AP - The Republican presidential contenders are making a pitch to voters that sounds a lot like a children's game: Follow the leader.

AP - Newt Gingrich has staked his presidential bid on one idea: that he is best positioned to defeat President Barack Obama. Even some of his supporters seem to be struggling to buy the former House speaker's claim, an indication that chief rival Mitt Romney's efforts to undercut him may be working.

AP - The head of the International Monetary Fund says that some countries that use the euro have the flexibility to boost growth to help shore up the eurozone economy.

AP - Illinois State University President Al Bowman says President Barack Obama's proposal to tie federal support to tuition controls is a product of "fuzzy math." His counterpart at the University of Washington calls it little more than "political theater."

AP - An Afghan lawmaker has sharply criticized France's plans to hand over security in her troubled province to Afghan troops within a few months, saying that her country's forces are unprepared to handle the job and more violence would result.