Tax reform in this election year: It's not likely (AP)
AP - Politicians of all stripes in this election year are clamoring for simplifying the tax code and closing loopholes. But that would mean Americans could lose some of their prized deductions.

Obama bemoans wife being dragged into politics (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama says one of the toughest parts about being president is that his wife has been dragged into the "political realm."

Romney adds to delegate lead after Nevada victory (AP)
AP - Mitt Romney has added to his lead in the race for delegates now that Republican officials in Nevada finished the vote count from Saturday's presidential caucuses.

Gingrich shunned lobbying, but hired lobbyists (AP)

AP - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says his consulting group never lobbied for clients. But his business hired state and federal lobbyists to work with clients, and some staff left to take lobbying jobs, according to lobbying disclosures and corporate reports.

Hoekstra's broken English ad draws more criticism (AP)
AP - A coalition of black ministers in Detroit called Monday for U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra to apologize for his Super Bowl ad featuring a young Asian woman speaking broken English to describe the impact of the Democratic incumbent's economic policies.

Obama: Negative ads will have role in 2012 race (AP)
AP - President Barack Obama says the rise of political action committees guarantees that there will be a lot of negative ads in the lead-up to November's presidential election.

Romney latest pol to join wait-let-me-explain club (AP)

AP - Mitt Romney's remark that he's not worried about the very poor, the latest gaffe in a campaign rich with blunders, joins a long list of wait-let-me-explain episodes in presidential election history.

Super Bowl obscenity a mess for FCC (Politico)
Politico - Singer M.I.A.'s act is likely to be reviewed.

Poll: Obama over 50% vs. Mitt (Politico)
Politico - It's the first time since July that he's garnered more than half the votes in a matchup with Romney.

GOP ends NV vote count; Romney on top with 50% (AP)

AP - Nevada Republicans have finally finished counting the votes in their Saturday presidential caucuses.

FACT CHECK: Obama, GOP spin recent energy stats (AP)
AP - You wouldn't know it from the Republicans, but these are boom times for American energy.

Air Force to cut 10,000 airmen, shift aircraft (AP)
AP - The Air Force on Friday detailed plans to cut the service by nearly 10,000 active, National Guard and Reserve airmen next year, as part of a broad move to downsize and shift capabilities around the country to be better prepared for wars of the future.

Conservatives take second powerful post in Finland (AP)

AP - The victory for Finland's conservatives in the presidential runoff marks a political watershed in the Nordic country, restoring the National Coalition Party to the presidency after 30 years and giving it the nation's two top posts for the first time.

Obama tightens Iran sanctions over bank "deception" (Reuters)
Reuters - President Barack Obama signed an executive order imposing stricter sanctions on Iran and its central bank, saying new powers to freeze assets were needed because Iranian banks were concealing transactions, the White House said on Monday.

Analysis: Romney win leaves rivals few options (AP)

AP - Mitt Romney's big win in Nevada four days after his breakthrough victory in Florida spells big trouble for his remaining rivals. Simply put: Is there any way to stop Romney now?

After Florida win, Romney campaign confident of Hispanic support (Daily Caller)
Daily Caller - Mitt Romney won the Florida primary Tuesday by a commanding 14-point margin, thanks in no small part to the Hispanic community.

Democrats slam Romney in preview of possible November race (Daily Caller)
Daily Caller - Democrats dumped on Gov. Mitt Romney Tuesday night, saying he won the Florida GOP primary only because of expensive negative ads, that the GOP turnout was low, and that Romney is both “extreme” and “out of touch.”

Poll shows age, ideology divide NV GOP priorities (AP)
AP - Preliminary results of an entrance poll shows Nevadans participating in today's caucuses were focused on the economy and which candidate could best defeat Obama. The deeply conservative electorate included the largest share of tea party backers and the highest number of Mormons of any state to cast ballots thus far in the nomination contest.

What Santorum Didn't Need -- Sharron Angle's Endorsement (ContributorNetwork)
ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | Former Nevada assemblywoman Sharron Angle announced her endorsement of Rick Santorum for president through a statement released to The National Review on Wednesday. Given that she is popular among some tea party factions, the endorsement could help the uber-conservative Santorum in some political circles. But Angle is seen as an extremist by most leaning -- well, simply leaning anywhere to the left of her political views.