AP - Defeated in the Nevada caucuses, Newt Gingrich brushed aside all talk of quitting the Republican presidential race and said he hopes a series of victories will enable him to catch up with front-runner Mitt Romney by the Texas primary in early April.

AP - Angry Ron Paul supporters overtook a special caucus Saturday night for religious voters who honor the Sabbath, prompting long lines, frantic GOP officials and voter fraud complaints.

AP - For now at least, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign seems to mostly be going according to plan. A commanding Nevada victory Saturday night underscored as much.

AP - Mitt Romney rode overwhelming backing from Mormons and his best performance yet among conservatives to his emphatic victory Saturday in Nevada's Republican presidential contest, according to preliminary results of a poll of voters entering the caucuses.

AP - Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses Saturday night, notching a second straight triumph over a field of rivals suddenly struggling to keep pace.

ContributorNetwork - Comedian and actor Rosanne Barr recently announced she would seek the Green Party's presidential nomination to run against President Barack Obama and whoever becomes the Republican Party's nominee this fall. As unorthodox as it might seem, Barr is hardly the first celebrity to seek the nation's highest office.

AP - The Republican party official in charge of counting Nevada caucus ballots in Las Vegas says the process is expected to take all night.

Will Rogers, The Diplomat
If China is right, then there is enough oil under the South China Sea to feed global consumption for several years. But Beijing may be making an aggressive bet on the wrong horse.Beijing seems to be doubling down in the South China Sea. Why? In large part it’s to secure access to potential deep sea hydrocarbons like oil and natural gas – many describe the South China Sea as the next Persian Gulf, given the possible richness of resources that supposedly lay beneath the seabed. And while there are significant differences between the two regions that complicate such a...

GOP voters in Nevada congregated around the state on Saturday to caucus and play their part in deciding the Republican presidential primary.

As expected, Mitt Romney ran away with the contest, leading throughout the day and eventually winning by more than 10 points. The real competition played out between Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, who jockeyed for the runner-up spot hoping to come away with much-needed delegates. Nevada allocates its 28 delegates proportionally, meaning that Romney extended his lead over the rest of the pack, while Gingrich and Paul also made modest pick-ups.

The caucusing process didn't go over as smoothly as state GOP officials might have hoped, as caucus-goers at some precincts were turned away after showing up late due to confusion about the schedule. This doesn't reflect well on the Nevada GOP, especially considering ongoing calls for the to return to a primary system like it used before a switch in the 2000 election. In primaries, voters cast ballots without the preliminary discussion period used in caucuses.

Despite some hiccups, many of Nevada's 500,000-plus registered Republicans showed up to vote, around 25 percent of them Mormons who overwhelmingly supported Romney -- who is also Mormon -- over his rivals.

All of this took place in a state that leads the nation in unemployment, foreclosure filings and homes with underwater mortgages. While candidates campaigned on their typical pro-jobs platforms, they managed to largely skip over the housing crisis all together.

Below is a list of winners and losers from the Nevada caucuses. Make your pick for the biggest in each category.

Josh Eidelson, Salon
Protest greeted Indiana Senate's approval of right-to-work bill this week.  (Credit: AP/Michael Conroy) On Wednesday Gov. Mitch Daniels delivered a body blow to organized labor, signing a bill making Indiana the 23rd "Right to Work" state.  Daniels' law, which unions will protest during Sunday's Super Bowl in Indianapolis, poses a major test for Indiana's labor movement.  To survive "Right to Work," Indiana unions will have to disregard one of the most popular arguments made recently by their supporters: that a...

AP - Some notable moments from Saturday's Nevada presidential caucuses:

Luke Mogelson, NY Times Magazine
First Lt. Terence Sawick patrolling in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. More Photos » For years, in the village of Juz Ghoray, at the remote fringes of the Musa Qala District in northern Helmand Province, the Taliban enjoyed free rein, collecting taxes from local poppy farmers and staging attacks on any foreign patrol that moved within shooting range of an abrupt desert prominence called Ugly Hill. After a Marine unit found nine I.E.D.’s hidden beneath Ugly Hill’s scarred and caverned faces last year, coalition forces seldom ventured near it. Until one night this...

Ross Douthat, New York Times
IN the most recent Gallup poll on abortion, as many Americans described themselves as pro-life as called themselves pro-choice. A combined 58 percent of Americans stated that abortion should either be “illegal in all circumstances” or “legal in only a few circumstances.” These results do not vary appreciably by gender: in the first Gallup poll to show a slight pro-life majority, conducted in May 2009, half of American women described themselves as pro-life. Ross Douthat The columnist's blog on politics and...

Reuters - Republican front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to an easy victory in Nevada on Saturday, crushing his three remaining rivals and taking firm command of the party's volatile presidential nominating race.

Rick Santorum came in last in the Nevada caucuses on Tuesday evening. He brushed off the loss in an interview with Fox News, saying that his campaign didn't focus on and actively campaign in the state.

"I think you'll see very different numbers coming forth on Tuesday, where we've spent a little bit more time and a little bit more money. ... In fact, I'm the person who's best able to win this election," he said.

Santorum was more optimistic about Tuesday, when there will be caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado and a non-binding primary in Missouri. (That state will also hold a caucus on March 17.) The former senator said that Missouri, in particular, was a key state for him because it would show whether he can go head to head with frontrunner Mitt Romney:

On Tuesday, I think we are going to do very well in Missouri. It's going to be interesting because it's a head-to-head between Gov. Romney myself. Speaker Gingrich is not on the ballot. Ron Paul is. We'll wait and see whether the idea that the one conservative who can actually go up against Mitt Romney head to head and win.

Speaker Gingrich had his shot in Florida, by and large. We didn't play in Florida. He had his chance to go head to head and didn't do well. We're going to go head to head in Missouri, and we'll see what happens.

I think we'll also do pretty well in Minnesota and here in Colorado. I am not predicting wins, but I think we'll do well. We'll do certainly better than we did in Nevada.

AP - Rick Santorum said Saturday he wants to "endanger" rival Newt Gingrich while presidential rival Ron Paul claimed to have "reason to be optimistic" heading into Tuesday's contests as both Republican hopefuls peered ahead past the Nevada caucuses that handed both defeat.

After a major win in Tuesday's Florida primary, Mitt Romney scored another victory in the Nevada caucuses. Romney rode his momentum and financial advantage to a huge lead in the polls over the week, and entrance polls tonight showed him leading among nearly every group of Nevada caucus-goers.

The drama of the night is focused on second place, where a fading Newt Gingrich may be eclipsed by Ron Paul. Gingrich's plans for a press conference tonight prompted speculation that the former House Speaker would exit the race, but he has vowed to continue despite falling poll numbers and doubts about the future of his financial support from major backer Sheldon Adelson.

Paul, along with apparent fourth-place finisher Rick Santorum, is not even in the state tonight. The Texas congressman addressed supporters from Bethel College in Minnesota, while Santorum sported a bolo tie at an appearance in Greeley, Colorado.

As the results come in, experts and voters are buzzing on the Twittersphere. We're putting together a snapshot of what people are talking about on Twitter, and we'll update it throughout the night.

Watch as the reactions roll in:

AP - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has won Nevada's Republican presidential caucuses. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul remain in a tight race for second, with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum finishing last.

Going into the 2012 Nevada caucus, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is favored to come out on top of the results. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum are nevertheless looking to make a splash with their respective performances.

(Click here to check out HuffPost's Nevada caucus results map, which will update with real-time data as the numbers come in.)

HuffPost's Ryan Grim and Sam Stein report:

The state's contest comes at an ideal time for the former Massachusetts governor. Knocked off balance by Newt Gingrich in South Carolina, Romney picked up the must-win Florida primary. Nevada is a chance to deal Gingrich a quick second blow, and it's home turf for Romney. The state's outsized Mormon population came out big to Friday's rally, came out big in 2008 for him, and will come out big again Saturday. That leaves Gingrich battling for second place with Ron Paul, whose large and energized organization here threatens to put him past both Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

Check out the live blog below for the latest developments out of the Silver State.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A central Florida man is suing Newt Gingrich, claiming a security officer for the Republican presidential candidate stomped on his foot "like he was stomping out a cigarette."

Edward Dillard claims his foot was fractured by the security team after voting Tuesday in the Orlando suburb of Windermere.

Dillard was wearing a Ron Paul T-shirt and holding a sign when Gingrich arrived. The lawsuit claims a "swarm" of security guards from Patriot Group International surrounded Dillard and one stomped on his foot while he was wearing open sandals, causing a fracture.

Ron Paul's campaign called for Gingrich to apologize. Messages left Saturday with Gingrich's campaign and Patriot Group were not immediately returned.

The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000.

LAS VEGAS -- Ron Paul looked to have re-energized his presidential campaign and the movement propelling it Saturday with a solid showing in the Nevada caucuses. Early results and preliminary exit polls had Paul, a Texas House Republican with libertarian leanings, running neck-and-neck with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for second place.

Paul's campaign has focused on smaller states -- particularly those holding caucuses, rather than primaries -- where his followers' enthusiasm can be leveraged into an efficient organization. After the extremely well-funded campaign being run in Nevada by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the likely caucus winner, Paul's organization is the most robust and effective in the state, said Michael Roberson, a Republican state senator representing Clark County.

Nevada, with its large Mormon population, was long considered an easy lay-up for Romney. But that lack of suspense may have helped depress voter turnout among Romney's supporters, which had the effect of boosting Paul Saturday night.

Paul was campaigning Saturday in Minnesota, another caucus state, which votes Tuesday, the same day Colorado holds its caucus. Paul's strategy aims to rack up enough delegates so that he can head to the GOP convention as a power player, able to influence the party platform or win other concessions.

"The one thing that is on our side is the American people are waking up," Paul told a packed school auditorium in Rochester, Minn. on Saturday.

For the other three GOP candidates, blame for the state of the economy and other national ills rests squarely with President Barack Obama. Paul's campaign rejects that standard.

"Our problems are a lot longer than 3 years old. They’ve been going on for a long time," he said.

Instead, Paul presents a much broader critique, challenging America's aggressive foreign policy, abuse of civil liberties and relentless war on drugs -- issues on which he overlaps with more liberal voters. He parts ways with them, though, in his opposition to government programs such as Medicare and Social Security and his insistence on dramatically cutting federal spending on social policy.

LAS VEGAS -- Rick Santorum is headed for a crushing loss in the Nevada caucuses Saturday, despite picking up the endorsement of Tea Party darling Sharron Angle, who in 2010 barely lost a high-profile and expensive senate bid to Majority Leader Harry Reid. Early exit polls show Santorum coming in a distant fourth, placing in the single digits.

Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, spent very little time campaigning in the state, assured that Nevada's large Mormon population would make it a difficult place for him to compete. Still, his last place finish puts him in a tough spot as he works to claim the mantle of the conservative alternative to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who was set to finish first in the caucuses.

On Friday night, Angle publicly appeared on Santorum's behalf for the first time in Nevada. The event can only be categorized as a disaster.

"Twenty-eight people showed up, including Angle's handlers, Santorum’s local staff, and one attendee’s two kids," the Las Vegas Sun reported. "Stepping up to a microphone and smiling, Angle tried to make the best of an obviously bad situation."

Santorum's landslide loss in Nevada comes a day after Indiana officials announced that he had failed to qualify for that state's ballot in May. Santorum vowed to challenge the decision, but it put a dent in the campaign, making it look disorganized.

Santorum hopes to turn his fortunes around with a strong showing in Colorado and Minnesota, which caucus on Tuesday. But, increasingly, it's looking as if his in Iowa, perfectly timed as it was to coincide with the caucus there, was a burst similar to those experienced by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain and other candidates who vaulted briefly to the top, only to come tumbling back down.

Romney is cruising to victory in Nevada, with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) battling for second.

ContributorNetwork - Before there was much talk of the Keystone XL pipeline, there was the Alberta Clipper -- a pipeline that received approval from the State Department and was praised for its positive economic benefits. Here are the details.

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney jumped to a strong lead in the Nevada caucuses Saturday night, reaching for a second straight campaign victory over a field of rivals suddenly struggling to keep pace.

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