Eighty-one percent of precincts are now reporting results. Mitt Romney is the projected winner with 47 percent; Newt Gingrich follows with 32 percent. Rick Santorum has garnered 13 percent of the Florida vote. GOP turnout in Florida will likely be just under 1.7m tonight, down from 1.95m in 2008. Romney directed his victory speech at Barack Obama, reiterating his ultimate goal of ousting the president. 

You don’t get to 800 million users and a billion-dollar initial public offering without sparking some speculation. Facebook may look to raise as much as $5 billion in its preliminary IPO filings Wednesday, IFR reports. While the company will not settle on a final stock price for months, early estimates peg a valuation at as much as $80 billion, and this first round of funding may signal a cautious approach on the part of the world’s most prominent social-networking site. Investors and investment banks have long awaited the IPO of Mark Zuckerberg’s masterwork, and the company’s debut is anticipated to be one of the largest ever.

Another sign things are looking up? The Dow and S&P closed Tuesday to finish out their strongest January since 1997. Stocks have been on a roller-coaster ride as of late thanks to the uncertainty of the European debt crisis and high unemployment rates. After a rocky 2011, investors had such little hope for the quarterly reports that came out this month that many companies were able to beat those expectations.

The Romney campaign will proceed through the rest of the primary process with a rather large amount of loot in hand. According to a campaign finance report, the frontrunner raised about $24.3 million between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. That's almost 10 times what Newt Gingrich reportedly raised, and it doesn't even include the $24 million his super PAC, 'Restore Our Future' has raised. Barack Obama finished last year having raised $82 million in available cash, but with $3 million in debt. The Romney camp, on the other hand, is currently debt-free. Among the other super PACs reporting their fundraising and expenses today is the Republican 'American Crossroads' which, along with its sister corporation, raised over $51 million last year in it's mission to remove Barack Obama from the White House. 

Mitt Romney secured an unsurprising win in the Florida primary, but his fellow candidates aren't planning to give up the fight any time soon. Newt Gingrich made clear in his non-concession speech that he will continue on in the race. Santorum is also keeping his chin up, having already moved on from the sunshine state to campaign in Nevada ahead of the primary this weekend. Ron Paul has already taken his campaign westward as well, preparing for the Denver caucus. 

Call it the Secret Service popularity test. Romney’s presidential campaign will reportedly be assigned a Secret Service security detail starting Thursday because of increased turnout at campaign events as the primary season continues. The decision was not made due to a threat directed at the Romney campaign, which has brought its own private security detail along on the trail, sources said. The campaign said it was first approached by the Secret Service after the New Hampshire primary. Though former candidate Herman Cain received a detail in November, no Republican candidate currently running has Secret Service protection. Unlike Cain, Romney reportedly did not request the extra protection.

A top U.S. intelligence officer said Tuesday that the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a “matter of time.” “I do not see how he can sustain his rule of Syria,” said James Clapper, the director of national intelligence. Clapper said the opposition is “fragmented,” but it is piling pressure on Assad to step down. Meanwhile, world leaders are in New York on Tuesday to discuss a plan to end the violence in Syria. At least 30 people were reportedly killed Monday as Assad loyalists seized Damascus suburbs that had been taken over by Army defectors. A joint European-Arab resolution calling for Assad to cede power to a deputy has the support of the 10 Security Council members necessary to bring it to a vote, but Russia continues to threaten to block the measure. Russia and China vetoed an attempt at a resolution in October.

Birth-control users, beware:  Pfizer, the world’s leading drug company, recalled 1 million packs of birth-control pills in the U.S. after discovering that they might not prevent pregnancy. The company recalled 14 lots of three different generic brands—Lo/Ovral-28, Norgestrel, and Ethinyl Estradiol—after an investigation found some packs might contain incorrect daily dosages. In a statement on Thursday, the company said that the pills posed no health risks to women but nonetheless urged consumers to “begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately.”

Apparently Scarlett Johansson’s done dating celebrities: a source confirmed to the New York Post that the We Bought a Zoo star has been romantically involved with a New York City–based advertising executive, Nate Taylor, for six months. Johansson, 27, was spotted strolling the streets of Manhattan this weekend with her arm around her new beau, who is 11 years her senior. Johannson’s rep has not commented on the relationship, but from the photos the lovebirds look like they’re still in the honeymoon phase. Meanwhile, Johansson’s ex-husband, Ryan Reynolds, has put the Los Angeles home they once shared up for sale at $3,650,000.

New York City officers have arrested the man who shot an NYPD officer in the base of his skull outside a Brooklyn housing project Tuesday night. Police Commisser Ray Kelly said Luis "Baby" Ortiz, 21, was taken into custody shortly after 11:30 P.M. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said officers saw three people running after the shooting and recognized Ortiz from previous arrests. He was wanted for an investigation into a homicide that took place on New Year's Day. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the wounded officer is currently in "critical but stable condition" in Bellevue Hospital.

Looks like Bo Obama has some competition for celebrity puppies. Prince William and Duchess Catherine have gotten a cocker spaniel puppy, palace sources said Tuesday. The male cocker spaniel is a few months old and comes from a litter “with a close family connection,” palace sources said. The name has yet to be announced. The puppy has already been photographed with the royal couple—he was captured in an image snapped earlier this month in Wales. This is the couple’s first dog, but William had a black Labrador named Widgeon who passed away two years ago.

A 34-year-old Connecticut man woke up at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday with a car in his bed. A BMW on the run from police crashed through the wall of his bedroom in New Haven, trapping the man underneath for nearly an hour until he could be rescued. The man was taken to the hospital for second- and third-degree burns, and police are searching for the driver of the BMW, who fled the scene of the crash.

U.S. intelligence officials said in a report Tuesday that Iran is increasingly willing to attack on U.S. soil in response to American threats. National intelligence director James Clapper said that an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington was evidence of a new boldness in response to U.S. actions that Iran believes undermine its security. The assessment, part of an annual overview of America’s most serious security concerns, is another strain in the tense relationship between Washington and Iran at a time when many suspect Israel may be planning a preemptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities with tacit U.S. support.

Newt Gingrich declared Tuesday that the presidential race is “a long way from being over,” despite his facing the increasing likelihood that he could lose Florida’s winner-take-all primary. “I’d say June or July, unless Romney drops out earlier,” he said while campaigning near Orlando. The 50 delegates up for grabs Tuesday represent more than all of the previous contests combined did—and because the state lets only Republicans vote, the independent factor is out of play. Thirty-six percent of Florida’s voters had already cast their ballots through early voting, according to a poll by the American Research Group. Fifty-one percent of early voters backed Mitt Romney, while only 29 percent voted for Gingrich—meaning that Gingrich would have to get 51 percent of all votes cast Tuesday just to tie Romney.

Stephen Colbert's presidential bid might have been a joke, but he's raising serious money. According to paperwork filed with the Federal Election Committee, his super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, took in more than $1 million as of Jan. 30, 2012. Treasurer Shauna Pol said that “Stephen Colbert, president of ABTT, has asked that I quote him as saying, ‘Yeah! How you like me now, FEC? I’m rolling seven digits deep! I got 99 problems but a non-connected independent-expenditure only committee ain’t one!’” Colbert, after transferring control of his super PAC to Jon Stewart so he could form an exploratory committee, regained control in a segment Monday night.

The spread of Burmese pythons in Florida’s Everglades has spelled bad news for raccoons, rabbits, and other mammals, leading to a decline of 90 percent or more in sightings of some creatures. The invasive species of snake was brought to Florida as an exotic pet, but in the wetlands the pythons have thrived without fear of predators. Though the government has indicated that it may ban the importation of Burmese pythons, this newest study, which looked at data on mammal populations collected between 2003 and 2011, found that the snakes may have already had a profound impact on the Everglades’ subtropical ecosystem.

Siri and Scotland are separated by a common language. The debut of Siri, Apple’s new virtual assistant, gave rise to a meme as excited customers tested out the new voice-recognition software. Except in Scotland, where the assistant appears unable to understand the Scottish brogue. A puzzled Siri responds to “What's the weather like today?” with “What's available in Labor Day?” Another request to “create a reminder” is greeted with a straight “I don’t understand,” and finally “I don't know what you mean” by “create Alamain.” Nevertheless, the new iPhone has sold well in Scotland.

Warning for international travelers who watch Family Guy and are planning to party in L.A.: be careful what you tweet. Two British tourists were detained in Los Angeles International Airport last Monday after tweeting that they were going to “destroy America” and “dig up Marilyn Monroe.” The two spent 12 hours in separate cells—with “drug dealers”—before being sent home. The official excuse: “destroy” is British slang for “party,” and the Monroe quote is from the television show Family Guy. Whoops.

Egypt’s justice minister on Tuesday returned a letter to the U.S. ambassador that asked Egypt to end a travel ban on Americans who are being investigated for illegally funding pro-democracy groups in the country. The minister said publicly that the letter should have been sent to the investigating justice, and that only those affected by the ban were entitled to make such a request. Egypt’s Parliament speaker, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said the letter was “interference by the American Embassy.” Several Americans were banned from leaving Egypt after their nongovernmental organizations were raided by the Egyptian military and are currently taking refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

The New York Times' resident numbers guy Nate Silver projects that Mitt Romney will take 44.2 percent of the vote in Tuesday's primary election--giving hiim a 98 percent chance of winning. Silver suggests Newt Gingrich will take in 29.5 percent. Romney held a sizable lead among early voters in Florida’s high-stakes, winner-take-all primary on Tuesday. The polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday, but at least 632,000 voters cast their ballots early. Gingrich was trailing by at least 60,000 votes before the polls even opened, according to analysis by early voting surveys. Gingrich remained defiant Tuesday morning, appearing on Fox and Friends saying that Romney is throwing “wild punches” in a “desperate bid” to win the presidency. He even insisted later that the race is “a long way from being over."

Mitt Romney seems to be feeling better about Florida’s primary than he was about South Carolina’s. He spent the day before the vote jabbing Newt Gingrich and, not bothering to play the expectations game, telling his audience to expect a resounding victory. The numbers back him up: Polls show Romney with a 15 percentage point lead over Gingrich. Gingrich, for his part, attacked Romney for “a lack of concern for religious liberty” and vowed to continue his campaign even if he loses today. Rick Santorum, who along with Ron Paul has plummeted in Florida polls, has changed to smaller battleground states where his aides say he can pick up delegates, such as Missouri and Minnesota, where he spoke yesterday, and Nevada, where he will spend tonight.

Congress has finally decided to do something about its dismal approval ratings. A 93–2 procedural vote on Monday cleared the way for the Senate to pass a ban on congressional insider trading later in the week. The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act requires disclosure of stock transactions within 30 days and prevents members of Congress from initiating trades based on nonpublic information. The bill is technically symbolic, because lawmakers are already subject to the same laws as other investors who use nonpublic information to make money, but no one in Congress has been charged with insider trading in recent memory. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid explained that the bill “will clear up any perception that it’s acceptable for members of Congress to profit from insider trading.”

We knew this year’s super PACs weren’t cheap, but we didn’t expect them to be so shockingly expensive. Republican super political action committee American Crossroads and its sister organization raised more than $51 million last year, according to financial reports released Tuesday. While Romney and Gingrich’s super PAC figures have raised eyebrows, Tuesday’s reports are a sign of more spending to come in the election battle between the Republican nominee and President Obama. Crossroads PAC has roughly $15.6 million cash at its disposal, according to its most recent report, but it has even more money in the bank to spend on taking down Obama. Now the groups are getting fundraising help from former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, and have announced plans to raise at least $240 million to help the GOP take over the White House and Congress.

In yet another blow to the Gingrich campaign, a member of the band Survivor is suing the erstwhile frontrunner for using their song “Eye of the Tiger” during campaign appearances. The suit was filed in Chicago by Rude Music Inc., which is owned by Frank M. Sullivan III of Survivor. The band wrote the song for the movie Rocky III. Gingrich has been using “Eye of the Tiger” as a theme song since at least 2009, when he appeared at a conservative political action conference to strains of the 1982 hit.

Unsealed recordings are revealing new slices of the Kennedy presidency, and the latest contains the audio of a phone call from President Lyndon B. Johnson to Rose Kennedy, JFK’s mother, from the flight that brought JFK’s body from Dallas to Washington after he was assassinated. On the two-hour call from November 1963, LBJ tries to console Kennedy’s mother. "I wish to God there was something that I could do. And I wanted to tell you that we are grieving with you,” he says.

Occupy D.C. protesters said Tuesday that they planned to remain in two parks near the White House despite an order by the U.S. National Park Service to stop camping in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza. Unlike other cities, police avoided a confrontation with the occupiers throughout the winter, but now say protesters must remove bedding and cooking equipment. Tents would be allowed to remain as a protest symbol if their flaps remained open. Some protesters said they would comply, but the group erected a giant tent covered with moons and stars over a statue in McPherson Square to express their disapproval of the police order.

In a speech to House Democrats, Vice President Joe Biden gave a detailed—and dramatic—look at the administration's debate over killing Osama bin Laden. It turns out Biden, along with other senior officials, opposed the raid, but they were overruled by President Obama. In the Situation Room, Obama polled his staff on whether they should go ahead with the raid. “Every single person in that room hedged their bet except Leon Panetta,” Biden recalled. “Leon said go. Everyone else said, 49, 51.” Obama then asked Biden, who said, “You know, I didn’t know we had so many economists around the table. We owe the man a direct answer. Mr. President, my suggestion is, don’t go. We have to do two more things to see if he’s there.” The next morning, Obama gave the go-ahead.

It may not have felt very cold in most of the U.S., but in Central and Eastern Europe a brutal cold snap has killed at least 48 people so far. Ukrainian authorities say 30 people have died of hypothermia in recent days alone. Temperatures in Kiev are 10 below zero Fahrenheit and are projected to be about two below in Moscow today. It's normally about 18 degrees in Moscow at this time of year. In Prague, where the cold has also damaged train tracks, authorities are setting up tents for an estimated 3,000 homeless people.

Newt Gingrich raised $5 million in January, his spokesman announced on Twitter. It’s a sizable increase, since his campaign raised $10 million overall in last quarter of 2011. The fourth-quarter finance reports also revealed the waning days of Rick Perry’s campaign, when the huge war chest shrunk and the Texas governor made his last pleas for funds. Perry raised $20 million overall in 2011, but less than $2.9 million of that was raised in the last quarter of the year. In the beginning of October, Perry had $15 million in cash on hand, but by the end of December that number had dwindled to less than $3.77 million—with most of his final expenditures being spent on media-related items, including $5.5 million to Paint Creek Productions of Alexandria, Va.

U.S. airstrikes in Yemen killed four al Qaeda militants, including a man suspected of being involved in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, Yemeni officials said Tuesday. The officials said missiles struck a school and a car late Monday, and tribal officials said the militants were holding an important meeting at the school. A U.S. security official in Washington confirmed the attacks but would not comment on any of the specifics. Also on Tuesday, the top U.S. intelligence official said that the U.S. has been placing increased pressure on al Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan, causing the terror cell to break apart into affiliates in North Africa, Iraq, and Yemen. The Yemeni affiliate has so far posed the greatest danger to the U.S., where militants have been able to take advantage of the political chaos.

It’s all down to the voting in Florida. The state’s freshman—and rumored vice presidential favorite—Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the winner of Florida’s primary will go on to win the Republican nomination. “Florida is … a mini-America,” he said on CNN’s Starting Point. “Virtually every issue we want them to be conversant on and convincing on is a discussion we’ve had in Florida.” Despite rumors that Rubio could be a potential running mate, he said he is “not going to be the vice presidential nominee.” He has not endorsed any candidate yet. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Rick Scott cast his vote early Tuesday in Tallahassee—but he refused to say whom he voted for. “It’s a secret ballot, fortunately,” he said.

The search for the missing aboard the wrecked Costa Concordia has come to an end, Italian officials said Tuesday. Italy’s Civil Protection Agency said the rescue had become too dangerous for the divers. In a statement, the agency said the relatives of the 16 people still missing have been informed of the decision. Seventeen bodies have been recovered since the ship ran aground on Jan. 13.

It’s still a big gap, but it’s slowly shrinking. The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that the annual federal deficit will hit $1 trillion in 2012, making that the fourth year in a row. But the shortfall will be the smallest since 2009, when the government began spending more to help drive the economy out of recession. The 2012 deficit is currently projected at $1.1 trillion, down from $1.4 trillion the previous three years.The CBO predicted that the deficit would fall sharply in 2013 as the Bush tax cuts expire and deep cuts to the Pentagon take effect.

Matt Strawn, Iowa’s GOP chairman, announced Tuesday that he’s stepping down as the party’s leader after a nearly three-weak certification process that reversed the winner of the Iowa caucuses. Mitt Romney was declared the winner the night of the vote, but vote-count discrepancies in eight precincts led the party to overturn the result, handing the victory to Rick Santorum by 34 votes. “I am proud that an overwhelming [number] of the counties—in fact 99.96 percent of the counties—complied with the 14-day deadline to get their materials in," Strawn said.

A man who taught for 30 years at a Los Angeles elementary school has been charged with performing sex acts on 23 children from 2008 to 2010. Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested Monday after police found photos in his home of children ages 7 to 10 tied up, some with cockroaches crawling on them, and others holding spoons near their mouths. The photos seem to have been taken at Berndt’s school, and a plastic spoon recovered from his classroom tested positive for his semen. Ten children in the photographs have still not been identified; more than 80 students and staff have been interviewed. Berndt is being held on $2.3 million bail.