Usually by this time in the nominating contests, the GOP has given its heart to its hero, and it's lights out for the rest. But once again, the GOP of 2012 refused to read the usual script.

The U.S. has been dependent on foreign oil for its energy needs for decades. Some analysts now say the country could become energy independent over the next decade. Still, exactly what "energy independence" means is in dispute.

According to Josh Putnam, the political scientist who maintains the Frontloading HQ blog, it's all about delegates and Romney's lead in that department will be hard for Santorum to overcome to get the 1,144 delegates needed for the nomination.

The elite athletes who travel to London for this summer's Olympic Games will include petite gymnasts, huge wrestlers — and elite horses, which compete in dressage and other events. The man whose job it is to get 50-60 horses to England says, "It's quite a logistical feat."

Kucinich's defeat represents the end of a remarkable political career, at least for the time being, which started when he was elected to the Cleveland City Council at age 23. He later became the youngest mayor of a major U.S. city when he was elected Cleveland's chief executive in 1977.

Americans use 300 million gallons of gasoline every day, so it's no surprise they keep a close eye on prices at the pump. Taxes, refinery regulations, transportation expenses and global crude oil supply and demand all influence rising costs.

Romney got 47 percent of voters 65 or over while Santorum got 31 percent of that vote. If Romney goes on to win the Ohio primary, it may be these older voters who gave him the critical edge.

Just as dozens of advertisers were abandoning Rush Limbaugh's radio show, a pro-Gingrich superPAC actually increased its ad buy on the program. Rick Tyler, a spokesman for Winning Our Future explained that Limbaugh's show reaches more of the primary voters the superPAC wants to reach than any other show.

The CDC is urging hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and doctors to step up the fight against the spread of C. difficile. The bacterial infection can cause life-threatening diarrhea and other complications.

Amid growing concerns about its outsourcing practices, Apple posted a study showing it has helped create more than 514,000 jobs in the U.S. But many of those jobs are based in industries that indirectly benefited from Apple's business, and now some economists are calling foul.