World/Nation Briefs October 26, 2012
Reports show election exceeds $2B in fundraising
WASHINGTON - The 2012 presidential campaign has passed the $2 billion mark in fundraising, fueled by an outpouring of cash from both ordinary citizens and the wealthiest Americans hoping to influence the selection of the country's next leader.
The eye-popping figure puts the election on track to be the costliest in modern U.S. history. It comes amid a campaign finance system vastly altered by the proliferation of "super" political committees that are bankrolling a barrage of TV ads in battleground states.
Fundraising reports submitted Thursday night show that President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have brought in about $1.7 billion so far total.
Obama pressures Romney; Romney ignores the issue
CINCINNATI - President Barack Obama, seeking to shore up support among women, intensified his pressure Thursday on Mitt Romney to break any ties with a Republican Senate candidate who said that if a woman becomes pregnant from rape it is "something God intended." Romney ignored the emotional social issue, holding to an optimistic campaign tone as he fought for victory in crucial Ohio.
Obama, wrapping up a 40-hour battleground state blitz, also headed to his hometown of Chicago and cast his ballot 12 days before Election Day. The stopover was more than a photo opportunity - it was a high-profile attempt to boost turnout in early voting, a centerpiece of Obama's strategy.
The 2012 presidential contest was expected to cross the $2 billion fundraising mark Thursday, putting the election on track to be the costliest in history. It's being fueled by a campaign finance system vastly altered by the proliferation of "super" political action committees that are bankrolling TV ads in closely contested states.
Back on the campaign trail, the president made repeated, though indirect, references to Indiana Republican Richard Mourdock's controversial comment on rape and pregnancy.
At service, Biden hails former
Sen. McGovern
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - In a stirring tribute Thursday to former Sen. George McGovern, Vice President Joe Biden hailed the one-time presidential nominee as the "father of the modern Democratic Party" for his forceful stand against the Vietnam War and for helping open the party to more women, young people and minorities.
Biden's 25-minute reflection capped a day of remembrance to the South Dakota icon, who carried his anti-war sentiment to his party's nomination in a 1972 race he would lose in a historic landslide to Republican President Richard Nixon.
Despite the loss, Biden said McGovern summoned public restlessness with the war and helped bring about its end before "so much more blood and so much more treasure would have been wasted."
"The war would never have ended when it did. It would never have ended how it did," Biden said, his voice rising as he turned his body toward McGovern's daughters. "Your father gave courage to people who didn't have the courage to speak up to finally stand up. Your father stood there and took all of that beating."
Texas trooper shoots at vehicle from helicopter
MCALLEN, Texas - Three people were found wounded, two fatally, in a vehicle that was fired upon by a Texas state trooper in a helicopter.
The incident happened Thursday afternoon near the South Texas border with Mexico near the town of La Joya, about 70 miles northwest of Brownsville.
Katherine Cesinger of the Texas Department of Public Safety says a DPS aircraft was helping a state game warden in a high-speed pursuit when the DPS officer on the aircraft opened fire.
She says two people from the vehicle died, one was injured and six others were arrested. She called the shooting "an enforcement action" but declined to say whether police caused the deaths and injuries.
She says the Texas Rangers are investigating and no other information was available.
- Associated Pres