Primary news
In Iowa
Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday advocated a major expansion of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other national service programs. "This will be a cause of my presidency," he said at a rally at Cornell College.
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's support from South Carolina's black religious leaders may not be quite as extensive as her campaign suggests. Clinton got a boost last week when she accepted what organizers said were endorsements from nearly 90 ministers in the state. An Associated Press review found that all told, about 50 different groups were represented, rather than more than 80 congregations as initially implied. Clinton spokesman Zac Wright said the campaign never claimed the endorsements represented separate congregations and knew that some came from the same organization.
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said tapping oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would help lower gas prices. "We've got the reserves up there that can be tapped," Thompson told about 50 people packed into a small cafe in Pickens, S.C.
IN FLORIDA
The Democratic National Committee can penalize the Florida party by stripping the state of its convention delegates because it is holding an early presidential primary, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that political parties have a First Amendment right to set their own rules and enforce them. The national party did that, which means that Florida will not have a say in picking the Democratic nominee.
Florida's primary is Jan. 29. But Democratic Party rules say states cannot hold their 2008 primary contests before Feb. 5, except for Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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While the focus was on Vice President Kamala Harris in their first media interview of the presidential campaign, Walz was asked if voters could take him at his word.
