Republican Mike Huckabee entered the race for his party’s 2016 presidential nomination, looking to break out from an ever-widening field by drawing on the support of social conservatives attuned to his culture-warrior message.

US senator Ted  Cruz opened the first major campaign of the 2016 presidential season yesterday with a kick-off speech courting cultural conservatives and declaring that he will devote himself to “reigniting the promise of America”.

Mitt Romney will step up for the most important speech of his Republican US presidential campaign tonight, after a fiery warm-up from a running mate who said President Barack Obama was “grasping at a moment that has already passed.”

A conservative US Senate candidate sparked anger after telling TV viewers that it was “really rare” for women to become pregnant when they were raped.

Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich clashed repeatedly in heated, personal terms in the first campaign debate since South Carolina’s primary scrambled the race to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama.

TORN between reality and their political dreams, leading conservatives are defending Mitt Romney against attacks on his work in the private sector even as they search for a more palatable candidate amid a growing sense that his nomination looks certain.

The chairman of the Iowa Republican party has said Mitt Romney has won the Iowa caucus by eight votes.

Mitt Romney was locked in a dead heat with Rick Santorum today in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, the opening contest in the campaign to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama.

JUDGMENT day dawned for Republican contenders vying to take on Barack Obama in November’s presidential election, with a pivotal vote in Iowa set to dramatically reduce the field of contenders.

Iowa Republicans prepared to cast the first votes of the 2012 presidential contest tonight, marking their choice for a candidate to challenge President Barack Obama in November.

REPUBLICAN Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign has a hint of a swagger about it as a good showing looks more likely next week in the Iowa caucuses, where his 2008 campaign crashed badly.

MITT ROMNEY has seized the lead in Iowa days before the unpredictable heartland state’s caucus kicks off voting to decide the Republican presidential nominee, a new poll showed.

After months of flirting with politics, Donald Trump said today he will not run for president.

Donald Trump has said that if he is elected US president, he would levy a 25% tariff on all Chinese goods, occupy Iraq so America can keep its oil and charge South Korea for keeping US forces there.

Natalie Portman has been criticised for being pregnant before being married.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was preparing to meet police today over sexual assault claims.

Scotland Yard has received the paperwork required to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, sources said tonight.

WikiLeaks has now published a secret list of facilities that the US considers vital to national security.

The lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange today denounced the warrant for his extradition for questioning on sex allegations in Sweden as a “political stunt”.

Authorities in the US state of Washington believe the man sought for the killings of four police officers is still alive and has been aided by a network of friends and family, a police spokesman said.

THE suspect in the killing of four police officers gunned down in a coffee shop was not found yesterday in the Seattle home where he was thought to have been holed up overnight, likely wounded from his bloody encounter with the officers.

A man with an extensive criminal past whose 95-year prison sentence was commuted nearly a decade ago was sought today after four police officers were gunned down in a US coffee shop.

LIKE all good celebrities, Joe the Plumber has hired a publicity team.

Conservative evangelical leaders met privately this week to discuss putting aside their misgivings about John McCain and coalescing around the Republican’s presidential bid while urging him to consider social conservative favourite Mike Huckabee as a running mate.

Barack Obama blamed fierce attacks by rival Hillary Clinton for his defeats in big Democratic primaries, and quickly made good on a promise to sharpen his criticism of her in what promised to be a drawn-out White House brawl.

President George Bush will give his blessing to John McCain in the race for the White House today, after the former Vietnam prisoner of war secured enough support to officially become the Republican nominee.

Hillary and Bill Clinton waged a two-front campaign blitz today in the two big states Mrs Clinton needs to win to keep her Democratic presidential campaign afloat

Hillary Clinton today denied comments at the end of her debate with rival Barack Obama marked the beginning of the end of her tilt at the White House.

REPUBLICAN Senator John McCain raised nearly $12 million (€8m) in January, propelled by victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina, solidifying his place as the leading candidate for his party’s presidential nomination.

Barack Obama went into today’s elections with a slight lead over his rival Hillary Clinton for the first time in the battle for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

A struggling Hillary Clinton today courted working class families with a detailed economic plan seeking votes in tomorrow’s Wisconsin primary.

Alec Baldwin and his acting brothers regularly come to blows over their political beliefs - because they're all passionate Republicans and Democrats.

SO farewell Mike Huckabee, it’s been a lot of fun and just a little bit weird.

The founder of the rock band Boston has objected to Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee’s campaign using his biggest hit.

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama picked up momentum in the tight Democratic race today as he got the support of an influential backer of rival Hillary Clinton and another prominent civil rights leader openly discussed a switch.

Barack Obama has taken the lead in the race to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee with a clean sweep of victories in the Potomac primary election.

Barack Obama will win Virginia’s primary election, the first of three states holding their contests today, CNN projected.

Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama was today hoping to be on a victory roll and win primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

Barack Obama has won the Maine caucuses today to sweep all five weekend Democratic contests, gaining new momentum and further narrowing rival Hillary Clinton's delegate lead in their epic battle for the party's presidential nomination.

SENATOR John McCain flunked his first ballot tests since becoming Republican nominee-in-waiting.

Hillary Clinton looked to the Maine caucuses today to put a brake on Barack Obama’s momentum after the Illinois senator won convincingly in four Democratic contests over the weekend to gain an edge in their deadlocked presidential nomination battle.

John McCain effectively sealed the Republican presidential nomination tonight as chief rival Mitt Romney suspended his faltering campaign.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama girded themselves for more fierce battles in their tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination, as Clinton disclosed she lent millions of dollars to her presidential campaign to fuel the costly White House fight.