Politics

Republican Newt Gingrich dropped out of the presidential race Wednesday, ending what was a turbulent, roller coaster bid for the White House.

With millions of dollars in campaign debt and just two GOP primary victories under his belt, the former House Speaker finally bowed out.

"Today I am suspending the campaign, but suspending the campaign does not mean suspending citizenship," Gingrich said in lengthy remarks.

Newt Gingrich Suspends Presidential Campaign

Gingrich deemed the campaign "a truly wild ride" in Arlington, Va., saying, "I could never have predicted either the low points or the high points."

Quoting an observer who suggested his best days may be ahead, Newt vowed to focus on balancing the U.S. budget, advocating for "religious liberty" and social security savings accounts and working for American energy independence.

He said he would work to "reemphasize the work ethic" in America, advocate for national security positions and press for increased brain research.

Gingrich also stood behind his campaign push for a moon colony, though he admitted that it was "probably not my most clever comment in this campaign." He said Americans should seek to "go out and pursue great adventure."

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If political pundits think President Obama's only strategy to win a second term would be to carpet bomb Mitt Romney with negative ads, he didn't get the memo.

Romney has but one brief, silent cameo in the Obama campaign's new seven-minute ad, touting the controversial administration's record over the past three years.

The ad does go out of its way to portray Republican leaders, in general, as obstructionist extremists who would rather play political games than help Americans.

For the most part, though, the ad, entitled "Forward," hits home the fact that Obama inherited "once-in-a-century type" recession and still accomplished a ton.

Pure spin? Pure facts? In between? Take a look at it below and see:

Obama 2012 Ad - Forward

Does Rick Santorum have a crush on Lindsay Lohan?

The former presidential candidate reportedly asked the actress to pose for a photo at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, then awkwardly denied it.

Lohan was sitting with Greta Van Susteren, whose invitation to the star drew fire from Meghan McCain, at the annual event when Santorum approached.

He reportedly asked Lindsay to take a picture of him with Van Susteren, then snapped a photo of Lohan. Not along with him, just a photo of Lohan. Alone.

Random? Sure. But probably harmless. The funny part is that when asked about this by a reporter shortly after, he dodged the question unnecessarily.

"I took a picture of a lot of people tonight," the visibly uncomfortable politician said, as though he could not remember what happened minutes earlier.

It's really okay Rick. You're allowed to be a little enamored with this sultry, captivating, slow-moving train wreck of an individual. We clearly are.

Santorum dropped out of the Republican presidential race this month, having given Mitt Romney an impressively strong run considering that he's Rick Santorum.

[Photos: WENN.com]

Mr. President, Salaam.

That's how Jimmy Kimmel kicked off his hilarious 25-minute speech at last night's White House Correspondents Dinner, an annual event that brings reporters together with celebrities and features a humor-based segment by both an emcee and the President himself.

You can follow this link to watch Obama lay into Mitt Romney, Donald Trump and even himself - and then you can check out the following video to see Kimmel go off on Sofia Vergara's cleavage; Obama's ears; the Kardashians; the Secret Service scandal and much more.

Enjoy!

Jimmy Kimmel White House Correspondents Dinner Speech

With political, media and entertainment A-listers in attendance, President Obama wasted no time bringing the laughs at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The annual event last night gave Obama a chance to lighten the mood in a heated election year, though presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney still a target.

“It’s nice to be here in the nice, vast Hilton ballroom. Or as Mitt Romney would call it, a fixer-upper,” Obama said of his rival, who is often labeled elitist.

President Obama White House Correspondents Dinner Speech 2012

“We both have degrees from Harvard," he said, noting that the politicians do have some things in common. "I have one, he has two ... what a snob!”

Obama got plenty of mileage out of the "dog wars" between the respective camps, running an entire fake ad from the WOOF-PAC in "support" of Mitt.

Nor could the president resist poking fun at another one-time "rival."

Referencing his address at the 2011 dinner, where he bashed Donald Trump repeatedly just hours before Osama bin Laden was killed, Obama said that one year ago, he had “finally delivered justice to one of the world’s most notorious individuals.”

A photo of Trump was prominently displayed in the background.

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Meghan McCain is bashing Fox News' Greta Van Susteren on Twitter for inviting Lindsay Lohan to this weekend's White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

Not just for the sake of hating on Lohan, a la Rosie O'Donnell.

“Let me get this straight,” Meghan McCain, 27, tweeted. “Greta Van Susteren is bringing Lindsay Lohan to the WHC Dinner but has a moral offense to Louie C.K?”

In March, Van Susteren called for a boycott of the Radio/TV Correspondence Dinner over comedian C.K.'s past controversial statements about women.

"The headliner of this year’s Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner is “comedian” Louis C.K. Comedian? I don’t think so. Pig? yes," she wrote.

"He uses filthy language about women. Yes, the C word…and yes, even to describe a woman candidate for Vice President of the United States. It isn’t just Governor Palin he denigrates. He denigrates all women and looks to the crowd to laugh."

Apparently Megs isn't offended ... except by Greta. The daughter of U.S. Sen. John McCain may not be crazy about Lindsay attending, but she's still going.

The Republican blogger, columnist and author Tweeted that she's "headed to DC for the nerd prom." Just hope they don't seat her with Greta or LiLo.

[Photo: WENN.com]

University of Colorado student Madalyn Starkey posed for a photo with the President of the United States the other day ... possibly after a few too many drinks.

Traveling through Colorado Tuesday, Obama stopped in at a local pub known as The Sink, where the POTUS met many college students, including Starkey.

In the pic, Obama is grinning with his arm around her as the self-described "Professional Student" points her finger at the president in seeming disbelief:

Amid hundreds of shares and re-tweets, Starkey has been having fun with all the attention, saying "Woo, never knew a tweet could blow up like that. Neat!"

"Bet you wish you had taken me to prom now, huh?" she Tweeted at one follower.

The pic has taken off on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter ... almost as much as Obama slow jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon on Late Night.

Political views aside, needless to say, the Prez is the king of cool. Who wouldn't want to pose for a drunk photo with the guy and post it on Twitter?

Mitt Romney. Eminem. We never thought those two people would be used in the same THG headline, but one epic music video parody has united them at last.

This amazing mash-up of Mitt Romney quotes and Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" takes dead aim at the presidential candidate's flip-flopping reputation.

President Barack Obama and Mitt's all-but-dispatched GOP rival, Newt Gingrich, also make cameos in "The Real Mitt Romney," which is a must-see ...

Will The Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up (Ft. Eminem)

Oxford student Hugh Atkin created the video, combining the Republican candidate's soundbites and the hit song from the rapper's 2001 Marshall Mathers LP.

Obama begins the video in much the same way as Em begins his track: "May I have your attention please. Will the real Mitt Romney please stand up?"

"Y'all act like you haven't seen a Mormon before... I'm not concerned with the poor," Mitt says in spliced-together clips from various campaign speeches.

As for that catchy chorus, Romney raps, "I'm Mitt Romney and I'm the real Romney ... All the other Mitt Romneys are just masturbating." Obviously.

In other mashup news, check out Obama singing "Sexy and I Know It"!

When John Edwards first learned Rielle Hunter was pregnant with his child, he reacted with disbelief and harsh words, according to former aide Andrew Young.

"She's a 'crazy slut,'" Young says Edwards told him.

Testifying Tuesday in the second day of Edwards' criminal trial, Young recalled delivering the news to the politician in mid-2007 that Rielle was preggers.

Describing their phone call, Young testified, "He was very concerned. He was very angry ... [Edwards] said, 'There's a one-in-three chance' [the child] was his."

Young, who at one point claimed to be the father of Hunter's love child to protect the Democratic presidential candidate, is the government's star witness.

The former U.S. senator is charged with illegally using campaign contributions to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter while he sought the presidency.

Hunter, who shares parenting responsibilities with Edwards for their daughter Frances Quinn, is also expected to testify in the six-week bombshell trial.

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President Barack Obama appeared on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon early this morning, taking part in the show's running bit called "slow jamming the news."

If you haven't seen it, the segment's name speaks for itself.

In front of a live college audience at the University of North Carolina, Obama talked about student loans while Fallon's house band the Roots jammed on a slow, sensual R&B beat, making the topic seem sexier than you ever thought possible:

Obama on Jimmy Fallon

With the rhythmic tunes accompanying him, Obama said, "What we said is simple: Now is not the time to make school more expensive for our young people."

Fallon then added (in his best Barry White voice), "Awww, yeah. You should listen to the president. Or as I like to call him, the Preezy of the United Steezy."

"Things are heating up inside Congress' chambers behind those closed doors."

We don't even know what that means, but the "POTUS with the most-est" needs to bring the Roots with him and deliver campaign speeches this way more often.

Mitt Romney wouldn't stand a chance.