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By BETH FOUHY
LAS VEGAS -- With his trademark flair for spectacle, Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president Thursday on the famed Las Vegas strip -- just hours after Newt Gingrich's advisers were spreading the word that The Donald would be anointing him instead.
Trump's endorsement seemed likely to affect this Saturday's Nevada caucuses -- and the GOP nomination fight in general -- about as much as a Sin City breeze disturbs the real estate mogul's legendary hair. But he managed to create a stir of a different sort, at least for a day.
Romney said he was glad to get the support, but he seemed almost bemused to be caught up in the Trumpian drama.
"There are some things you just can't imagine happening. This is one of them," Romney said with a smile, looking out at the reporters and cameras jammed into the lobby of the hotel complex that bears Trump's name. The real estate mogul had entered to applause, with Romney and his wife, Ann, at his side
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By PETE YOST
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Eric Holder clashed with Republicans at a House committee hearing Thursday over demands that the Justice Department turn over more documents about a flawed gun-smuggling investigation.
Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will do what is necessary to force the Justice Department to produce information on its handling of congressional inquiries on Operation Fast and Furious.
The attorney general said he will consider Issa's demand. But he said the department, with one exception, was inclined to follow a longstanding tradition of withholding internal documents about how to respond to congressional inquiries in order to preserve the ability to get candid advice from top officials.
"I think you're hiding behind something here," Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., told Holder. "You ought to give us the documents. ... It appears we're being stonewalled."
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Associated Press
The document offers a rare glimpse into the thinking of NYPD intelligence officers and how, when looking for potential threats, they focused their spying efforts on mosques and Muslims. Police analysts listed a dozen mosques from central Connecticut to the Philadelphia suburbs. None has been linked to terrorism, either in the document or publicly by federal agencies.
The Associated Press has reported for months that the NYPD infiltrated mosques, eavesdropped in cafes and monitored Muslim neighborhoods with plainclothes officers. Its spying operations were begun after the 2001 terror attacks with help from the CIA in a highly unusual partnership.
The May 2006 NYPD intelligence report, entitled "US-Iran Conflict: The Threat to New York City," made a series of recommendations, including: "Expand and focus intelligence collections at Shi'a mosques."
The NYPD is prohibited under its own guidelines and city law from basing its investigations on religion. Under FBI guidelines, which the NYPD says it follows, many of the recommendations in the police document would be prohibited.
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By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
NEW YORK -- Americans were shopping in January, but not every store was feeling the love.
Retailers reported mixed sales results for the month in a sign that U.S. consumers continue to be cautious about when and where they spend their money in the shaky economy
Overall, merchants on Thursday reported a 4.8 percent increase for January, according to the International Council of Shopping Center's tally of 20 retailers. That's above the 3 percent gain that ICSC had expected.
But the results were divided. Retailers like Target that sell basic household goods did well, as did chains like Saks that cater to wealthier shoppers. Meanwhile, Macy's and other stores that sell mid-price clothing posted disappointing results.
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By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to a level that signaled a steadily improving job market. The figures came one day before the government is expected to report that January marked another solid month for hiring.
Unemployment applications fell 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 367,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, dropped for the third straight week to 375,750.
That's the second-lowest level for the four-week average since June 2008. When applications stay consistently below 375,000, it usually signals that hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.
Economists expect the January employment report to show that employers added 155,000 jobs last month and that unemployment remained at 8.5 percent. In December, employers added 200,000 jobs.
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