Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* As the Republican campaign against the women's health group grows louder, Hillary Clinton told a South Carolina audience yesterday that she believes it's "unfortunate that Planned Parenthood has been the object of such a concerted attack for so many years." [Disclosure: my wife works for Planned Parenthood.]
* Jeb Bush yesterday called for a ban on all energy subsidies, including the elimination of tax credits for the renewable-energy industry. That probably won't be a popular position in Iowa.
* Speaking of Bush, the former governor complained yesterday about Democrat Martin O'Malley's response to the Black Lives Matter controversy last weekend. "I know in the political context it's a slogan, I guess," Bush said. "Should he have apologized? No. If he believes that white lives matter, which I hope he does, then he shouldn't have apologized to a group that seemed to disagree with it. Gosh."
* In Florida, a new Mason Dixon poll shows Bush with a big lead in his home state, leading the Republican field with 28%. Fellow Floridian Marco Rubio is far behind with 16%, followed by Scott Walker at 13%.
* The Republican National Committee is asking all of the party's presidential candidates to sign a "data agreement" with the party, turning over voter-contact information after the election, helping the RNC build better lists. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is the only Republican who has refused the party's request.
* Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), facing a tough re-election bid, apologized yesterday for referring to "those idiot inner city kids." He said the comment was intended as sarcasm.
* In New Hampshire, Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) has not yet said whether she'll run for the Senate, but a new WMUR poll suggests she'd be competitive. The survey found incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) with just a two point lead over the governor, 45% to 43%.
* The Connecticut Democratic Party is changing the name of its annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner. That strikes me as an excellent idea, which other state parties are likely to embrace.