Nation in brief: Giuliani tops GOP fundraising
Rudy Giuliani topped his chief GOP rivals for president in the second round of the fund-raising derby Tuesday, but the Republican totals were dwarfed by the record amounts raked in by the top Democrats.
Giuliani was the only GOP main contender to raise more money in the second quarter than the first. He reported $17 million for the second quarter, compared with $16 million for the first, and had $18 million on hand.
Mitt Romney dropped from $21 million in the first quarter to $14 million in the second, and had $12 million in the bank. Romney’s totals did not include the $2.3 million in the first quarter and $6.5 million in the second that he loaned himself from his personal fortune of about $250 million.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., reported a disappointing $11 million for the second quarter, compared with $13 million for the first, with only $2 million on hand.
The GOP numbers were far outpaced by the record $31 million raised by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and $27 million for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
LOS ANGELES
LA reporter part of mayor’s split
When an Los Angeles TV news anchor reported that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was splitting from his wife she had some inside information – she was the other woman in an illicit love triangle.
Villaraigosa, 54, confessed Tuesday he has been romancing Spanish-language TV anchor Mirthala Salinas for at least a year, shedding new light on why his wife filed for divorce three weeks ago.
Salinas, 35, went on the air June 8 with news of the mayor’s marital split. “The rumors are true,” a poker-faced Salinas said in Spanish.
WASHINGTON
Passport backlog gets extra staff
The State Department has ordered about 350 young diplomats and recently employed civil servants to help clear a crushing backlog of passport applications.
Three groups of 150 employees have been removed from posts in Washington and told Tuesday to report for two months of duty at passport facilities in Louisiana and New Hampshire, officials said.
The problem reflects a massive rush for passports by Americans because of security upgrades that took effect in January requiring them to present passports when returning by air from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.
From wire reports