1. SANTORUM TRIUMPHS OVER ROMNEY IN 3 STATES
On Tuesday, Rick Santorum won the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and a nonbonding primary in Missouri, throwing yet another wrench into the volatile GOP primaries. Santorum's sweep, his first victories since he won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, casts fresh doubt on frontrunner Mitt Romney's widespread appeal and Newt Gingrich's status as the leading conservative non-Romney alternative. The next round of primaries and caucuses will take place on March 6, when 11 states hold their nominating races. [The New York Times]
SEE ALSO: Disaster at sea: A visual timeline of the Costa Concordia capsizing
………………………………………………………………………………
SEE ALSO: The Costa Concordia: Should captains always go down with the ship?
2. CALIFORNIA'S GAY MARRIAGE CASE LIKELY TO HEAD TO SUPREME COURT
It was a landmark day for gay marriage Tuesday, when the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared that California's Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that defined marriage as being only between a man and a woman, was unconstitutional. Now, Prop. 8 proponents may appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the high court agrees to hear the case, the outcome is expected to hinge on Justice Anthony Kennedy, a known swing-voter who wrote the 1996 decision used as legal precedent for Tuesday's ruling. [Los Angeles Times]
SEE ALSO: Europe's unrelenting deep freeze: By the numbers
………………………………………………………………………………
SEE ALSO: Dissecting the Mayan apocalypse
3. OBAMA UNDER FIRE FOR BIRTH CONTROL RULES
With a new administration rule requiring all health insurance plans, including those offered by Catholic institutions, to cover birth control threatening to become a pesky election-year issue, President Obama's aides are scrambling to quell a religious backlash. On MSNBC's Morning Joe, Obama's senior campaign strategist David Axelrod said a compromise was possible, leading some women's health advocates to worry that the President was caving on contraception. [Politico]
SEE ALSO: Queen Elizabeth's diamond anniversary: By the numbers
………………………………………………………………………………
4. U.S. WEIGHS OPTIONS IN SYRIA
SEE ALSO: The Amazon's head hunters and body shrinkers
As the violent crackdown on opposition continues and U.N. diplomatic efforts collapse, the U.S. is struggling to come up with an effective strategy for Syria. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) have called for arming the opposition forces, a move the Obama administration has rejected. "We are not considering that step right now," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday. "We are working with our partners again to ratchet up the pressure, ratchet up the isolation on Assad and his regime… Ultimately, it needs to result in Assad ceasing the violence, stopping the brutality and allowing for a transition supported by the Syrian people." [CBS News]
SEE ALSO: Scotland's 'explosive' push to secede from the U.K.
………………………………………………………………………………
5. STOCKS AND EURO RISE ON HOPES FOR GREEK DEAL
SEE ALSO: The man who married his girlfriend at her funeral
The euro hit an eight-week high on Wednesday and stocks have been bolstered as Greece nears a deal for a second bailout that would secure 130 billion euros for the troubled nation. Without the cash, Greece will be unable to payoff a large bond redemption next month, a default that could wreak economic havoc around the world. [ABC News]
………………………………………………………………………………
SEE ALSO: India's 'deplorable' 'human zoo'
6. FORMER MALDIVES PRESIDENT SAYS HE WAS "FORCED TO RESIGN AT GUNPOINT"
SEE ALSO: The man who stole a glacier... to make cocktails?
Mohamed Nasheed, the island nation's first democratically elected president, says army officers and police staged a coup and forced him to step down at gunpoint. On Wednesday, following protests in the streets, Nasheed called for immediate elections and demanded his job back. [BBC]
………………………………………………………………………………
7. NOKIA TO LAYOFF 4,000, SHIFT CELLPHONE ASSEMBLY TO ASIA
The Finnish electronics manufacturer has announced it will cease phone assembly in Europe; cut 4,000 jobs in Finland, Hungary, and Mexico; and shift production to Asia. It's just the latest reorganization move to better compete with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android in the smartphone market. Last year, Nokia announced some 10,000 layoffs. [Washington Post]
………………………………………………………………………………
8. NO SINGING MUPPETS AT OSCARS SPARKS OUTRAGE
The Academy has reportedly decided to nix performances of the Best Original Song nominees from this year's Oscar ceremony, a controversial move that will mean there will be no rendition of the song "Man or Muppet" from the hit movie, The Muppets. It's a "shame," says the song's writer, Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords. [Billboard]
………………………………………………………………………………
9. FORMER JFK INTERN-LOVER TELLS ALL
In her new book, Once Upon a Secret, out Wednesday, Mimi Beardsley Alford writes of the 18-month-long affair she had with John F. Kennedy as a White House intern, further tarnishing the JFK myth. [Washington Post]
………………………………………………………………………………
10. BREAD TO BLAME FOR AMERICANS' HIGH SODIUM CONSUMPTION
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control spotlights an unlikely salty culprit. Bread and rolls are the leading source of sodium in the America diet, accounting for more than twice as much of our salty intake as savory snacks. [ABC News]
View this article on TheWeek.com Get 4 Free Issues of The Week
Other stories from this section:
Like on Facebook - Follow on Twitter - Sign-up for Daily Newsletter