Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 29, 2014 – 9:27 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, Jul. 30, 2014 – 12:06 am
Kevin McCarthy may be a one-man refutation of the old adage that “nice guys always finish last.”
By Jean Merl
JUly 28, 2014
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Baca, who earlier this year lost a bid to return to the House, has found another office to try for — mayor of Fontana.
July 28, 2014 – UPDATED at 9:03 p.m.
Yxstian Gutierrez was not legally appointed to his seat on the Moreno Valley City Council and must step down, a judge tentatively ruled Monday, July 28.
To read story by Stephen Wall in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
July 27, 2014
Mitt Romney 2014?
Americans are so down on President Obama at the moment that, if they could do the 2012 election all over again, they’d overwhelmingly back the former Massachusetts governor’s bid. That’s just one finding in a brutal CNN poll, released Sunday, which shows Romney topping Obama in a re-election rematch by a whopping nine-point margin, 53 percent to 44 percent. That’s an even larger spread than CNN found in November, when a survey had Romney winning a redo 49 percent to 45 percent.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 07/26/14, 8:38 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
Last week was rough for prosecutors in San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case as a judge dealt a major blow to their case by dismissing the key conspiracy charge against all four defendants.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Jul. 26, 2014 – 10:28 pm
The passage of Proposition 13 – California’s landmark property tax limit – in 1978 marked a major, even radical, change in how the state makes public policy.
By Charles Krauthammer, Opinion Writer
July 24, 2014
The president’s demeanor is worrying a lot of people. From the immigration crisis on the Mexican border to the Islamic State rising in Mesopotamia, Barack Obama seems totally detached from the world’s convulsions. When he does interrupt his endless rounds of golf, fundraising and photo ops, it’s for some affectless, mechanical, almost forced public statement.
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By Mark Gutglueck, The Sentinel (www.sbsentinel.com)
Posted on July 26, 2014
(July 25) — More than three years after indictments were handed down against Rancho Cucamonga-based developer Jeff Burum and three former San Bernardino County officials he is accused of bribing, San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith eviscerated the case against the defendants, throwing out conspiracy and a dozen other charges that were considered central to the case.
IE Business Daily
Saturday, July 26, 2014
A few weeks ago we covered the shrinking relevance of the Obama Presidency.
Since that time, Malaysian Flight 17 carrying 298 souls was shot down over the Ukraine, Hamas began firing rockets into Israel from Gaza resulting in a full Israeli incursion that continue today, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) began crucifying Christians in Mosul, Iraq.
By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 07/24/14, 11:37 AM PDT | Updated: 46 mins ago
HIGHLAND>> Voters in November will have an opportunity to decide if they want to elect City Council members by district.
July 25, 2014
Riverside City Councilman and Republican congressional candidate Steve Adams went to the U.S./Mexico border this week to learn about border security.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mark Takano, the Democratic incumbent Adams hopes to defeat in November, is doing without to learn what life is like for minimum-wage earners.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
By Jim Miller and Christopher Cadelago
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 25, 2014 – 2:16 pm
Last Modified: Saturday, Jul. 26, 2014 – 12:00 am
Federal prosecutors have added a charge of racketeering to the corruption and gun-running case against state Sen. Leland Yee, filing an amended indictment this week that includes new allegations that the San Francisco Democrat traded official favors for campaign cash.
IE Business Daily
Thursday, July 24, 2014
The second day of motion hearings in a prominent public corruption case continued Thursday. The day ended with the judge deciding to postpone his ruling regarding a prosecution request and a proposed evidentiary hearing until Monday.
Published: July 24, 2014 Updated: 11:10 p.m.
An outside investigator found that Riverside City Councilman Paul Davis likely interfered with the city manager’s job performance and violated the city charter.
To read story by Alicia Robinson in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
Thursday, July 24, 2014 – 06:00 p.m.
Riverside City Councilman and congressional candidate Steve Adams spent yesterday morning touring the U.S.-Mexico border with Chris Harris, Vice President for Local 1613 of the National Border Patrol Council. Adams made the trip to the San Diego Sector of the border to get firsthand knowledge of the situation at the border.
By Jean Merl contact
Ju;y 24, 2014
In another manifestation of how the political landscape is changing under the state’s top-two election system, a Democratic club in the Antelope Valley is scheduled to host two Republican congressional candidates at its forum early next month.
July 23, 2014
A San Bernardino County judge dismissed a key charge against four defendants in the Colonies corruption case Wednesday, July 23, saying prosecutors missed a deadline required under state law to pursue allegations of conspiracy.
To read story by Imran Ghori in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 07/23/14, 10:54 AM PDT | Updated: 40 secs ago
SAN BERNARDINO >> Prosecutors in San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case suffered a major blow to their case on Wednesday when a judge dismissed conspiracy charges against all four defendants.
By Melanie Mason
July 23, 2014
Gov. Jerry Brown has a nearly 20-point advantage over GOP challenger Neel Kashkari, according to a poll released Wednesday, which also found strong support among Californians for the state’s landmark global warming law.
Carla Marinucci
Updated 7:55 am, Thursday, July 24, 2014
President Obama hit the Bay Area for a fast cash-and-grab fundraising drive Wednesday, but there were signs that even in one of the nation’s most reliable Democratic ATMs, donor fatigue is setting in.
By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE and JOSH GERSTEIN | 7/23/14 9:02 PM EDT Updated: 7/24/14 12:00 AM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO — President Barack Obama went to the West Coast to meet donors from two top Democratic super PACs, but the press wasn’t invited.
Tuesday, the reporters and photographers traveling with the president on Air Force One and in his motorcade were left on the gravel path not even within sight of former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal’s house in the Seattle suburbs where Obama sat for a Senate Majority PAC fundraiser with a $25,000 entrance fee.
Published: July 22, 2014
Updated: July 23, 2014 12:48 a.m.
An investigation of Councilman Mike Soubirous ended Tuesday with no council action against him, but City Hall still was not a friendly place to be.
To read story by Alicia Robinson in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
Published: July 22, 2014 Updated: July 23, 2014 12:10 a.m.
November’s election brings the prospect of change on city councils and boards throughout Riverside County.
But due to resignations and deaths, change already is underway in the northwest Riverside County cities of Eastvale and Jurupa Valley.
To read story by Sandra Stokley in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2014 – 10:18 pm
During the last four decades, no California political issue has burned more intensely than capital punishment, but it may have ended with a whimper, rather than with a bang, last week.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014 – 11:30 a.m.
Here’s some news flowing across the transom this Tuesday morning. In case you missed it!
Appeals court deals blow to Obamacare
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled subsidies paid under The Affordable Care Act in states where no exchanges exist are illegal. Meanwhile, within hours, a Virginia Circuit Court of Appeals ruled exactly the opposite.
July 21, 2014
You might have heard about a Silicon Valley venture capitalist’s plan to split California into six states to promote better governance.
Timothy Draper recently submitted 1.3 million signatures to get his “Six Californias” plan on the November 2016 ballot. If voters and Congress approve, the Golden State would be divided into Jefferson, North California, Silicon Valley, Central California, West California and South California.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
Published: July 21, 2014 Updated: July 22, 2014 9:59 a.m.
More than a month after President Barack Obama vacationed in the opulent desert community of Rancho Mirage, speculation is again swirling that the first family is in the process of buying a home there.
To read story by Luke Ramseth in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2014 – 12:00 am
One can categorize politicians by many indices – honesty, intelligence, effectiveness and ideology, for instance.
Monday, July 21, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.
Here’s some news flowing across the transom Monday morning. In case you missed it!
Jerry Brown for President?
We’ll start off with this morning’s humor.
By ALEXANDER BURNS | 7/20/14 5:29 PM EDT – Updated: 7/21/14 6:37 AM EDT
LOS ANGELES — The rumblings are early but unmistakable: A political earthquake is — finally — headed to California.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jul. 21, 2014 – 12:00 am
In an otherwise lackluster campaign season, California’s most interesting political duel may be one for a rare vacancy on the five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
By Dustin Volz
July 20, 2014
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein thoroughly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for his role in empowering Ukraine’s pro-Russian separatists, during an interview with CNN on Sunday, largely laying the blame at his feet for the downing last week of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet.
Sunday, July 20, 2014 – 12:00 p.m.
Bankrupt San Bernardino, California had forty-six murders in 2013. It’s not a nice statistic for the troubled city of just over 200,00 residents.
By Mark Gutglueck (www.sbsentinel.com)
Posted on July 18, 2014
(July 15)– The preliminary hearing for former Upland City Manager Robb Quincey will be held on September 10, Judge Bridgid McCann ruled this week.
By Kyle Smith
July 19, 2014 | 12:28pm
There’s probably never been a time when humanity wasn’t collectively in a torment and uproar about what its young folk were up to. (Gur to Urp, 10,000 B.C.: “Can you believe how short the girls are wearing their bearskins these days?”)
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 07/18/14, 3:06 PM PDT | Updated: 55 secs ago
UPLAND >> Former City Manager Stephen Dunn may be making his way to back to City Hall but this time as a councilman.
By Jim Miller and David Siders
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 – 11:08 pm
Assemblyman John A. Pérez abandoned his recount in the California controller’s race Friday, ending an effort to overcome a narrow third-place finish after picking up only a handful of votes amid increasing impatience from Democratic activists and others worried about its impact on the fall election.
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 – 3:25 pm
California’s political ethics agency has begun posting the names of campaign treasurers who have repeatedly run afoul of state rules, with the goal of alerting candidates and party officials.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 07/18/14, 12:26 AM PDT |
SAN BERNARDINO >> Residents and city employees said their piece Thursday evening at the final public hearing on five proposed amendments to the city charter before the City Council’s planned Aug. 7 vote on whether to put those changes on the ballot.
By Chris Megerian
July 17, 2014
The recount in the California controller race has produced only a handful of new votes for Assemblyman John A. Pérez, the candidate who launched the review.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jul. 17, 2014 – 9:25 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 – 6:52 am
The Legislature’s Democrats voted to place an advisory measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, asking voters whether Congress should pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s highly controversial ruling removing barriers on corporate contributions in federal campaigns.
Published: July 16, 2014 Updated: 5:11 p.m.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, reported a stunning $1.9 million cash on hand as of June 30, more than eight times the war chest of his challenger, Republican Brian Nestande, who had $234,632, newly released Federal Election Commission documents show.
To read story by Cathy Taylor in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Abby Sewell
July 16, 2014
A White House spokesman said Wednesday that there is an “ongoing law enforcement investigation” related to a recording released earlier in the day by a Republican congressman who alleged it showed improper fundraising activity by former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis — now a Los Angeles County supervisor-elect.
July 16, 2014
California’s Republican congressional delegation is doing its part to help Paul Chabot win in November.
Congressmen including House Majority Leader-elect Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, are scheduled to attend a fundraiser for Chabot on Thursday, July 24 in Washington, DC. Others listed on the invite include reps. Ken Calvert, R-Corona; Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine and Darrell Issa, R-Vista.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
By Chris Megerian
July 15, 2014
Controller candidate Betty Yee is getting new financial support from the California Democratic Party as she faces a recount challenge from Assemblyman John A. Pérez, her Democratic opponent in the primary.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014 – 11:00 a.m.
Here’s some news flowing across the transom Tuesdy morning. In case you missed it.
Brandt to end council service
Upland City Councilman Brendan Brandt has announced he will not seek another term.
July 14, 2014
Pete Aguilar and Paul Chabot each are making the case for favored candidate status in the race for a San Bernardino County congressional seat.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jul. 14, 2014 – 3:47 pm
Election officials in Kern and Imperial counties continued hand recounts Monday of thousands of ballots in the state controller’s race, with a new survey by the secretary of state’s office suggesting that the recount could last well beyond the Nov. 4 election if it covers all of the 15 counties sought by former Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez.
Monday, July 14, 2014 | Sacramento, CA
The strange bedfellows’ society was definitely in session at a recent Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing.
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jul. 14, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Monday, Jul. 14, 2014 – 9:21 am
Another radio station cranked up for news talk, and Neel Kashkari chewed pizza outside the studio, ready to go on air.
Sunday, July 13, 2014 – 10:00 a.m.
All the attention given to the over-hyped drama in the 31st Congressional District contest has admittedly been a distraction. But that contest is over and decided. Now CD-31 is likely to shift from republican to democrat hands in November.
But the numbers in another supposed democrat-contest of a republican-held seat appear to tell a different story.
Published: July 12, 2014 Updated: 7:41 p.m.
Riverside residents and council members are asking for changes to the city’s ethics code to make the complaint process more fair and to address concerns about a possible conflict of interest.
To read story by Alicia Robinson in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 13, 2014 – 12:00 am
Were California a nation, we learned last week, its $2.2 trillion economy could claim eighth place in international economic standings, having bypassed Italy and Russia in the last year.
By Alexander Bolton – 07/12/14 06:00 AM EDT
Immigration reform has fizzled as an issue for Democrats, who are barely mentioning it on the campaign trail despite making the issue their top domestic priority in 2013 and 2014.
July 12, 2014
No, this is not another opinion as to whether “comprehensive immigration reform” will be passed this year. While we thought that the defeat of Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor in his reelection primary put the final nail in the coffin for this year, other immigration issues have now further embalmed and then cremated the body of any immigration reform legislation, perhaps in perpetuity.
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 07/11/14, 9:44 PM PDT | Updated: 25 secs ago
The crisis involving tens of thousands of migrant young people and mothers with children from Central America crossing over the border into the United States has provided a source of widely differing views among the candidates running for the 31st Congressional District in November.
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 11, 2014 – 10:48 pm
While a historically small number of Californians participated on Election Day, more of them than ever cast their votes by mail.
GARY BRODEUR
STAFF WRITER
Posted Jul. 10, 2014 @ 1:25 pm
Updated Jul 10, 2014 at 1:53 PM
APPLE VALLEY — Three of the town’s five council seats will be open for election in November. The seats are held by Curt Emick, Scott Nassif and Barb Stanton.
All three were elected to four-year terms on Nov. 2, 2010.
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jul. 9, 2014 – 4:58 pm
California’s dominant healthcare union has taken the “extraordinary” step of requesting that elected officials refrain from accepting political contributions from an Ontario-based hospital chain and its chief executive.
Politics
By Katie Zezima and David Nakamura
July 9, 2014 at 8:56 PM
DALLAS — President Obama on Wednesday forcefully defended his decision not to visit the Texas border with Mexico to view a burgeoning humanitarian crisis, saying he’s “not interested in photo ops” and challenging Congress to give him new authority to respond to the situation.
By Michael Flaherty and Alistair Bell
WASHINGTON Thu Jul 10, 2014 4:02am EDT
(Reuters) – A surge of Republican pressure is bringing the Federal Reserve’s long-held independence into question again, as conservative lawmakers seek to place the U.S. central bank under tougher scrutiny.
Posted on Tuesday, July 8 at 10:32am | By Carla Marinucci
Republicans get an edge not only with the party’s choice of Cleveland as the site of the party’s 2016 nominating convention, but also in their plans to hold the convention in early summer, says Shawn Steel, a former chair of California GOP and a member of the Republican National Committee site selection committee.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 8, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jul. 8, 2014 – 7:45 am
California politics is meandering into uncharted procedural and legal territory with former Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez’s go-for-broke decision to seek a vote recount in his duel with Board of Equalization member Betty Yee for a spot on the November state controller ballot.
By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 7/7/14 9:00 PM EDT Updated: 7/8/14 5:41 AM EDT
At first, it seemed like just another example of Harry Reid being Harry Reid.
The Senate majority leader, whose unscripted attacks can veer into bellicosity and take liberties with facts, spoke on the Senate floor last October and appeared to blame billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch for the government shutdown.
Published: July 6, 2014 Updated: 10:42 p.m.
Riverside is investigating whether someone covertly recorded former City Manager Brad Hudson’s comments nearly five years ago and then shared the tapes with others, including Councilman Paul Davis.
That brings the number of probes at Riverside City Hall to three in the past three months, putting officials in an unprecedented – and likely uncomfortable – situation.
To read story by Alicia Robinson in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Ben Baeder, Whittier Daily News
Posted: 07/06/14, 6:03 PM PDT | Updated: 31 mins ago
At an increasing pace, your local government is spending your tax money paying lobbyists to get some more of your own tax money sent back to your community.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jul. 7, 2014 – 12:00 am
At any given moment, dozens of comatose bills float around the Legislature – vessels to be filled with whatever the powers-that-be want to enact quickly and semi-clandestinely.
Politics and Policy
Presumed Presidential Candidate Makes Clear She Won’t Be Running for de Facto Third Obama Term
By Peter Nicholas
July 6, 2014 – 8:13 p.m. ET
Hillary Clinton has begun distancing herself from President Barack Obama, suggesting that she would do more to woo Republicans and take a more assertive stance toward global crises, while sounding more downbeat than her former boss about the U.S. economic recovery.
Top Stories
GOP leaders Ed Royce and Darrell Issa handle Congress very differently.
BY CATHY TAYLOR / WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF
Published: July 6, 2014 Updated: July 7, 2014 7:22 a.m.
They couldn’t be more different: the stiletto who aims for targeted foreign policy legislation and the sledgehammer who pounds away at big domestic investigations.
Published: July 5, 2014 Updated: 9:55 p.m.
The latest attempt to let Riverside County supervisors fill vacancies in their ranks appears to be dead, potentially giving the governor the chance to appoint a supervisor by year’s end.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Jessica Calefati
jcalefati@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 07/05/2014 04:00:00 PM PDT
Updated: 07/06/2014 06:47:14 AM PDT
SACRAMENTO — After state Sen. Leland Yee’s stunning arrest earlier this year, the Legislature’s highest-ranking member urged his colleagues to finally fix a long-standing problem in California politics — the corrupting allure of money.
Political Whispers
Saturday, July 5, 2014
So, as with all Presidential second terms, President Obama is fading from relevance. It is inevitable and common for second term Presidents to become less popular and effective, Republican or Democrat.
David G. Savage
July 4, 2014
The Supreme Court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. showed again this year that it is playing a long game, writing opinions that move the law in small but steady steps in a conservative direction.
Michael A. Memoli
July 4, 2014
Democrats headed into the Fourth of July recess facing stiff head winds in their quest to maintain a Senate majority this fall, contending with voters’ unease over the economy and a slew of Washington controversies.
By JULIE PACE and ERICA WERNER
The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, Jul. 3, 2014 – 1:47 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Jul. 4, 2014 – 3:18 am
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is facing mounting calls from Republicans to take a firsthand look at the immigration emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, putting him on the spot concerning what he has called the “humanitarian crisis” of tens of thousands of unaccompanied children flooding in from Central America.
Ryan Grim and Kasey Varner
Posted: 07/03/2014 – 5:28 pm EDT
Updated: 07/03/2014 – 5:59 pm EDT
WASHINGTON — People are mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore, an extensive new survey of public attitudes toward the government finds.
Thursday, July 3, 2014 – 10:15 a.m.
Here’s some news flowing across the transom Thursday morning.
Official unemployment rate falls in June
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 288,000 jobs were added in June. The number dropped the official unemployment rate (U-3) to 6.1%
By Grace Wong, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 07/01/14, 10:32 PM PDT | Updated: 27 secs ago
ONTARIO >> After a tumultuous few City Council sessions in recent weeks, Tuesday’s meeting saw a relatively short council agenda.
The two items that generated the most discussion dealt with Councilman Paul Vincent Avila and his issues with other council members.
By Tony Quinn
Political Analyst
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014
Neel Kashkari is the Republican candidate for governor because of the efforts of a mild mannered, bow-tied Stanford University physicist named Charles Munger Jr. Munger is also responsible for the defeat and retirement of several powerful California members of Congress, and he is the major funding source keeping the California Republican Party afloat. Not bad for a guy almost no one has ever heard of.
Politics
By Dan Balz
July 2 at 1:08 PM
President Obama’s displeasure with gridlock in Washington — and with the Republicans he blames for it — has been rising for months. This week it has boiled over.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014 – 10:00 a.m.
The San Bernardino County Grand Jury has released its final report for 2013-14.
Published: July 1, 2014 Updated: 10:59 p.m.
The state’s fledgling top-two open-primary election system has had unintended consequences – including the election of a Republican congressman in a predominantly Democratic Inland district two years ago.
This year, two Republicans almost made the November face-off for state controller despite Democrats’ 15-point advantage in California voter registration rolls. That’s because Democrats had more candidates splitting the partisan vote.
To read story by Martin Wiscksol in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
Christi Parsons, Michael A. Memoli
July 1, 2014
In his latest attempt to get Congress to spend money to upgrade America’s roads and bridges, President Obama debuted a new sales pitch Tuesday: patriotism.
By MIA SHAW
July 1, 2014
Kevin McCarthy, the newly minted House Majority Leader, rose speedily through the GOP ranks during his time as a California legislator – and used political instincts he honed in Sacramento to achieve power in Congress.
BOSTON — Jul 2, 2014, 3:06 AM ET
By STEVE PEOPLES
Associated Press
He insists he’s not running for president a third time, but Mitt Romney is campaigning again in New Hampshire.