Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll, Rubio second- Dr. Carson hints at White House run

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  FILE: March 14, 2013: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md.AP

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul won this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference 2016 presidential preference straw poll.

Paul was considered the likely favorite going into the three-day CPAC convention in suburban Washington, in large part because of his 13-hour Senate filibuster to demand more information from the Obama administration about its military drone policy. Paul won with 25 percent of the vote.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio finished second among the 23 names on the ballot, garnering 23 percent of the vote. The poll was cosponsored by The Washington Times.

The first-term senators and Tea Party favorites are considered rising stars in the conservative movement.

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, finished third with 8 percent of vote. He was followed by Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., who took fourth with 7 percent.

Christie and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell were not invited to speak at this year’s rally -- Christie in part for cozying up to President Obama to help get federal funding for Superstorm Sandy and McDonnell for supporting a state transportation bill that calls for tax increases.

Jeb Bush, another 2016 favorite, asked that his name be left off the ballot, saying it’s too early to commit.

Mitt Romney, the Republican’s 2012 presidential candidate, won last year’s CPAC poll, with Santorum in second place.

Officials said 2,930 people participated in this year’s online poll that included ballots from all 50 states.

The rest of the results were: Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan with 6 percent; Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker with 5 percent; Dr. Ben Carson with 4 percent, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz with 4 percent; Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal with 3 percent, former Alaska Republican Gov. and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin with 3 percent. The remaining candidates received a combined 14 percent.

Officials said 41 percents of voters were college students, suggesting a younger conservative movement. They also said libertarians were well represented in the poll -- both indications that this year’s voters identified with Paul’s concerns about the cost of overseas wars and the use of military drones on Americans on domestic soil.   

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Giuliana Rancic puts marriage first, baby second

Giuliana Rancic says she puts her marriage over motherhood.

Rancic, who welcomed son Edward Duke via surrogate last August, told US Weekly that she and her husband Bill Rancic make their relationship a priority, even with the “cutest baby ever” in the house.

"We're husband and wife, but we're also best friends, and it's funny because a lot of people, when they have kids, they put the baby first, and the marriage second," the 37-year-old breast-cancer survivor told the magazine. "That works for some people. For us, I find, we put our marriage first and our child second, because the best thing we can do for him is have a strong marriage."

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SECOND VOYAGE?Billionaire Plans New Titanic, Could Sail in 2016

NEW YORK –  What could possibly go wrong?

An Australian billionaire is getting ready to build a new version of the Titanic that could set sail in late 2016.

Clive Palmer unveiled blueprints for the famously doomed ship's namesake Tuesday at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York. He said construction is scheduled to start soon in China.

Palmer said 40,000 people have expressed interest in tickets for the maiden voyage, taking the original course from Southampton, England, to New York. He said people are inspired by his quest to replicate one of the most famous vessels in history.

"We all live on this planet, we all breathe the same air and, of course, the Titanic is about the things we've got in common," he said. "It links three continents."

The original Titanic was the world's largest and most luxurious ocean liner when it hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank on April 15, 1912. Only 700 people of the more than 2,200 on board survived the most famous maritime disaster in history, partly because there were not enough lifeboats to carry everyone.

Palmer said an unknown when the original ship sailed -- climate change -- may play into a positive for the new ship's fate.

"One of the benefits of global warming is there hasn't been as many icebergs in the North Atlantic these days," Palmer said.

Passengers on board the replica will dress in the fashion of that period and eat dishes from the original menu, in dining rooms copied from the ill-fated predecessor.

Joining Palmer on Tuesday was Helen Benziger, the great granddaughter of Titanic survivor Margaret "Molly" Brown. Benziger, who agreed to serve on the advisory board for the Titanic II, said her great grandmother, who died in 1932, would have loved to see the Titanic rebuilt and complete the journey it never got to finish.

In what some may consider a temptation of fate for a remake of a notoriously "unsinkable" ship that sank, a representative of the Finnish designer of the Titanic II said it will be the "safest cruise ship in the world."

Markku Kanerva, director of sales for marine design company Deltamarin said that while the vessel is modeled after the legendary liner -- the diesel-powered ship will even have four decorative smoke stacks mimicking the coal-powered originals -- it will meet modern navigation and safety requirements.

In addition, plans call for a new "safety deck" featuring state-of-the-art lifeboats, safety chutes and slides. The new ship will also have amenities unknown a century ago, like air conditioning.

Palmer, who is funding construction of the ship himself, built his fortune in real estate and coal. Australia's BRW magazine estimated his net worth last year at $4 billion, although Forbes puts it at $895 million.

"I want to spend the money I've got before I die," he said. "You might as well spend it, not leave it to the kids to spend, there will be enough left for them anyway."

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