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Al Sharpton Slams CNN Over "Dark Skinned" Suspect Description

CNN's John King was the first to report incorrectly on Wednesday that authorities had identified a suspect in Monday's bloody terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon. King claimed authorities were looking for a "dark skinned male."

"I want to be very careful about this, because people get very sensitive when you say these things. I was told by one of these sources who is a law enforcement official that this is a dark-skinned male. I'm making a personal judgment—forgive me, I think it's the right judgment—not to try to inflame tensions. They say it's a dark-skinned male."

The suspect description and claims of an arrest were later found to be false. "CNN [incorrectly] reported an arrest and the Associated Press stated that a suspect was taken into custody and was expected at a Boston courthouse," adds CBS News.

Watch MSNBC's Al Sharpton slams CNN and John King's reporting AFTER THE JUMP ..

Gingrich to End Presidential Run

PHOTO: Reuters

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is expected to suspend his presidential campaign "by next week", according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Speaking the morning after a series of five blowout primary losses to Romney, Gingrich said it has become apparent that the voters have not picked him as the GOP standard-bearer against President Barack Obama and that he wants to continue pushing conservative ideas "as a citizen."

"I think obviously that I would be a better candidate, but the objective fact is the voters didn’t think that," Gingrich told about 75 well-wishers at a Gaston County GOP breakfast, just west of Charlotte. "And I also think it's very, very important that we be unified. No conservative anywhere in America should have any doubt about the importance of defeating Barack Obama."

"We’ll be working out the details of our transition and we’ll have information for the press in the next couple days," Gingrich said. "But I am committed to this party. I am committed to defeating Obama. We will find ways to be helpful but I do think it’s pretty clear that Gov. Romney is ultimately going to be the nominee."

Gingrich’s only primary victories were in South Carolina in January and his former home state of Georgia in early March. Gingrich is expected to suspend his presidential campaign by May 1.

The former House speaker is one of the architects of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Despite having "destroyed the sanctity" of two of his three marriages with extramarital affairs, Gingrich regularly blasted gays and gay rights on the campaign trail—such as when the Obama Administration announced it would no longer defend DOMA in court and when New York passed its historic marriage equality law. Gingrich infamously told a gay Iowa voter that he would be "better off" supporting President Obama.

Good riddance, bad trash, etc..

Serial Adulterer Gingrich Wants NC Voters to Ban Gay Marriage

The anti-gay and thrice-married serial adulterer Newt Gingrich wants North Carolina voters to pass the hateful Amendment One, which would define marriage as "between one man and one woman" and ban recognition of same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships.

"Marriage between a man and a woman is at the heart of our civilization," says the failed Republican presidential candidate. "That's why I urge you to vote for the initiative right here in North Carolina. The chance to vote for a referendum to declare clearly that marriage is between a man and a woman."

The former House Speaker is one of the architects of the Defense of Marriage Act, which he pushed through Congress at the same time he was involved in an extra-marital affair with a staffer. That was the second of two marriages that ended after his adultery. Despite that history of violating the "sanctity of marriage", the National Organization for Marriage recently praised Gingrich for "preserving one-man one-woman marriage."

Watch the hypocrisy AFTER THE JUMP ...

Serial Adulterer Gingrich Applauded for "Preserving Marriage"

The jokes write themselves. The  National Organization for Marriage congratulated former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on winning the weekend South Carolina Republican presidential primary.

NOM applauded the anti-gay and thrice-married serial adulterer for his work "preserving one-man one-woman marriage," notes Michelangelo Signorile at the Huffington Post. "Gingrich [headed] into the South Carolina primary facing allegations from his ex-wife that he wanted an 'open marriage.'"

The National Organization for Marriage "congratulates Newt Gingrich on his impressive come-from-behind victory in South Carolina." said the group’s president, Brian Brown. He also noted that Gingrich signed the group’s Marriage Pledge, which calls for investigating the organization's critics and passing a federal marriage amendment. Candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum also signed the pledge,

"It is now clear that the Republican Party will nominate a candidate who is strongly committed to preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman," Brown said. "We have succeeded in making the preservation of marriage a key issue in this race, and we will continue to do so throughout the primary season, and into the is one of the architects of the Defense of Marriage Act, which he pushed through Congress at the same time he was involved in an extra-marital affair with a staffer. That was the second of two marriages that ended after his adultery.

The former House Speaker is one of the architects of the Defense of Marriage Act, which he pushed through Congress at the same time he was involved in an extra-marital affair with a staffer. That was the second of two marriages that ended after his adultery. Apparently the "preserver of marriage" beleived the best way to preserve his marriage ... was to ask for an open one.

Gingrich Wins South Carolina

PHOTO: Getty

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has swept to victory in the South Carolina primary and has upended the Republican presidential nominating process.

Early statewide results show Gingrich with a substantial lead over the former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumed front-runner. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul are projected to be in third and fourth places, respectively. Gingrich has positioned himself to become the Republican alternative to Mitt Romney that Tea Party and social conservatives have sought for months.

This has been an epic week for the 2012 Republican presidential candidates. Late certification of results from the Iowa caucuses led to Romney's slight victory being given to Santorum. Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race. And the second wife of the anti-gay thrice-married serial adulterer Gingrich revealed that her "family values" husband asked for an open marriage.

The Republican presidential campaign now moves to Florida which will host its primary on January 31.

Romney Wins Iowa by 8 Votes

PHOTO: Reuters

Mitt Romney edged out a miniscule 8-vote victory over a late surge for Rick Santorum in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses. The former Massachusetts governor's win capped a "tumultuous presidential caucus campaign" and was the narrowest in the history of the event, reports the Des Moines Register.

Romney won 30,015 votes, compared with 30,007 for Santorum, out of 122,255 cast. Each of the men won 25 percent of the vote and proclaimed victory. Ron Paul was third, followed by Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Jon Huntsman.

Romney’s campaign strategists had carefully staged expectations to persuade the public and media that the former Massachusetts governor could emerge strongly from Iowa with a close second- or third-place finish. He campaigned here about a fourth as much as during his first presidential bid four years ago, when he finished second in Iowa. But Romney managed to capture the top prize anyway.

Romney won about the same number of votes in Iowa last night as he did in 2007.

Romney reportedly spent about $4.6 million in Iowa or $156 per vote. The right-wing anti-gay former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum—who campaigned on invalidating same-sex marriages and seeking to reinstate "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"—spent about $617,000 or $21 per vote.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann placed a distant fifth and sixth, respectively. Both are reportedly "reassessing" their candidacies this morning.

The Republican presidential campaign now moves to New Hampshire, which will hold its first in the nation primary on January 10. Former House Speaker Gingrich, who finished a disappointing fourth, has vowed to take his campaign to the Granite State.

Newt Gingrich Tells Gay Iowan: "Vote for Obama"

Newt Gingrich isn't even trying to chase the gay conservative vote. The former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told a gay Iowa voter that he would be better off supporting President Obama, reports the Des Moines Register.

"I asked him if he’s elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans. How are we to support him? And he told me to support Obama," said Scott Arnold, an associate professor of writing at William Penn University.”

Arnold, a Democrat, said he came to the event at Smokey Row coffee house with an open mind. But he wanted to ask Gingrich about how he would represent him as president after reading past comments the former U.S. House Speaker as made about gay and lesbians. "When you ask somebody a question and you expect them to support all Americans and have everyone’s general interest," Arnold said. "It’s a little bit frustrating and disheartening when you’re told to support the other side. That he doesn’t’ need your support."

Gingrich, who has a half sister who is a lesbian, has previously said in Iowa that same-sex marriage "is a temporary aberration that will dissipate." In his letter to The Family Leader this month, he advocated a federal constitutional amendment that would deny marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Waiting for spin from the homocons at GOProud ...

The anti-gay Gingrich is a thrice-married serial adulterer. The former House Speaker is one of the architects of the Defense of Marriage Act, which he pushed through Congress at the same time he was involved in an extra-marital affair with a staffer. That was the second of two marriages that ended after his adultery.

Gingrich is currently polling second in Iowa among likely Republican caucus voters, according to a poll conducted by Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG. Ron Paul is first with 28 percent, Gingrich second at 25 percent and Mitt Romney at 18 percent.

Rep. Barney Frank Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election

PHOTOS: Washington Post

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has announced that he will not seek reelection after 16 terms in office. The former chairman and current ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee was the first openly gay member of Congress. The Washington Post reviews the chairman's legacy:

Frank became one of the most important legislators of his generation on domestic policy, a successful backroom negotiator who won the trust of the Bush Treasury Department and the gay rights movement. ...  Frank’s stature inside the Capitol dome reached its pinnacle in 2007, when he became chairman of the Financial Services Committee. For the next four years Frank oversaw Wall Street, the housing industry and the multitude of financial firms that packaged questionable mortgages into complicated trading mechanisms.

This placed Frank at the epicenter of the most critical debates of the past five years, beginning with housing legislation in 2007 and 2008 that tried to forestall the industry’s collapse. In the fall of 2008, Frank was the lead House Democratic negotiator for what became the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, alongside then-Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.).

Redistricting may have been a factor, reports the Boston Globe.

"A close adviser told the Globe today that the new district in which Frank would have had to run next year was a major factor in his decision. While it retained his Newton stronghold, it was revised to encompass more conservative towns while Frank also lost New Bedford, a blue-collar city where had invested a lot of time and become a leading figure in the region’s fisheries debate."

During the news conference, Frank threw a few delicious salvos at his political nemesis, former House speaker and now presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

"I did not think I lived a good enough life to see Newt Gingrich as the Republican nominee. He would be the best thing to happen to Democrats since Barry Goldwater ... It’s still unlikely, but I have hopes. I look forward to debating ... the Defense of Marriage Act with Mr. Gingrich. I think he is an ideal opponent for us, when we talk about just who it is, is threatening the sanctity of marriage."

An acerbic wit and a formidable opponent.

NH Union Leader Endorses Gingrich

PHOTO: REUTERS

New Hampshire's most influential newspaper has endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the 2012 Republican presidential race. The endorsement by the New Hampshire Union Leader has been described as a "game-changer" and the "most significant" endorsement of the GOP race so far.

The Union Leader's Sunday editorial says the anti-gay thrice-married serial adulterer Gingrich is not "the perfect candidate" but calls him "the best candidate who is actually running."

"Republican voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running. In this incredibly important election, that candidate is Newt Gingrich. He has the experience, the leadership qualities and the vision to lead this country in these trying times."

The conservative Union Leader is the Granite State's largest newspaper and its endorsement is "seen as a bellwether" for the nation's first primary. New Hampshire voters head to the polls Jan. 10.

The paper's endorsement of Gingrich is also seen as yet another rebuke of former Massachusetts Mitt Romney, who is leading in many state polls. "This is the second time that the Union Leader has chosen not to endorse Romney," adds MSNBC's First Read. "In 2008, it notably backed John McCain who eventually went on to win the New Hampshire primary following a major comeback from a near-dead campaign."

In the latest New Hampshire polls, Gingrich is tied with Rep. Ron Paul for second place at 14 percent. Romney  is  leading with 41 percent in the Suffolk University poll.

Bigots Seeking California LGBT History Bill Repeal FAIL

Awww. The bigots who launched an effort to repeal California's LGBT history bill have officially failed to gather enough signatures, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

The group, Stop SB48, which is named after the law, faced a Wednesday deadline to turn in just under 505,000 signatures to put the law on the ballot and give voters the opportunity to overturn it. In an e-mail, the group said, "We thank all of you that worked so hard to provide the hundreds of thousands of signatures received. In the end, 90 days was too short a time to accomplish such a large task."

They gave no precise number of how many signatures had been gathered. Backers ran the effort out of the offices of the Capitol Resource Institute, a socially conservative advocacy organization in Sacramento. The institute's executive director, Karen England, also was the leader of the referendum.

The nearly all-volunteer effort faced not only a short time frame, as referendum signature drives must be completed 90 days after the governor signs a law, but also a lack of significant contributions from national socially conservative organizations. The backers of the referendum noted that second issue in their e-mail.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 48 on July 14. The bill requires California public schools to include LGBT history in all curricula. The bill has been slammed by conservatives and many churches, who launched a signature drive to repeal the bill.

Pastors seeking to repeal the Fair Education Act held a now-infamous prayer rally last September where they forcibly ejected gay activists from a Los Angeles church.  Anti-gay activists with Stop SB 48 were also documented lying in signature collection—claiming that the repeal would "protect children" from child molesters.

Anti-gay activists vow there will be another "battle".

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