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| US election becomes fundraising battle between Obama and Romney - live | US election becomes fundraising battle between Obama and Romney - live |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 12.29pm: On top of the 11 Secret Service agents involved in the "Victoria's Secret Service" scandal in Colombia over the weekend, it now emerges that more than five members of the US military may also have been involved, as the AP reports: | |
| Pentagon press secretary George Little said on Monday that he could not provide a specific number but that military members who are being investigated were assigned to support the US Secret Service in preparation for Obama's official visit to Cartagena. He said they were not directly involved in presidential security. | |
| "We believe that there may be more than five involved in this incident," Little said. | |
| The Secret Service sent 11 of its agents home from Colombia amid allegations that they had hired prostitutes at a Cartagena hotel. The military members being investigated were staying at the same hotel, Little said. | |
| Army Colonel Scott Malcom, chief spokesman for US Southern Command, which organized the military team that was assigned to support the Secret Service's mission in Cartagena, declined to say how many additional service members are under investigation. He also would not say which branch of the military they were from. | |
| "We are still putting together all the facts," Malcom said. | |
| 12.17pm: The Wall Street Journal was also eavesdropping on Mitt Romney's chat with donors in Palm Beach on Sunday, reporting that during "the backyard event, which could be heard by reporters outside on a public sidewalk, Mr Romney offered policy specifics he has yet to unveil on the campaign trail". | |
| It also included Romney's thoughts on media coverage: | |
| The candidate said he didn't expect a fair fight in the media, saying he believed many commentators on television were liberals. He also said CNN reporter and host Wolf Blitzer was a good interviewer, and said Fox News had been good to him. Fox News is owned by News Corporation, which also owns The Wall Street Journal. | |
| "Fox is watched by the true believers," Mr Romney said. "We need to get the independents and the women." | |
| Speaking of "the women," the reporters also overheard Ann Romney's revealing description of last week's controversy as an "early birthday present": | |
| Ann Romney, the candidate's wife, who turns 63 years old on Monday, attended the event and offered her take on recent criticism she faced for saying she understood women's economic anxieties while staying out of the workforce and being a stay-at-home mom. The resulting media coverage allowed the Romney campaign to put on display what it views as one of its greatest assets – Mrs Romney. | |
| "It was my early birthday present for someone to be critical of me as a mother," she said. "That was a really defining moment, and I loved it. | |
| 12 noon: After a weekend commemorating the Titanic, here's a reminder of another disaster: Alberto Gonzales, who sank without trace after being a member of the much-loved Bush administration. | |
| Gonzales resurfaced to tell a grateful nation that Florida senator Marco Rubio shouldn't be Mitt Romney's VP pick: | |
| Gonzales, who was the nation's first Latino attorney general in the George W Bush administration and remains one of the highest-ranking Latinos in US history, questioned the staying power of the Florida senator's popularity with Latino voters. | |
| Rubio might generate interest among Latinos "for the first 12 hours if selected for the number two spot, but that won't last," Gonzales said. | |
| The Republican Party should do more to court Latinos, Gonzales said. | |
| 11.41am: After being bitten by a penguin, the Newt Gingrich campaign really has moved into its comedy phase. To underline that point, Gingrich's aides angrily brushed aside a journalism student who dared to ask the failed loser an awkward question. | |
| Memet Walker, a reporter for the University of North Carolina's Daily Tar Heel, was given access to Gingrich by an aide after he spoke at an event in Greensboro on Saturday: | |
| That's why I was so surprised when, before I had finished asking my first question, that same aide cut the interview short and prompted Secret Service to grab and briefly detain me as the former speaker was led away. | |
| The unexpected reaction came in response to a question about Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. Last week, in a speech he gave at the University, Ailes had some harsh words for Gingrich, claiming the candidate was "trying to get a job at CNN, because he knows he isn't going to get to come back to Fox." | |
| Charming. But having the Secret Service "briefly detain" the journalist? Insert your own joke here about the Secret Service and hookers. More seriously, US taxpayers are footing the bill for this. | |
| 11.25am: Republican vice presidential hopefuls – this is the Twitter account you should follow, retweet and favourite: | 11.25am: Republican vice presidential hopefuls – this is the Twitter account you should follow, retweet and favourite: |
| As someone who has worked in partnership with @MittRomney for years, I am honored to lead his search for a VP. #Mitt2012 | As someone who has worked in partnership with @MittRomney for years, I am honored to lead his search for a VP. #Mitt2012 |
| If Beth doesn't follow you back: forget it, you're off Romney's VP list. Don't bother DMing her either. | If Beth doesn't follow you back: forget it, you're off Romney's VP list. Don't bother DMing her either. |
| 11.20am: In case you were wondering: no the penguin was not radioactive, and no Newt Gingrich has not gained special powers as a result of being bitten by it. That we know of. | 11.20am: In case you were wondering: no the penguin was not radioactive, and no Newt Gingrich has not gained special powers as a result of being bitten by it. That we know of. |
| 11.10am: ABC's Diane Sawyer has an exclusive interview with the Romneys – Ann Romney and her husband, Mitt – on World News and Nightline tonight. | 11.10am: ABC's Diane Sawyer has an exclusive interview with the Romneys – Ann Romney and her husband, Mitt – on World News and Nightline tonight. |
| The nugget that has emerged so far: Mitt Romney says he has put his adviser Beth Myers in charge of the vice presidential vetting process: | The nugget that has emerged so far: Mitt Romney says he has put his adviser Beth Myers in charge of the vice presidential vetting process: |
| I have selected someone who has been a counselor of mine for a number of years, Beth Myers. She was my chief of staff when I was governor," Romney told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview. | I have selected someone who has been a counselor of mine for a number of years, Beth Myers. She was my chief of staff when I was governor," Romney told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview. |
| "I've asked her to be the person who oversees the process of the vice presidential selection and vetting an analysis and so she's begun that process and is putting together the kinds of things you need to do to vet potential candidates," Romney added. | "I've asked her to be the person who oversees the process of the vice presidential selection and vetting an analysis and so she's begun that process and is putting together the kinds of things you need to do to vet potential candidates," Romney added. |
| Pressed on when he plans to make an announcement, all Romney would say is: "It would certainly be by the time of the convention." | Pressed on when he plans to make an announcement, all Romney would say is: "It would certainly be by the time of the convention." |
| Ann Romney, meanwhile, says about the vice presidential selection: | Ann Romney, meanwhile, says about the vice presidential selection: |
| This weekend was the first time we seriously really talked about it and there are some wonderful people out there. | This weekend was the first time we seriously really talked about it and there are some wonderful people out there. |
| 11am: The Atlantic's Molly Ball warns that the 2012 election campaign is "going to be a life-sucking slog – a mirthless, grinding blitzkrieg of unrelenting negativity". So there's that to look forward to. | 11am: The Atlantic's Molly Ball warns that the 2012 election campaign is "going to be a life-sucking slog – a mirthless, grinding blitzkrieg of unrelenting negativity". So there's that to look forward to. |
| But it's also going to be an expensive grinding blitzkrieg of unrelenting negativity, as Ball runs through the numbers: | But it's also going to be an expensive grinding blitzkrieg of unrelenting negativity, as Ball runs through the numbers: |
| Through the end of February, the Obama campaign had raised $157m, while Romney's had raised $74m. The Democratic Party has another $82m in cash on hand, the GOP $90m. Over the course of the campaign, Romney hopes to raise $600m, Obama $750m or more, according to the New York Times. And then there are the super PACs: They've already spent $86m thus far, mostly on the Republican primary, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. | Through the end of February, the Obama campaign had raised $157m, while Romney's had raised $74m. The Democratic Party has another $82m in cash on hand, the GOP $90m. Over the course of the campaign, Romney hopes to raise $600m, Obama $750m or more, according to the New York Times. And then there are the super PACs: They've already spent $86m thus far, mostly on the Republican primary, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. |
| That, she points out, is "enough to buy a whole fleet of $60m fighter jets, or dwarf the GDP of a small nation like Tonga ($816m)." | That, she points out, is "enough to buy a whole fleet of $60m fighter jets, or dwarf the GDP of a small nation like Tonga ($816m)." |
| 10.45am: In case you missed it, this article by NBC's Alex Moe should win some sort of prize: | 10.45am: In case you missed it, this article by NBC's Alex Moe should win some sort of prize: |
| The day after Newt Gingrich was bit by a penguin at a zoo, he acknowledged he is "the underdog".... | The day after Newt Gingrich was bit by a penguin at a zoo, he acknowledged he is "the underdog".... |
| And that concludes our coverage of the Newt Gingrich "presidential campaign" for this week. | And that concludes our coverage of the Newt Gingrich "presidential campaign" for this week. |
| There is no word on whether the penguin survived. It's in our prayers. | There is no word on whether the penguin survived. It's in our prayers. |
| 10.30am: Money talks – and if it can't sing and dance then both the Romney and Obama campaigns are putting on a show to entertain the deep-pocketed donors they need to equip themselves for the expensive election battle ahead. | 10.30am: Money talks – and if it can't sing and dance then both the Romney and Obama campaigns are putting on a show to entertain the deep-pocketed donors they need to equip themselves for the expensive election battle ahead. |
| Here's a preview of the latest news: | Here's a preview of the latest news: |
| • The Democratic party and the Obama campaign has announced a total of $53m raised in donations during March – a formidable figure that may yet pale into insignificance as this election season goes along. Jim Messina, Obama's campaign manager, said 567,000 people donated to the president's re-election campaign last month, with the average contribution being $50. | • The Democratic party and the Obama campaign has announced a total of $53m raised in donations during March – a formidable figure that may yet pale into insignificance as this election season goes along. Jim Messina, Obama's campaign manager, said 567,000 people donated to the president's re-election campaign last month, with the average contribution being $50. |
| • Is the Romney campaign already planning its victory lap before the race has even begun? A fundraising email circulated to Republicans offers major donors access to a special "Presidential Inaugural retreat" and other benefits. | • Is the Romney campaign already planning its victory lap before the race has even begun? A fundraising email circulated to Republicans offers major donors access to a special "Presidential Inaugural retreat" and other benefits. |
| • Donors to the Romney campaign received a special preview of the candidate's policy ideas from Romney himself during a closed-door briefing in Palm Beach, Florida. NBC's Garrett Haake has the scoop on a series of revealing policy prescriptions laid out by Romney, including a threat to abolish the Housing and Urban Development department among others: | |
| Romney went into a level of detail not usually seen by the public in the speech, which was overheard by reporters on a sidewalk below. One possibility floated by Romney included the elimination of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Cabinet-level agency once led by Romney's father, George. | |
| • On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace – son of the late Mike Wallace – put both Ed Gillespie of the Romney campaign and David Axelrod of the Obama campaign through the wringer. At various points he managed to get both senior advisors to repeat talking points of their opposition, which is quite a feat. | • On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace – son of the late Mike Wallace – put both Ed Gillespie of the Romney campaign and David Axelrod of the Obama campaign through the wringer. At various points he managed to get both senior advisors to repeat talking points of their opposition, which is quite a feat. |