Ex-NY Mayor Bloomberg eyes White House bid, sources say

NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is taking some early steps toward launching a potential independent campaign for president. That's according to three people familiar with his plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly for him.

Bloomberg has retained advisers and plans to conduct a poll after the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary to assess the state of the race and judge whether there is an opening for him to mount an independent campaign, according to three people familiar with his thinking. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about his plans, which have been the focus of earlier news reports by cable television's CNN and on Saturday by the New York Times.