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Poll: Romney favors the rich

Swing state voters say Romney favors the rich; the GOP frets; Gingrich for Akin; and other top Wednesday stories

Topics: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Todd Akin, Brief, 2012 Elections,

Poll: Romney favors the rich

Romney for the 1 percent: A new New York Times/CBS News poll shows that majorities of likely voters in the swing states of Wisconsin, Virginia and Colorado say that Mitt Romney’s policies favor the rich. In each state, about 55 percent say Romney is better for the rich, while a plurality say Obama’s policies favor the middle class. Only a sliver of voters say the president favors the rich. This pattern has been evident since the early GOP primaries.

GOP frets Romney’s comments: Republicans are concerned about the fallout from Mitt Romney’s comments on the secret video released earlier this week. Bu the problem goes beyond just the quotes: “Elected officials, donors and operatives are irritated about facing yet another distraction, but the surreptitiously recorded clips have triggered a round of broader complaints over Romney’s fundraising-focused schedule, lackluster candidate skills and a seemingly adrift campaign that trails in key battleground states with less than 50 days to go,” Politico reports. “As a candidate, he is just not going to improve,” an unnamed “senior Republican” said. The strategist described the party’s mood this way: “Not panic, but a recognition that the way to get [to 270 electoral votes] is limited.”

Obama slams Romney on 47 percent: Appearing on David Letterman’s show last night, President Obama made his first comments on Romney’s 47 percent remarks. “When I won in 2008, 47 percent of the American people voted for John McCain. They didn’t vote for me and what I said on election night was: ‘Even though you didn’t vote for me, I hear your voices, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to be your president,’” Obama said. Romney, however, Obama added, was “writing off a big chunk of the country.”

Gingrich for Akin: Newt Gingrich will campaign for embattled Rep. Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin next week, conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly announced yesterday. Gingrich has long supported Akin, even when virtually every other conservative abandoned him, saying of Akin’s controversial comments on rape and abortion, “Todd Akin was a choice for people in Missouri, and Todd Akin has publicly apologized.”

Chicago strike ends: Chicago students returned to school today after the teachers strike ended. Representatives of the 29,000 striking Chicago public schoolteachers and support staff voted on Tuesday to suspend their strike and accept a compromise agreement on a new three-year contract with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Eastwooding: Finally, Clint Eastwood, asked if he would do his Republican National Convention chair routine again, told Extra, “I probably would, I wouldn’t be afraid of it.”

Alex Seitz-Wald

Alex Seitz-Wald is Salon's political reporter. Email him at aseitz-wald@salon.com, and follow him on Twitter @aseitzwald.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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