George Zimmerman was released on bond late last night, but he will be closely monitored while he is out, particularly because he will go into hiding for his safety. The man charged with second degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin posted the $150,000 bail.
President Obama’s reelection prospects are improving with the employment rate in swing states. Unemployment in the 14 states likely to decide the election dropped at a faster rate than the country as a whole, and with more jobs comes greater support for the president, the AP reports.
Analysts are upgrading their economic forecasts and say that the economy will grow at a faster pace than earlier predictions suggested. A USA Today survey of 50 top economists puts the unemployment rate at 8 percent by the fourth quarter and shows 2.5 percent overall economic growth, a higher figure from estimates three months ago.
Nicholas Sarkozy is facing a May 6 runoff against surging Socialist Party candidate François Hollande, who won the first round of France’s presidential elections on Sunday. Strong support from the left, coupled with mounting frustration over 17 years of conservative, centrist governance has weakened Sarkozy’s support. The election is another sign that Europeans are rejecting austerity budgeting.
The Romney campaign’s attempt to coax its deep-pocketed Wall Street donors to kick in $75,800 each in joint fundraising campaign contributions — for the campaign, national party, and state party committees — is drawing push-back from supporters who fear it may not comply with new Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) “pay to play” rules.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) garnered 59.1 percent of the delegates’ votes at Saturday’s Utah Republican convention, just below the 60 percent needed for automatic nomination, so he will be forced to face a primary against former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist on June 26. Conservative outside groups have been pouring money into the race against Hatch and in support of Liljenquist, who has support from the Tea Party and other far-right groups.
One in every two new college graduates are unemployed or underemployed, according to a new Associated Press analysis. Demand for jobs is stronger in science and health fields, but across the board, median wages for those with bachelor’s degrees are down from 2000.
After the New York Times reported Saturday that Walmart paid up to $24 million in bribes to hurry expansion of Walmart in Mexico, the corporation pushed back. Vice President of Corporate Communications David Tozar dismissed the six-year-old allegations in a statement, saying it’s “not a reflection” of the company.
And finally: Actress Eliza Dushku had a little crush on her former bishop, Mitt Romney. Dushku, who was raised in the Mormon church in Massachusetts, told New York Magazine, “I mean, he went from being my first crush at six years old — I named my Ken dolls ‘Mitt’ — and then when I was old enough to hear what was coming out of his mouth, it was over.”
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