POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Monday, February 27, 2012

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click the headlines for more.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL:

CNN: Romney, Santorum in final push to Tuesday primaries
Less than 48 hours before primaries in Arizona and Michigan, Mitt Romney received a key endorsement from Arizona's governor Sunday while his current main challenger, Rick Santorum, appeared to downplay his own chances of winning in the Grand Canyon State.

CNN: Santorum to receive Secret Service protection
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will receive Secret Service protection this week, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.

CNN: Romney: 'I can't be perfect'
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday responded to questions about his ability to connect with voters, standing by his financial success but acknowledging he also had some flaws.

CNN: Gingrich tells evangelicals: 'We need to stand up for ourselves'
Vying for evangelical support in the GOP primary, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum appeared at the same Georgia church on consecutive Sundays.

NATIONAL:

CNN: 'The Artist' takes top Oscar honors
The silent, black-and-white film "The Artist" took top honors at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, garnering five Oscars for best picture, best directing, best costume design, best original music score and best actor.

CNN: WikiLeaks begins disclosing intelligence firm's e-mails
The website WikiLeaks has begun releasing what it says are 5 million e-mails from the private intelligence company Stratfor, starting with a company "glossary" that features unflattering descriptions of U.S. government agencies.

CNN: Rare Challenger disaster video surfaces
More than a quarter century after the crash of the Challenger, in an extremely rare discovery, Bob Karman of Hicksville, New York, has uncovered amateur VHS videotape of the tragedy, shot during his family's vacation on that day, January 28, 1986. The video first surfaced on New Scientist.

CNN Money: Gas prices rise 12 cents in past week
Gas prices have gained 12 cents this week, as tensions over Iran heat up and oil prices keep moving higher.

INTERNATIONAL:

CNN: Clinton issues warnings on Afghanistan, Syria
Criticism of President Barack Obama's apology for the burning of Qurans in Afghanistanis not helpful, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday in a wide-ranging interview with CNN.

CNN: Syria says referendum results coming Monday; vote punctuated by new violence
Syria says results will be available Monday from its referendum on changes to the country's constitution, a vote taken as government troops continued pounding the opposition stronghold of Homs and other cities.

CNN: Protester killed, U.S. service members hurt in unrest over burned Qurans
A demonstrator died and several U.S. service members and Afghan police were injured as protests over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. military base turned violent Sunday, said officials.

CNN: Taliban claims responsibility for bomb attack, poisoning in Afghanistan
A suicide bomber detonated a car full of explosives Monday near a NATO base at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, an attack that follows a week of deadly violence spurred by the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base.

BUSINESS:

CNN: Will oil prices kill the stock rally?
Expect the upward march of oil and gas prices to overshadow bellwether corporate earnings, economic reports and a read on the health of the European banking sector - all of which are due next week.

CNN: World Bank to China: Free up your economy or bust
The World Bank and a Chinese think tank will have a stern warning in store for China's government on Monday: Transition to a freer commercial system, or else face an impending economic crisis.

CNN: Don't believe every "Buffett buys..." headline
Warren Buffett still does most of the portfolio management at Berkshire Hathaway, but the press often mistakes his investments with those of his managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler.

In Case You Missed It…
Sacha Baron Cohen dressed as "The Dictator" crashes the red carpet of the Oscars.