Blog Posts by U. S. News & World Report

By Leslie Marshall

Now that former Sen. Rick Santorum's officially announced he is putting his campaign on hold, it's looking almost inevitable that former Gov. Mitt Romney will be standing on that GOP platform. Although it could take until the end of May most likely for him to obtain that magic number of delegates needed to officially be the Republican candidate for president, it's even more likely to happen now with Rick Santorum out of the game.

Although many of Santorum's supporters might view Romney as too moderate, don't expect them to throw their support for the long term behind former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In the end, they want President Obama unseated more than their love of God, Christianity, and their conservative values and politic issues. So in November, they'll either stay home or hold their nose as they vote for Romney.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP hopefuls.]

So for the next few months, we'll all be speculating and predicting

By Angela Haupt

The child left his mother's sight for mere minutes. Yet that was enough time for 21-month-old Ollie Hebb to fall into the top-loading washing machine and become submerged in a full tub. The Utah boy died a day later, after suffering severe brain damage.

Natural Sleep Aids for ChildrenBetween 2005 and 2009, two children under the age of five died as a result of laundry room accidents, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Washing machine-related injuries are more common than deaths, says Scott Wolfson, director of public affairs for the CPSC. Aside from drowning, children may suffer burns from hot water in the machine, or injuries to their limbs if they come into contact with a rapidly spinning basin. "Kids are curious. We have to be very vigilant about our children, and really live in the moment and be present when we're supervising them," says Kate Carr, president of Safe Kids Worldwide, which aims to prevent unintentional childhood injuries.

Washing machines aren't the

By Tierney Sneed

A recent USA Today/Gallup poll shows that Obama's lead among women is growing. He bests former Gov. Mitt Romney, the front-running GOP presidential candidate, 54 to 36 percent among women in the dozen swing states on which the poll focuses. The president's popularity among women secures his overall advantage over Romney, carrying 51 percent of general voters to Romney's 42 percent in those swing states. Ken Walsh reckons, "Much of the erosion in GOP support among women, pollsters say, is due to the Republican focus on social issues, such as limiting the availability of contraceptive services at medical facilities affiliated with religions that oppose those services." The Gallup poll is not the only recent study showing that the debates over contraceptive coverage have helped Obama with women. Looking at data from focus groups sponsored by Resurgent Republic, Peter Roff notes, "Women seem to agree that the recent national debate over the Obamacare mandate that

By Susan Milligan

When did hoodies become synonymous with hoods?

Trayvon Martin looked suspicious to George Zimmerman as the neighborhood watch captain followed the slain teen (against the direction of a 911 operator) in Florida. A Justice Department investigation is underway to determine what happened (and the lynch mob mentality that's emerging against Zimmerman is no better than the quick judgment by authorities that Zimmerman shot Martin in self defense). There are many unanswered questions: Did Martin assault Zimmerman? Does the newly-enhanced police video really show Zimmerman with a gash on his head? Did Zimmerman actually utter a racial slur when he called 911? Is Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law the culprit, or is it being misused to justify an unjustifiable shooting?

[Read the U.S. News debate: Are 'Stand Your Ground' Laws a Good Idea?]

But it's the attention to clothing-and questions about whether Martin should have been wearing a hoodie-that are most

By Miriam Salpeter

Are you prepared to negotiate a job offer? New LinkedIn research shows 42 percent of professionals in the United States are uncomfortable negotiating; approximately 25 percent admit to never having negotiated in the workplace. The study also shows that many of LinkedIn's U.S. members (39 percent) report feeling anxious about negotiation, more so than participants from other countries do.

What's wrong with neglecting to negotiate? Employees who begin jobs with less-than-optimum salaries may never catch up to the compensation and benefits they could have earned if they'd played their cards better when starting. Since pay raises and bonuses build from the base salary, it's crucial to be prepared to ask for the best compensation package possible from the start. Don't be intimidated. Selena Rezvani, author of the book PUSHBACK: How Smart Women Ask-And Stand Up-For What They Want, reminds job seekers: "Too often, people approach negotiation inflating the other

By Alison Green

If you're searching for a job, here's one strategy you may have overlooked: Volunteering.

Volunteering for a nonprofit organization in your community isn't just a way of doing good. It's also a way to keep your skills up-to-date, expand your network, and possibly even get a paying job. And there are all sorts of nonprofits from which to choose, whether you're drawn to community service groups, political organizations, or religious institutions.

Here's how volunteerism can help you in your job search:

First, you'll have work to put on your resume that fills a period of no activity. When a prospective employer asks how you've been spending the time since leaving your last job, you'll be able to talk about the pro bono work you've been doing for a worthwhile cause.

*You'll learn new skills. Volunteering doesn't have to mean stuffing envelopes or answering phones. You could design a website, organize an event, write fundraising letters, edit publicity

By Mary Kate Cary

The Masters golf tournament is this coming weekend, and Augusta National has been given the chance to do the right thing, practically served up on a silver platter. The club should move quickly and get out ahead of a story that is just starting to move.

A decade ago, the all-male club was the target of women's groups who pressured the tournament's corporate sponsors to drop their television sponsorship. At one point, the club did away with television sponsorship and ran the tournament without any TV ads to protect their corporate sponsors from being pressured. According to the AP, Billy Payne, the current president of Augusta, said in 2006 that there is "no specific timetable" for admitting women to the club.

[See Mary Kate Carry's Five Ways the GOP Can Woo Women]

So now the club is back in the spotlight with the tournament approaching, and once again the media is starting to point out its lack of female members. (If there are women in the

By Tierney Sneed

This week network morning television programming battles it out as ABC's Good Morning America tries to eclipse NBC's Today in a ratings war. Katie Couric, once a host of Today before departing for the anchor spot on CBS's evening news (she has since left CBS after failing to boost its ratings), guest co-hosts at Good Morning America all week, stepping in for Robin Roberts, who is on vacation. Today is taking the threat head on by inviting Sarah Palin, a regular on Fox News, to co-host Tuesday.

[See a collection of political cartoons on Sarah Palin.]

Few can forget Katie Couric's CBS interview with Palin when the former Alaskan governor stumbled on the most basic questions about policy and current events. On Monday's Today, Matt Lauer, who once shared the Today stage with Couric, jabbed Palin by referencing a notorious moment in the Couric interview when Palin struggled to name a single newspaper she read. "What are you doing to prepare?" Lauer asked in a