John Edwards’ daughter, Cate Edwards, is expected to testify Tuesday in the former U.S. senator and presidential candidate’s ongoing corruption trial. Cate Edwards would be the first family member to do so. The indicted politician’s daughter, 30, broke down in tears and had to leave the courtroom earlier this month amid revelations of Edwards’ misdeeds. Her mother, Elizabeth, passed away in December 2010. The defense began laying out its case Monday, shifting the focus from Edwards’ affair with Rielle Hunter to the specifics of campaign finance law. Judge Catherine Eagles threw out most of the proposed testimony from former Federal Election Commission Chairman Scott Thomas after prosecutors objected, arguing his opinions and past FEC rulings are irrelevant to the case. Eagles sent the jury home as Thomas previewed his testimony, saying the use of nearly $1 million to cover up Edwards’ affair with Hunter wasn’t illegal. Thomas said in his opinion, “This is a clear-cut case that the payments were not campaign contributions,” and thus, did not have to be reported as such. Even before Edwards was indicted last June, Thomas wrote in a letter that the “payments would not be considered to be … campaign contributions.” The “payments did not constitute a violation of the law,” he said. But the judge ruled that information would be inadmissible. Edwards attorney, Abbe Lowe, protested, telling her he thought her decision might constitute a “reversible error” that potentially could be overturned on appeal. Eagles retorted, “That sounds like you are arguing with me.” Earlier Monday, the jury did hear from Lora Haggard, the chief finance officer for Edwards’ 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. From the stand, she said she never thought the money from wealthy donors Bunny Mellon and Fred Baron ever had to be reported to the FEC. She said of the money that has him facing jail time, “They were not contributions to the campaign to urge the public to vote for Mr. Edwards.” Prosecutors say it absolutely was, as Elizabeth knew he was having an affair with Rielle Hunter and the funds were to conceal the affair from the public, thus protecting his image in the midst of a serious White House run. It’s still unclear whether Edwards himself will testify, but Cate has been by his side daily, and she could take the stand as early as today.
Well at least she didn’t hit a cop car this time Via TMZ : Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … a man was driving last night near the intersection of Crescent Heights and Melrose Blvd. when he claims he was sideswiped by a Range Rover that was trying to pass him on the right. According to our sources, when the SUV didn’t stop, the guy called police and reported the hit and run. But the guy didn’t let it go there. According to our sources, he began to follow the SUV himself (which wasn’t difficult because there was traffic). We’re told cops responded to the scene and even dispatched a police helicopter to track the SUV, unsure of how severe the accident was. When cops finally caught up to the Range Rover, we’re told the driver was none other than Bynes … who told police she had no idea she had struck another vehicle. Our sources say the damage to Bynes’ SUV was so minimal, it is possible she didn’t feel the accident. Law enforcement sources tell us Amanda was very cooperative with police and cops had her exchange information with the other driver. We’re told she was not given a citation and cops will not be investigating the incident further. Bynes was arrested for DUI last month after she clipped a cop car. This ain’t “All That” Amanda! Another day, another Hollyweird Becky popped for driving recklessly on the roads. It might be time for Amanda to just get car service, and give the whole driving thing a rest.
Some of these folks believe that Barack Obama won the election in 2008 due to “Black Ignorance”…thoughts? Via NY Times: STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — This is the land of die-hard Democrats — mill workers, coal miners and union members. They have voted party line for generations, forming a reliable constituency for just about any Democrat who decides to run for office. But when it comes to President Obama, a small part of this constituency balks. “Certain precincts in this county are not going to vote for Obama,” said John Corrigan, clerk of courts for Jefferson County, who was drinking coffee in a furniture shop downtown one morning last week with a small group of friends, retired judges and civil servants. “I don’t want to say it, but we all know why.” A retired state employee, Jason Foreman, interjected, “I’ll say it: it’s because he’s black.” For nearly three and a half years, a black family has occupied the White House, and much of the time what has been most remarkable about that fact is how unremarkable it has become to the country. While Mr. Obama will always be known to the history books as the country’s first black president, his mixed-race heritage has only rarely surfaced in visible and explicit ways amid the tumult of a deep recession, two wars and shifting political currents. But as Mr. Obama braces for what most signs suggest will be a close re-election battle, race remains a powerful factor among a small minority of voters — especially, research suggests, those in economically distressed regions with high proportions of white working-class residents, like this one. Mr. Obama barely won this county in 2008 — 48.9 percent to John McCain’s 48.7 percent. Four years earlier, John Kerry had an easier time here, winning 52.3 percent to 47.2 percent over George W. Bush. Given Ohio’s critical importance as a swing state that will most likely be won or lost by the narrowest of margins, the fact that Mr. Obama’s race is a deal-breaker for even a small number of otherwise loyal Democrats could have implications for the final results. Obama advisers acknowledged that some areas of the state presented more political challenges than others, but said that the racial sentiment was not a major source of worry. The campaign’s strategy relies in large part on a strong performance in cities and suburban areas to make up for any falloff elsewhere among Democrats in this or other corners of Ohio. Researchers have long struggled to quantify racial bias in electoral politics, in part because of the reliance on surveys, a forum in which respondents rarely admit to prejudice. In 50 interviews in this county over three days last week, 5 people raised race directly as a reason they would not vote for Mr. Obama. In those conversations, voters were not asked specifically about race, but about their views on the candidates generally. Those who raised the issue did so of their own accord. “I’ll just come right out and say it: he was elected because of his race,” said Sara Reese, a bank employee who said she voted for Ralph Nader in 2008, even though she usually votes Democrat. Did her father, a staunch Democrat and retired mill worker, vote for Mr. Obama? “I’d have to say no. I don’t think he could do it,” she said. But the main quarrels Democratic voters here have with Mr. Obama have nothing to do with race. They include his rejection of one proposed route for the Keystone pipeline, a stance they say will harm this area, whose backbone, the Ohio River, is lined with metal mills and coal mines. Stephanie Montgomery, who is black and a graduate of Franciscan University in Steubenville, said her race came up so often in her job search in this area that she developed a technique for recognizing when it was happening. The sign: when warmth on the phone turns cool in person, and “they lose eye contact with you.” “You almost need a corporate environment to get a fair shot,” she said while standing at a job fair in the Steubenville mall. She said that she did not vote for Mr. Obama in 2008 because she preferred Mr. McCain’s more conservative platform, but that Mr. Obama seemed to be a lightning rod for criticism, in part because of his race. “He’s everything they hate,” she said, referring to ultraconservatives. “An affirmative-action baby. Got the Nobel Prize without deserving it.” Many who raised race as a concern cast Mr. Obama as a flawed candidate carried to victory by blacks voting for the first time. Others expressed concerns indirectly, through suspicions about Mr. Obama’s background and questions about his faith.nn“He was like, ‘Here I am, I’m black and I’m proud,’ ” said Lesia Felsoci, a bank employee drinking a beer in an Applebee’s. “To me, he didn’t have a platform. Black people voted him in, that’s why he won. It was black ignorance.” Louis Tripodi, a baker in Steubenville who voted for Mr. Obama, blames talk radio and Republican rhetoric for encouraging such attitudes. “ ‘He’s a Muslim, he’s a socialist, he’s not born in this country,’ ” he said. “It’s got a lot to do with race.” Race has also helped Mr. Obama. It increased voter turnout among blacks in 2008, and some younger voters said it was part of why they voted for him. But now that history has been made, it is less of a pull. Discuss…
Following comments by Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen – who criticized Ann Romney for “never [working] a day in her life” and, therefore, lacking the knowledge to speak on economic issues – the wife of Mitt Romney finds herself supported by an unlikely ally: Barack Obama. Speaking to Columbus, Ohio television station WCMH yesterday, the President defended the work of stay-at-home moms everywhere, while also emphasizing that family members ought to be off limits in an election. “First of all there is no tougher job than being a mom,” Obama said. “I think this was an ill-advised statement by somebody on television. It’s not something that I subscribe to, and moreover my general rule is you don’t talk about the spouses of elected officials because they’ve got a really tough job. They’re out there supporting their husband or wife who have chosen to serve in public eye. “Sometimes that spouse isn’t volunteering for that job, but they’re doing the best they can supporting somebody they love and they care about. And I think they’re off limits, so on both counts it was the wrong thing to say and I haven’t met Ms. Romney but she seems like a wonderful woman and I know that she’s devoted her life to her family.” Ann Romney also shot back at Rosen this week, telling Fox News women should respect the career choices made by other women and that mothers are perfectly capable of speaking out on the “legacy of debt” she believes Obama is leaving the next generation. [Photos: WENN.com]
Ann Romney, the wife of likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and mother of five sons, is fighting a criticism that she “never worked a day in her life.” “I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys,” she wrote on Twitter, prompted by a Democratic strategist’s challenge of her knowledge about the economy. “Believe me,” Ann Romney wrote. “It was hard work.” Ann Romney Interview Hillary Rosen, a Democratic strategist, started the exchange during an interview on CNN yesterday in which she said of GOP front-running candidate Romney: “Guess what, his wife has actually never worked a day in her life. She’s never dealt with the economic issues that a majority of women in U.S. are facing.” President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign swiftly distanced itself from Rosen, but the incident underscores issues critical to both sides in the campaign. Polls show Obama favored over Romney by about a 20-percent margin among women, a gap posing a major electoral hurdle to Romney’s hopes of victory. Ann Romney also told Fox News, “My career choice was to be a mother. Other women make other choices. We have to respect women in all their choices.” She also disputed the notion that she doesn’t understand the economy. “Guess what women are taking about these days,” she said. “I don’t care if they’re stay-at-home mothers, working mothers or grandmothers. They are talking about jobs and a legacy of debt that we are leaving our children.” Mitt Romney, seen above with Ann and supporter Donald Trump, all but wrapped up the Republican race with Rick Santorum dropping out this week. If they election were held today, for whom would you vote?
‘Against all odds we won 11 states,’ Santorum said on Tuesday (April 10). By Gil Kaufman Rick Santorum at his press conference in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Photo: Jeff Swensen/ Getty Images After an improbable run that boosted him from a barely-considered fringe candidate a year ago to the last man standing to rival Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum announced he was suspending his campaign on Tuesday (April 10). “We made the decision to get into this race at our kitchen table against all the odds and we made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race for us is over, for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting,” he said. The 12-minute afternoon press conference in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania featured Santorum surrounded by his family and backed by a flag as he re-iterated many of the themes of his campaign: the rebirth of American manufacturing, reforming Washington and a return to conservative values. “Against all odds we won 11 states, millions of voters, millions of votes,” he said. “We won more counties than all the other people in this race combined.” With his emphasis on American manufacturing front-and-center to the end, Santorum even joked about his now-infamous sweater vests, noting that he sourced them from an American company, Minnesota’s Bemidji Woolen Mills. The suspension removed the last major obstacle to Romney’s bid to become the uncontested front-runner in the race, paving the way for him to focus full-time on attacking President Obama. Santorum had positioned himself as the only true conservative left in the GOP field, sitting way behind the pack for much of 2011 as a wide field of other candidates, and would-be candidates, rose and fell before him, including Donald Trump, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. In late 2011, he caught fire unexpectedly, though, narrowly winning the Iowa caucus (after the fact), then winning 10 more states along the way, despite being vastly outspent and outmanned by Romney at every stop. The press conference came a day after three-year-old daughter Isabella was released from the hospital following her latest health scare, which took place on Friday and kept the family by her side all of Easter weekend. Bella suffers from the genetic condition Trisomy 18 and her hospitalization resulted in Santorum canceling his campaign events on Monday and Tuesday and speculation that he might be considering a suspension of his efforts. Romney released a statement praising his one-time foe, saying, “Senator Santorum is an able and worthy competitor, and I congratulate him on the campaign he ran. He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation. We both recognize that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity.” Though the men traded harsh barbs during the campaign, it is expected that Santorum will fall in line and throw his support behind Romney in a bid to deny Obama a second term. With polls showing that he was on track to possibly lose in the April 24 primary in his home state of Pennsylvania — which would have been embarrassing and possibly hurtful to his political future — Santorum’s exit leaves Romney with just two remaining challengers. At press time neither Gingrich nor Congressman Ron Paul appears to present much of a threat, as they are far behind in the delegate count and in fundraising. Gingrich, who has won two primaries, conceded over the weekend that Romney is “far and away the most likely” nominee; libertarian Paul has yet to win a primary. Like Santorum, Romney still faces a serious gap with Obama when it comes to young voters (18-29), 22 million of whom voted in 2008. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Santorum was trailing among that demographic up until Super Tuesday, when his wins in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries helped vault him beyond youth-magnet Ron Paul. Even with that victory, though, Santorum still trailed Romney in terms of the overall youth vote count. Through Super Tuesday, the cumulative 2008 Democratic youth vote exceeded both the 2008 and 2012 count for the GOP, a figure that could prove important down the road for Romney. Current estimates have Romney with 645 of the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination, with Santorum well behind at 252, Gingrich with 128 and Paul with 45. Romney still needs to reach the 1,144 figure to lock down the nomination, in addition to winning over the many still-unconvinced voters in the party’s conservative base. A Washington Post /ABC News poll released on Tuesday had Romney trailing Obama in a head-to-head race by a 51 to 44 percent margin. Stick with MTV’s Power of 12 throughout the presidential election season for updates and news from the campaigns. Related Videos Barnstorming The Iowa Caucus With Andrew Jenks Super Tuesday: MTV News Is On The Ground!
Really though?!?! National Organization For Marriage Planned To Promote Hostility Between Blacks And Gays Until this week, the Rev. Ralph A. Martino, senior pastor at First Church of Christ (Holiness) USA in Washington, D.C., had never heard of the National Organization for Marriage, the nation’s leading group fighting same-sex marriage. But although the black pastor is also a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, Martino is determined to never work with the organization after a leak of its confidential memos this week revealed its plans to defeat marriage equality campaigns by “fanning the hostility” between blacks and gays. “If this is the type of weaponry a group uses in order to stir up warfare and foster division, then we’re not part of that,” Martino said. “This angle creates unnecessary drama and it will backfire.” The drama has already begun, with a range of civil rights and lesbian, gay and bisexual advocacy groups issuing statements calling the strategies racist and cynical. The memos are also sparking a difficult conversation about real tensions between black and gay rights groups, with members of both saying more dialogue is needed. “The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies,” states one of the memos. “Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage, develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots,” continued the memo, part of a set of documents that emerged as a result of a Maine lawsuit and then were leaked by the Human Rights Campaign. The memos amount to “a wake-up call,” said Michael Crawford, director of online programs for Freedom to Marry in New York, because they detail how to exploit racial tensions. Plus he noted the National Organization for Marriage seems to believe that he — as a black gay male — does not exist. Take a look at some of the more disturbing parts of the memo “The strategic goal…is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies. Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage; develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots…” Another passage reads: “The Latino vote in America is a key swing vote, and will be so even more so in the future, both because of demographic growth and inherent uncertainty: Will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values? We must interrupt this process of assimilation by making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity — a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation.” “We have learned much about how to win the marriage battle,” one document concludes. “What we need now is to find the resources to prosecute and expand this strategy to win marriage in the U.S., and expand it into a global movement.” Doesn’t the black community already have enough problems without having groups like this actually ORGANIZING to stir up hate? Source Source 2 More On Bossip! BFWTFs: Random Celebrity Buds You Wouldn’t Imagine Hanging Out Watch Your Mouths! Celebrities Caught Making Stupid Racist Comments Poor Thang! Mommy Banger BeyBey Won’t Let Lil Blue Ivy Carter Get Her Shine On, Plus Auntie Solo Strutting Around Downtown A Bunch O’ Heathens! The 10 Least Religious States In The Country
It really pays to have friends in high places. Just ask President Obama , who raised several million dollars during campaign stops in Illinois and Georgia Friday with help from celebrity friends Oprah and Tyler Perry. President Barack Obama, turning full attention to his re-election campaign, aimed to raise more than $5 million today with fundraisers in his adopted hometown of Chicago and then Atlanta, where Oprah Winfrey joined with other wealthy donors. Obama arrived in Chicago as two of the Republicans who want to challenge him in November, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, also had Illinois campaign events before the state’s March 20 presidential primary. His stops included dinner for about 40 people, including Winfrey, at the home of actor and film producer Tyler Perry. There, Obama said of his presidency: “This is not a three-year project. This is an eight-year project,” prompting applause. The first of Obama’s five stops was at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, where about 600 people paid $2,500 a piece to watch the campaign film and listen to the president. Without naming his would-be opponents, Obama said the state has “guests this week,” referring to the campaigning leading up to the primary. “Welcome to the Land of Lincoln,” Obama said. Taking an indirect dig at his rivals, he said that he hoped “maybe some Lincoln will rub off on them while they are here,” and told the audience to prepare for “an avalanche of attack ads.” The state’s Republican Party chairman, Pat Brady, criticized Obama for concentrating on his campaign. “After three years of failed policies, broken promises and a seemingly endless supply of empty rhetoric, it is abundantly clear that President Obama has given up on governing and is only concerned about campaigning to save his own job,” Brady said in an e-mailed statement. After the speech, the president held a closed discussion with about 60 supporters who donated at least $10,000 each. In Atlanta, Obama began his fundraising at a private residence where 75 people paid $10,000 each to attend. He then greeted 1,000 supporters at Perry’s studios, an event that included a musical performance by Cee Lo Green. Most of the tickets started at $500 with a smaller number sold at $250, according to the campaign. At the first Atlanta stop, Obama jabbed at the Republicans. “Their basic vision is, ‘You know what? I’ve got mine,’” he said. “And that’s why the other side really doesn’t talk about issues.” Obama capped the day at Perry’s house. Tickets to that cost $35,800. Perry gave $30,400 on May 30, 2009, to the Democratic National Committee and $4,600 Sept. 12, 2007, to Obama’s first presidential campaign, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks contributions. The money raised today goes to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint account for the president’s campaign organization and the Democratic National Committee. Obama raised $140 million for his re-election campaign through the end of January, Federal Election Commission reports show. Looks like the Obama 2012 campaign is on and poppin’. Do you want to see him re-elected? Source More On Bossip! Underrated Cakes: The Ladies With The Backs You Might’ve Mistakenly Missed Out On! Forbidden Fruit: A List Of Celebrities Who Were Spotted Playing Freaky Kissy Face With Family Members Nicki Minaj Flossin’ Her Cakes In A Pink ‘Kini On The Beaches Of Hawaii For New Music Video Solange Knowles Keeps Her Natural Hair, Vintage, Hippy, Hella Colorful Steez Alive On The Cover Of Time Out New York Magazine
Campaign aims to bring African militia leader Joseph Kony to justice for war crimes and for enlisting children as soldiers. By Gil Kaufman Justin Bieber Photo: MTV News A campaign to stop the nearly 30-year, brutal rule of African militia leader Joseph Kony became a viral sensation this week. “Kony 2012,” started by the group Invisible Children, aims to make Kony’s face so famous that authorities will finally be able to arrest him and try him for his crimes. A 30-minute documentary released on Monday is one of the keys to the campaign, and as of Thursday it had gotten more than 26 million views. The video details the atrocities carried out by Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army. The campaign appears to be working, as at one point on Wednesday, Invisible Children and #stopkony were trending higher on Twitter than Peyton Manning or the new iPad. Since 1987, human rights officials say Kony has forcefully abducted more than 60,000 children to be soldiers in his army and reportedly raped, mutilated and killed civilians in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan and displaced more than 2 million people. The leader is wanted for committing atrocities by the International Criminal Court and is being hunted down by 100 U.S. Special Forces advisers and local troops in four Central African nations, according to the Associated Press. Kony 2012 is an effort to capture Kony and disarm the LRA before a reported window of opportunity closes. One way it plans to do that is by encouraging users to directly message a variety of stars to make use of their Twitter ubiquity to get the word out. Among those listed on the site are: Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Ryan Seacrest and Ellen DeGeneres, along with a number of major policymakers. When users click on the celebs’ photos, a tweet pops up that reads: Help us end #LRA violence. Visit kony2012.com to find out why and how. @timtebow Join us for #KONY2012. Get More on Invisible Children at ACT.MTV.com. Related Artists Justin Bieber Lady Gaga
‘I don’t think that Barack Obama is really looking out for my interests as he said he would,’ 26-year-old law student tells MTV News. By Becca Frucht Newt Gingrich campaigns in Georgia Photo: Getty Images ATLANTA — When we showed up at the pseudo-ritzy Renaissance Hotel in suburban Atlanta last night for Newt Gingrich’s victory party — looking like a hot mess after 12 hours of Super Tuesday shenanigans at Georgia Tech and Georgia State — we were planning to chat with die-hard young Republicans who’d been reppin’ their party since they were in Reagan-themed diapers. And sure, there were plenty of GOP geeks in full Newt regalia spittin’ campaign lines like whoa — but then I met 26-year-old law student Kimberly Roholt and I learned there’s way more to Gingrich’s young voter base than many people think. That’s because Roholt is a civic convert. “Well, I actually voted for President Obama in the last election but I voted for Newt Gingrich today,” she told me. That is pretty much a full-on political 180. I clearly had to know more, so I asked her to explain her “transformation,” and she quickly pointed out that wasn’t exactly what happened: “I wouldn’t call it a transformation so much as a realization,” Roholt said. “I voted for Barack Obama last time. I was very hopeful. I gave a lot of credence to hope and change. However, I was very young and in the past few years since I’ve graduated, the economy’s difficult, getting jobs is difficult. I’m in law school, I’m living off student loans at the moment until I graduate and I’m very concerned about what the outlook is for me. And I don’t think that Barack Obama is really looking out for my interests as he said he would.” Ironically echoing the same sentiment of broken trust that fueled the liberal Occupy Wall Street movement, Roholt went on to detail how Obama’s failure to keep some of his campaign promises ultimately led to her Democratic defection: “So I switched to Newt Gingrich,” she said. “I think he’s extremely intelligent. While there are some things we differ on in some of our policies, I think he could lead this nation in the right direction, so I voted for him today.” When I pressed her to reveal where she disagreed with her new GOP BFF — asking if the differences were based in economic or social policies — she was understandably a bit reticent to talk cons on a night that was all about Newt’s comeback: “Social, not all of them and not greatly, but there are a few things that we differ socially on. Some of that might be generational, and some of it might be my own ideas,” she said. The question is: Are there more young people like Roholt who are kicking Obama to the curb after four years of recession, unemployment, rising tuition and jacked-up student loan payments? MTV had Super Tuesday covered, with reporters on the scene in Georgia, Ohio and Massachusetts! Stick with Power Of 12 throughout the presidential election season for more from the ground.
