoyed in Ohio by his support for a federal bailout of the auto industry, where one in every eight jobs is tied to car manufacturing, and by a strong state economy with an unemployment rate lower than the 7.9 percent national rate.

That has undercut Romney’s frequent criticism of Obama’s economic leadership, which has focused on the persistently high jobless rate and what Romney calls Obama’s big spending efforts to expand government power.

Romney, who would be the first Mormon president, has centered his campaign pitch on his own experience as a business leader at a private equity fund and said it made him uniquely suited to create jobs.

Obama’s campaign fired back with ads criticizing Romney’s experience and portraying the multimillionaire as out of touch with everyday Americans.

Obama and allies said Romney’s firm, Bain Capital, plundered companies and eliminated jobs to maximize profits. They also made an issue of Romney’s refusal to release more than two years of personal tax returns.

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Akin – a staunch abortion opponent – vowed to stay in the contest against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, indicating he represents a conservative movement that must be heard.

“We are going to continue in this race for U.S. Senate,” Akin told “The Mike Huckabee Show,” a radio program hosted by the former Arkansas governor, an Akin supporter and favorite of religious conservatives.

Akin’s comments came hours after he released an online video ad in which he again apologized for his claim in a weekend television interview that it was extremely rare for women to get pregnant from “legitimate rape.”

The fuss over Akin’s remarks sent waves of anxiety through the Republican Party a week before it reaches out to independent voters – especially women – at its national convention, where it will nominate Mitt Romney to run against President Barack Obama.

The Akin episode has given new hope to McCaskill, who in recent polls has trailed Akin by about 10 points in a race widely viewed as a barometer of whether Republicans can gain the four seats they need to ensure control of the U.S. Senate.

A Public Policy Polling survey on Monday had Akin ahead by one point.

To the dismay of many Republicans, Akin’s woes also have cast a spotlight on a key part of the party platform that delegates again endorsed on Tuesday: a call for a constitutional amendment protecting “human life.” The provision does not spell out exceptions in cases of rape and incest.

That is not the position of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has said that abortion should be allowed to end pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.

Romney’s vice presidential running mate, Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan, has expressed a harder line on abortion, saying it should be allowed only to save the life of the mother. Amid the furor over Akin’s remarks this week, their campaign said a Romney/Ryan administration would reflect Romney’s position.

Romney and Ryan have joined Republican officials across the nation in condemning Akin and calling on him to step out of the Senate race.

Obama also strongly denounced Akin’s remarks, saying “rape is rape.”

The furor over Akin’s comments are a distraction in an election that Romney has sought to keep tightly focused on the economy and jobs.

Although religious conservatives are a crucial part of the Republican base, many party leaders say the party’s central message should be its conservative approach to fiscal issues like debt and deficits.

“Try as we might to focus attention on the big issues facing this country, every time we turn around, there’s a distraction, and this is a huge one,” said former Missouri Senator John Danforth, one of a group of current and former U.S. senators from the state who has urged Akin to step aside.

“It’s not that we keep shooting ourselves in the foot. We keep shooting ourselves in the eyes,” he said.

WHERE TO FIND A WOMAN SUCCESSOR

Under Missouri election law, Akin has until 5 p.m. local time (6 p.m. EDT) to get his name off the ballot for the November 6 election most easily. But his real deadline is likely September 25, the last day his name can be removed with a court order.

If Akin leaves the race, the Missouri state Republican committee would name a successor to run against McCaskill. Possible candidates include the two Republicans Akin defeated in the primary two weeks ago to become the Senate nominee.

Akin had 36 percent of the vote to 30 percent for St. Louis businessman John Brunner and 29 percent for former state Senator Sarah Steelman, but the party can pick any candidate, and many observers expect it would do so as the best way to leave the Akin flap behind.

“There’s probably a long list,” said Jennifer Duffy, who follows House and Senate races at the Cook Political Report. “You’d have to look at Steelman and Brunner, but they might be best off aiming for the fresh start.”

Other possibilities include former Senator Jim Talent, who lost narrowly to McCaskill in 2006 and Representative Jo Ann Emerson, considered a favorite because many Republicans think the party would best reassure women voters by running a woman.

Other names include U.S. Representative Vicky Hartzler and Ann Wagner, a former Republican National Committee co-chairwoman, and Tom Schweich, the state auditor.

In another sign that he is not leaving, US News and World Report reported that Akin spent $150,000 on Tuesday for television advertisements in seven media markets.

But he will struggle to keep up with funding for McCaskill, especially after the Karl Rove-linked American Crossroads Super Pac said it would no longer spend the $4.5 million it had set aside for the race. The Republican Party also said it would hold back $5 million in funding.

McCaskill’s campaign is using Akin’s comments in its fundraising, and some supporters have reported big increases in their wake. Emily’s List, which supports Democratic women candidates, said it has seen a big jump in fundraising as the news of Akin’s comments spread.

“The number of donations for Claire through our (web) site increased tenfold following Akin’s comments,” Jess McIntosh, a spokeswoman for Emily’s List, which backs Democratic women.

Akin apologized again in an Internet advertisement called “Forgiveness.” But he sent a fundraising letter to supporters on Tuesday asking for donations of $3 or more.

“I have just begun to fight and I’m in this race to the end! We must work together to replace Claire McCaskill in the Senate,” Akin wrote.

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“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” Akin said in an interview regarding abortion as an option for rapes that result in pregnancy.

The backlash was instant. Akin later issued an apology, saying he “misspoke,” but it didn’t do much to quell the criticism. The national GOP informed Akin that it will not will spend money on his campaign against incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill, according to the Washington Post.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is charged with helping the GOP win control of the Senate, spoke out against Akin’s comments.

Congressman Akin’s statements were wrong, offensive, and indefensible,” Cornyn said, according to the LA Times. “I recognize that this is a difficult time for him, but over the next twenty-four hours, Congressman Akin should carefully consider what is best for him, his family, the Republican Party, and the values that he cares about and has fought for throughout his career in public service.”

Now, political consultant Richard Grenell and RedState.com editor Erick Erickson have both tweeted that Akin will be withdrawing from the race all together, come Tuesday. Akin has yet to confirm the claim.

[View the story "Akin may withdraw" on Storify]

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Word is quickly spreading of the Obama Event Registry — the President’s newest fundraising initiative that asks supporters to collect campaign contributions to help keep him in office in lieu of birthday, anniversary or wedding gifts.

“It’s a great way to support the President on your big day,” the announcement reads on BarackObama.com. “Plus, it’s a gift that we can all appreciate — and goes a lot further than a gravy bowl.”

The unconventional tactic has both political pundits and brides-to-be buzzing, with many wondering if such a wedding-day request is appropriate.

“I wouldn’t consider it, and I’m a Democrat who supports Obama,” Queens bride Angelina Tatara told Metro. “Not only would the request potentially offend people, I don’t believe politics belong at a wedding.”

“For all I know, my wedding gifts could be going towards free bumper stickers and address labels for strangers,” she added.

But New York City-based wedding planner and owner of Brilliant Event Planning Sarah Pease disagrees. While this is the first time she has seen a politician make such a request, it’s not necessarily in poor taste for a couple to make the request of their guests, she said.

“I don’t know many couples who have a desperate need for gravy boats, so if what they do feel passionate about is a political cause, that’s a sign of the times,” Pease said.

She did recommend that couples who decide to use the Obama Event Registry also give their friends and family other options for giving gifts — or be prepared to accept no gift at all from some guests.

Obama strapped for cash?

Just days after his campaign rolled out the Obama Event Registry, the President sent a desperate e-mail out to supporters yesterday, asking for more money.

Obama claimed he will soon be outspent by Republican opponent Mitt Romney and pleaded for as little as $3 donations.

While conservative super PACs are expected to bring in more money than liberal super PACs by November, Obama is significantly in the lead with tracked donations so far: $255.2 million compared to Romney’s $120.6 million, according to Federal Election Commission figures from May 2012.

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Forget registering at William Sonoma or Bed, Bath & Beyond — President Obama wants you to remember that there are more important things in life than asking your wedding guests to buy you ice cream makers and George Foreman grills — you know, like donating money to his re-election campaign.

That’s right, if you don’t want your guests spending money of you for your upcoming wedding, President Obama encourages you to ask them to spend it on him instead. His official website BarackObama.com has rolled out the “Obama Event Registry”:

Let your friends know how important this election is to you — register with Obama 2012, and ask for a donation in lieu of a gift. It’s a great way to support the President on your big day. Plus, it’s a gift that we can all appreciate—and goes a lot further than a gravy bowl.

Exactly. Support the President on your big day. It’s about him, not you guys. Don’t be selfish.

Critics took to the comment forum to voice their displeasure at the President’s registry proposal, though many comments have been deleted.

“Is this what the office of the President of the United States has come to? Pandering for wedding and birthday money?” one person asked.

“Wont be long before we start seeing “IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, DONATIONS CAN BE MADE TO BO’s RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN OR ANOTHER PARTY WITH THE HOLLYWOOD ELITE FOR OUR CELEBRITY-IN-CHIEF AND HIS FAMILY,” another person added.

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It was likely a campaign member or some sort of tech person who made an embarrassing typo when designing a mobile app meant to instill voter support, but that hasn’t stopped the Twittersphere from pouncing on the error.

The Mitt Romney app “With Mitt” lets users upload photos of themselves underneath various campaign slogans like “American Greatness,” “We’re With Mitt,” and the now infamous “A Better Amercia.” (In case you didn’t catch that — and someone in the Romney camp didn’t — “America” is misspelled.)

Alas, a new wave of internet memes was born as the slogan became the center of digital mockery. Here’s a roundup of the best plays on “A Better Amercia.”

[View the story "Amercia" on Storify]

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Edwards is accused of accepting more than $900,000 in campaign funds from two wealthy donors, knowing the exposure of his extramarital affair “would destroy his presidential campaign,” prosecutors said in a trial brief.

The candidate at the time was a married father of three, whose late wife, Elizabeth, had breast cancer.

Jurors will hear opening statements the federal courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Edwards, 58, is accused of conspiring to solicit the money, receiving more than the $2,300 allowed from any one donor, and failing to report the payments as contributions.

He faces six felony counts, each carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Edwards admits personal failings but insists he broke no laws.

Edwards’ defenders say the government is overreaching with its prosecution of Edwards, the son of mill workers who earned his fortune as a trial lawyer in North Carolina before being elected as a U.S. senator from the state in 1998.

His defense lawyers dispute the Justice Department’s interpretation of federal election laws, arguing the donors would have given the money regardless of the campaign and did so knowing it wouldn’t be used for campaign purposes.

The money was not spent to influence the election but rather to conceal the affair and resulting pregnancy from Edwards’ wife and children, they said.

Edwards never personally received any of the payments, nor did his campaign. The money was used to cover living expenses and medical care for his mistress, campaign videographer Rielle Hunter, rather than traditional campaign activities.

“This is expanding the scope of the definition of campaign contribution,” said Ron Wright, a law professor at Wake Forest University who is not involved in the case. “It is an unprecedented definition.”

PIVOTAL POINTS

The defense is expected to call two former Federal Election Commission members who, if allowed by the judge, would testify they believe Edwards did not violate campaign finance laws.

Hampton Dellinger, a former deputy attorney general who has followed the Edwards case, said the campaign finance experts’ testimony could be pivotal.

The missing pieces of the case also could be significant, he said. Neither of the two donors whose payments are in question are able to testify.

Fred Baron, who served as Edwards’ national campaign finance chairman in 2008, has since died, and heiress Rachel “Bunny” Mellon is 101 and physically unable to attend the trial. Elizabeth Edwards died in 2010.

A chief government witness will be Andrew Young, a campaign aide who later wrote a tell-all book about Edwards’ affair and the efforts to keep it out of the public eye.

Young, who was granted immunity, initially claimed he had fathered a child with Hunter, who is also expected to testify. A lawsuit settlement earlier this year between Young and Hunter called for copies of a videotape purported to show her having sex with Edwards to be destroyed.

Edwards’ defense team, recently reshuffled to include the lawyers who represented Hunter in the civil case, has indicated it will attack Young’s motives and credibility.

Edwards, who also ran for president in 2004 before becoming John Kerry’s vice presidential running mate the same year, has his own credibility issues. He repeatedly denied having an affair and daughter with Hunter, and finally admitted paternity two years after the child’s birth.

“This case is not so much the United States v. John Edwards, it’s Andrew Young v. John Edwards,” Dellinger said. “And I think the jury’s determination about which one of them is more credible may be one of the key factors in deciding whether Mr. Edwards is guilty.”

The trial could last until late May or early June. A conviction would make what qualifies as a campaign contribution less certain for future candidates, said law professor Wright.

“It’s going to mean lots more lawyers employed by campaigns,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot more legal risk involved in election reporting if the government wins this.”

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Santorum first addressed the health of his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, who, suffers from a serious genetic disorder. The Santorum family spent the entire weekend will her in the hospital.

“She is a fighter and she is doing exceptionally well and is back with us and the family,” Santorum said. “It did cause us to think… this was a time for prayer and thought.”

After spending several minutes recalling memorable moments from the campaign trail, including the buzz about his tendency to wear sweater vests, Santorum officially announced that he is suspending his campaign,

“We made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race is over for me and we will suspend our campaign today, we are not done fighting,” Santorum said.

Speculation that Santorum could be headed for the exit increased last Thursday when he held a strategy meeting with conservative leaders.

Then his daughter, Bella, was hospitalized on the weekend. She was likely to be released on Monday.

A loss in Pennsylvania in the April 24 primary would be seen as hammering the final nail into the coffin of Santorum’s campaign and unofficially crown Romney as the Republican who will face President Barack Obama in November’s election.

While Romney’s campaign suspended advertising on Monday out of deference to Santorum’s ill daughter, the front-runner’s Super PAC, Restore Our Future, made no such gesture, staying on the air with $480,000 in time already bought.

Neither Santorum nor the Super PAC that supports him has started spending money on advertising in Pennsylvania, but spokeswoman Stewart insisted the campaign had the money to spend time on the air.

Related:

Metropolitik: Rick Santorum chose the easy way out

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The protestors are chanting and conducting a mock funeral procession, complete with Mitt Romney masks and a coffin to represent dying jobs. Other protestors are donning hula hoops to signify tax loopholes that benefit the 1 percent.

“The goal today is to show the world that the 99 percent is not going to stand by Mitt Romney,” protester Justin Wedes told Metro. “He’s here to pick up checks from rich campaign donors. We don’t want our democracy for sale.”

When asked whether Occupy Wall Street will protest the fundraising efforts of other candidates, including President Obama, Wedes said, “We’re not just choosing one. We are protesting corporate greed and corruption.”

He added that OWS has protested “many Obama fundraisers,” including one in November where he said protesters were corralled for three hours by security.

Today marks the beginning of a series of events this week, marking a rekindling of the movement. Tomorrow, activists will march and protest outside several Bank of America locations in the city. Occupy Wall Street will also mark its six-month anniversary this weekend.   

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You might be a redneck if you’re voting in the Deep South primaries in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday. (We mean no offense by this; more on it in just a bit.) Of course, there are many possible neck colors among the Southern voting populace, but Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are probably hoping for the darkest crimson as they attempt to convince conservatives that they best represent old Dixie ideology in an effort to amp their flagging candidacies.

Now, we belong to the camp that sees Mitt Romney as the inevitable GOP presidential nominee. That’s based on the potent combination of his superior (estimated) delegate haul and his advantages in establishment support and, the real vote-buyer, campaign cash. But math and numbers have never had strong support among the Republican base, so we’re guessing that today’s elections will exist outside of this framework.

Romney understands his campaign’s failure to gain serious conservative traction in the South, with its large evangelical demographics. (He admitted that the contests were “a bit of an away game” for him.) As such, he’s stooped to Gingrich-levels of obvious pandering, telling a Mississippi audience last week that he’s “learning to say ‘y’all’ and I like grits, strange things are happening to me.” He’s also enlisting the support of You Might Be A Redneck luminary Jeff Foxworthy. (See? Foreshadowing, not hate speech!)

What makes the whole situation even more cringeworthy, though, is this: There is some evidence to suggest that these deceitful tactics might actually work. According to Public Policy Polling data, a near-plurality of likely Republican voters in Alabama and Mississippi hold seriously questionable views on Barack Obama, including the pervasive belief that the president is in fact a secret Muslim. It’s not a huge leap to imagine that a group of people so fundamentally opposed to Obama that they believe this sort of unsupported fallacy might actually fall victim to the irreconcilable idea that Romney may truly be representative of the Deep South, with its historical poverty and, yes, love of grits.

The Not-Romneys must be hoping that the South asserts its famous independence and refutes Mitt’s awkward vote-shopping. It’d take a huge upset to change the campaign narrative. But then, stranger things have happened.

Follow Brayden Simms on Twitter @metropolitik

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What a world of difference a week and a half can make!

Well, the whole narrative may — but most probably won’t — change today when with any luck the winner(s) of yesterday’s two qualifying contests, in Michigan and Arizona, are announced. The results are expected to arrive too late for us to do any substantial analysis today; we’ll save that for tomorrow, and leave the guesswork to the experts.?

Experts such as poll analyst Nate Silver, who thinks Michigan — Romney’s home state, though one he’s antagonized by strongly opposing Obama-led auto bailouts that seem to have led to a strengthened local industry and the saving of millions of jobs — could go either way. Most polls, meanwhile, show Arizona leaning strongly in Romney’s favor.

Regardless of who wins, though, the campaign environment isn’t likely to undergo a drastic change. Will an unrealistic double-rout by Santorum compel Romney to cede the race to his rival? Not likely.
Nor will the more plausible double Romney win convince Santorum et al that they’ve missed their chance. Ron Paul is still playing the long game, hoping to pick up enough consolation delegates to buy some more establishment support for his libertarian ideas. And then there’s Gingrich: Educated guessing on the future intentions of that guy likely eludes even experts like Silver.

With Super Tuesday a week away, we may yet be on the cusp of some serious political momentum; if, that is, voters agree enough to elevate a single candidate. If not, a brokered convention may be on the horizon — a looming possibility that could, perhaps, be one GOP mystery more unfathomable than even Gingrich himself.

Follow Brayden Simms on Twitter @metropolitik

Metro does not endorse the opinions of the author, or any opinions expressed on its pages.

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Aside from hitting the Ronald Reagan trifecta — Romney, Gingrich and Santorum name-dropped the right-wing icon all in their first at-bat to speak — what did the candidates focus on at Monday night’s debate? Well, they lied — not just through their teeth, but via their lips and tongues as well. 

“We’re headed to a Greece-type collapse, and [Obama] adds another trillion on top for Obamacare and for his stimulus plan that didn’t create private-sector jobs.” Mitt Romney

This one quote from Romney, as NYMag points out, “fits three lies into a single sentence,” which is impressive for any politician and surely deserves accolades from both sides of the aisle for its contribution to the art of politicking.

“The Iranians are …. actively taunting us … so [Obama] cancels a military exercise with the Israelis so as not to be provocative?” Newt Gingrich

The former Speaker incorrectly sums up the president’s relationship with Iran. Aside from the fact that, according to reports, it was actually Israel who delayed this exercise, Gingrich downplays the president’s toughest-ever sanctions against Iran.

“The biggest issue that … we have to deal with … that’s crushing the economy, will crush it even further and crush freedom … that’s Obamacare.” Rick Santorum

We know that vocal conservatives oppose the Affordable Care Act — and will do and say anything to kill it — but the idea that mandated insurance is bad for the economy is just wrong. A mandate, in this case, benefits insurance companies.

“He keeps hinting about attacking the Fed, and he talks about gold.” Ron Paul

It was difficult to find untruthful remarks from Rep. Ron Paul, who spent much of the debate railing against U.S. military adventurism and our banking system. On that latter point, Paul seems overly optimistic on returning the dollar to the gold standard, about which he lauds Gingrich in the above quote. Economists surveyed by the University of Chicago, however, unanimously oppose the move.

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The President already has  Facebook and Twitter accounts, but now he’ll be connecting with voters through the popular iPhone app. President Obama and his staff will be sharing photos through the 2012 election process and asking supporters to send photos with the hash tag #obama2012, according a blog post from Instragram.

“We’re excited to welcome President Barack Obama to Instagram! We look forward to seeing how President Obama uses Instagram to give folks a visual sense of what happens in the everyday life of the President of the United States,” said the post.

So far, President Obama has shared a few photos of himself making public appearances along the campaign trail.

He receives hundreds of comments on each photo from other Instagram users that range from, “Your the best! I love you! True inspiration,” to “Dear Mr. President, Do a better job. Thanks.”

Follow Cassandra Garrison on Twitter @CassieatMetro

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The congresswoman’s decision to pull out could favor rival Rick Santorum, who narrowly came in second to Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses.

Santorum, Bachmann and Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is “reassessing” his campaign, have been courting support from evangelical Christians. If a significant number of evangelicals eventually rally behind Santorum, his long-shot campaign could receive a major boost.

Bachmann cancelled a campaign trip to South Carolina on Wednesday and scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. EST.

The Iowa-born Bachmann, 55, was once a leading light for evangelical voters in Iowa but garnered only 5 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s first voting contest to pick a candidate to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012.

Those results raised the already colossal odds against Bachmann’s bid.

Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, and Ron Paul, a Texas congressman with libertarian views, garnered a larger percentage of the crucial conservative vote and are now the leading alternatives to front-runner Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, as the candidates prepare for the next voting contest in New Hampshire.

Bachmann shot to the top of polls in August after winning the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, but later suffered from staff departures and fundraising troubles. By the end of December, her popularity had dwindled in the state.

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