The fat lady is about to sing for Newt Gingrich. So says the former speaker's biggest backer, Sheldon Adelson. Speaking to a crowd in Las Vegas, Adelson said that mathematically Gingrich can't be the nominee—and that a brokered convention is becoming increasingly unlikely. Gingrich is "at the end of his line," said Adelson, as reported by JewishJournal.com. Adelson and his family have donated $16.5 million to Gingrich's Super PAC, Winning Our Future, which has taken in a total of $18.8 million so far. Adelson took a swipe at the remaining candidates, saying Mitt Romney isn't a good leader and Rick Santorum is too focused on social issues.

ABC News released police video Wednesday showing Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman being taken into the police department the night he killed the unarmed black teen. The surveillance tape showed no obvious signs of Zimmerman being injured; he has claimed Martin hit him and banged his head against the sidewalk during their altercation. According to the police report, Zimmerman was bleeding from his nose and back of his head. The video shows a cuffed Zimmerman stepping out of the patrol, looking subdued and later returning to the patrol car.


Security is being increased for American soldiers in Afghanistan, commanders said Wednesday, assigning “guardian angels” to troops while they sleep as the fret over a rogue Afghan attacking the U.S. bases there. The increased security comes from a directive sent out by Marine Gen. John Allen said to guard against inside attacks on American troops after two advisers were shot point-blank at an Afghan ministry earlier this month. Changes have been sweeping, including not allowing Americans to carry weapons in certain zones as relations between the two countries have grown strained. 


Another win for Mitt. Tea Party Senator Marco Rubio endorsed Mitt Romney in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity. Rubio said that Romney is a "very clear alternative" to Obama's plan for the country. As for the current Republican race, the first-term senator said that it's a "recipe for delivery four more years of Obama." Saying that Romney's earned it, Rubio still didn't say whether he'd be on Romney's ticket. Rubio will be the biggest get for Romney since Jeb Bush threw in his hat for the former governor earlier this month. Rubio continued to deny that he has any interest in being vice president.

The JetBlue pilot who had a psychological meltdown Tuesday aboard a Las Vegas–bound flight has been charged with interference with a flight crew, federal prosecutors in Texas said Wednesday. More details emerged about the flight, where a copilot had to take the controls over from the pilot, Clayton Osbon, 49, who allegedly told the copilot “things don’t matter,” and “we’re not going to Vegas.” Then he began preaching a sermon, causing the copilot to lock Osbon out of the cockpit. Osbon reportedly had to be restrained by four passengers and the plane made an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas.

Spike Lee did the right thing Wednesday night, when he apologized for retweeting an address that he thought belonged to George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon Martin. David and Elaine McClaine, the Florida couple, were forced to leave their home and move into a hotel after the director’s apparent Twitter endorsement. They live four miles from where Zimmerman lived and, coincidentally their youngest son’s last name is Zimmerman and middle name is George. Lee’s twitter apology: “I Deeply Apologize To The McClain Family For Retweeting Their Addres. It Was A Mistake. Please Leave The McClain’s In Peace. Justice In Court.”

If there was ever time to splurge that $1 and go in for a lottery ticket, now would be it. The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an estimated $500 million ahead of Friday’s drawing, making it the largest in the history of the game. Tuesday night’s drawing, worth $363 million, produced no winners, spurring lottery-lovers back to the convenience counters to nab more tickets. Forty-seven ticketholders won $250,000 each on Tuesday by matching five numbers, but there was no coveted six-number winner. The game’s previous biggest jackpot was $390 million in 2007, split by two winners.


It’s been 40 years, but the engines that powered Apollo 11 into space have been found by a billionaire bookseller. Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos spent his own money to find the storied F-1 engines somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. The engines, which had 32 million horsepower and burned through 6,000 pounds of fuel every second, were in use for just a couple of minutes before separating from the spacecraft and falling back to Earth. Bezos didn’t know what kind of condition the engines were in, but still hopes to be able to convince NASA to put them on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

There’s a puppy that’s got the world looking so crazy in love right now. Three weeks ago, Beyonce the dachshund, weighing only an ounce, was born to a rescue dog. At the time, the little pup fit into a teaspoon. Beyonce’s mother had been pregnant with five puppies, but doctors thought one might be a stillborn. In fact, she wasn’t breathing after being born, but then—after a few chest compressions and puffs of air—began breathing on her own. Beyonce is now the size of an iPhone. And for those curious about her moniker, she was named after something “big.” As Destiny’s Child once sang, she’s a “Survivor.”

Can America handle a second dose of Ron Burgundy? Will Ferrell announced on Wednesday that he will be making a follow-up to 2004's hit Anchorman, which grossed more than $85 million and firmly cemented the comedian as a bona fide movie star. Dressed in 1970s clothing, Ferrell said on Conan that Paramount Pictures agreed to make the sequel. “As of 0900 hours Mountain Time, Paramount Pictures and myself, Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy, have come to terms on a sequel to Anchorman. It is official, there will be a sequel to Anchorman,” Ferrell said. The comedian didn't release any more details.

This may be the first sign that The New Republic is in for a Facebook face-lift. The political magazine, which was bought by Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes earlier this month, announced it will end its paywall. The magazine’s tablet incarnation will remain restricted to subscribers only, as will the site’s archives. Current digital-only subscribers may choose to receive the print edition as well at no additional cost.

Stop calling me! A few weeks back, teen heartthrob Justin Bieber tweeted a phone number minus one digit and asked his 19 million followers to “Call me right now.” Soon after, 81-year-old Dallas great-grandmother Dilcie Fleming began receiving constant calls from girls eager to profess their love. “Justin, I know you are there,” said one message. “I’m sorry I called you so late, but I just got your number.” But the octogenarian is no fan of the Biebs and is considering suing. “I’ve had this number since 1966,” Fleming said.

President Obama is leading competitor Mitt Romney in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, according to three Quinnipiac polls of the swing states. “If the election were today, he would carry at least two states. And if history repeats itself, that means he would be reelected,” said the director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institiute. Obama’s leading Pennsylvania by the smallest margin, 45–42, but has Ohio 47–41.

Any other year Neighborhood Watch would have been just another goofball summer comedy starring Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill. But with the nation outraged by the killing of Trayvon Martin by neighborhood-watch captain George Zimmerman in Florida last month, 20th Century Fox has opted to pull trailers and posters for the movie from Florida. There’s no plan to shelve the movie, which is set to hit screens July 27. “We are very sensitive to the Trayvon Martin case,” Fox explained, “but our film is a broad alien-invasion comedy and bears absolutely no relation to the tragic events in Florida.”

Rep. Bobby Rush was removed from the House floor Wednesday for violating the dress code. The Illinois Democrat donned a hooded sweatshirt in solidarity with Trayvon Martin's family and supporters, declaring, "just because someone wears a hoodie, doesn't make him a hoodlum." Following his removal, those present were reminded that members of the House are prohibited from wearing hats when house is in session. The parents of Trayvon spoke out later Wednesday, commending Rush for "pleading our case." "This is something that needs to be talked about," his father said. Watch video of the incident here.

The Ecuadorean Navy plucked 18-year-old Adrian Vasquez out of the Pacific Ocean Sunday after 28 days at sea. The Panamanian teenager went missing after heading out on a fishing trip with two friends, both of whom died, he said. He was found alone near the Galápagos Islands, 600 miles from where he and his friends had started out. According to the Associated Press, Vasquez and his two companions were on their way home when their boat’s motor died. Though he was found suffering from dehydration and hunger, Vasquez said he survived on fish and rainwater.

After dozens of teens in Long Island were netted in a cheating scandal that prosecutors say could have its tentacles in some of the nation’s most hoity-toity high schools, test takers will now be required to upload or mail in a photograph of themselves that will then be checked against the identification they provide on test day. No longer will students be able to subcontract their test scores out to someone with a better grasp of Euclid, and the changes will go into effect nationwide in the fall. Remember, kids, if you don’t have a clue, guess “C.”

Former senator Arlen Specter’s upcoming memoir is sure to be a page turner. In addition to hilarious jabs at fellow politicians—“I've known Newt so long, I knew him when he was skinny. In fact, I've known him so long, I knew his first wife,” for example—Specter lets readers in on politics’ sexy side, or at least its creepy side. “She was a total charmer, very friendly. The few things she said were intelligent,” Specter writes of Sarah Palin, with whom he shared a 2008 ride on John McCain’s campaign bus. “Her skirt rode above her knees—not exactly short, but close.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy rose in favorability polls for the way he dealt with the shootings in France this month, but that same good work has done little to help him as a candidate. As a contentious election season in France continues, Sarkozy has struggled to gain on frontrunner François Hollande, the Socialist candidate who leads by about 8 percentage points. The economy, experts said, is trumping everything else in the minds of French voters. Last month, the number of job seekers in France rose to 2.87 million, the highest number in 12 years.

It’s better to hang together. All of Syria’s many opposition groups except for one announced Wednesday that they have rallied around the Syrian National Council, a critical step toward uniting resistance to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In a statement, the groups said that the council would be the “formal interlocutor and formal representative of the Syrian people.” The United Nations estimates that more than 9,000 people have died since a popular uprising began in Syria a year ago.

The pope called for greater freedom for the Catholic Church in Cuba, while he spoke on Wednesday in Revolution Square in Havana. In an unusually political speech given in the shadow of a statue of Che Guevara, Pope Benedict XVI denounced “fanaticism” that tries to impose its truth onto others. Benedict was expected to meet Fidel Castro after his speech. The 600,000-person square was filled to capacity, but many said they had come because they were required to by an employer and some left before the pope even began speaking.

The Tibetan protester who set himself on fire in India Monday died Wednesday from his burns. Photos of the 27-year-old man licked by sheets of flame showed him running through the street outside India’s Parliament building, where hundreds of protesters were gathered to demonstrate against China’s continued rule of their home country of Tibet. While Chinese officials say conditions in Tibet have been improved by their policies, the lengths demonstrators are willing to go to say otherwise—more than 30 Tibetans immolated themselves in China last year as a form of protest.

That could have bought a lot of votes. Kinde Durkee, a Democratic campaign treasurer from California, defrauded about 50 state and national politicians of around $7 million over a decade, according to a filing by federal prosecutors. Durkee was arrested in September and charged with suspicion of mail fraud in a case that involved Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and other members of Congress. The most recent charges against Durkee were filed Tuesday in Sacramento. In one instance cited in the filings, Durkee shifted $23,000 from Feinstein’s campaign accounts to cover Amazon.com charges and other personal expenses.

Here’s an exciting announcement from the LA Dodgers: Magic Johnson will now own a small stake in the team. A group led by the NBA legend has won an auction to own the struggling baseball franchise—for a staggering $2 billion. Frank McCourt has spent the past three years—and more than $25 million—trying to keep ownership. When the deal goes through, the team will be owned by the Guggenheim Baseball Partners. This deal is twice the amount ever paid for a team.

Big changes abound in the Gingrich camp: a third of the staff will be laid off, Newt’s campaign schedule is shrinking, and his manager has been replaced. The presidential campaign has become so strapped for cash that it started charging supporters $50 for a photo and considered cutting staff pay, and now Communications director Joe DeSantis announced the additional changes Tuesday night. “We’re focusing on what it’ll take to win what we’re going to be calling a big-choice convention in August,” he said. Campaign manager Michael Krull was replaced over the weekend by longtime Gingrich staffer Vince Haley. 

The Supreme Court heads into its final day Wednesday of arguments about the constitutionality of a mandate that requires all Americans to buy health insurance. If that portion of the law is struck down, it’s unclear how much of the 2010 health-care bill will survive. The justices will be examining the bill to find how much of it can survive without the mandate, which some lower courts have ruled cannot be separated from the bill as a whole—including politically popular portions. On Tuesday the justices appeared to be split on the constitutionality of the bill.

Wanting a better life may have landed some of these women in jail. According to a report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch, hundreds of women in Afghanistan face prison time if they try to escape domestic abuse, sex trafficking, or rape. Premarital sex is considered a crime punishable by imprisonment in the country, as is running away from abuse. “From the first time I came to this world my destiny was destroyed,” one 17-year-old girl forced into prostitution told the rights group.

A New York maid who accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault last year launched a civil lawsuit against him on Wednesday. Prosecutors dropped the charges last year against Strauss-Kahn after they said they had serious questions about the credibility of the accuser, Nafissatou Diallo. The lawsuit will address whether Strauss-Kahn is covered by diplomatic immunity, since the IMF says he was in New York on personal business. Strauss-Kahn will not attend the hearing, as he is currently battling claims in France that he was involved in a prostitution ring.

Clayton Osbon, the JetBlue pilot whose erratic behavior forced an emergency landing on Tuesday has been suspended, the airline’s CEO said Wednesday. Passengers said that the pilot ran to the cockpit door and began banging on it after the plane’s copilot, troubled by his colleague’s behavior, locked him out of the cabin. He was also apparently yelling about terrorism. Osborn is reportedly currently receiving medical attention, and the FBI, FAA and TSA are investigating the incident.

Award-winning feminist poet Adrienne Rich died on Tuesday at the age of 82. Her son, Pablo Conrad, said the cause of death was long-term rheumatoid arthritis. A Baltimore native, Rich became one of the most prominent feminist poets in the country. She also wrote passionate antiwar poetry as well as poems about the underprivileged. In 1997 she declined the honor of receiving the National Medal for the Arts, stating “a president cannot meaningfully honor certain token artists while the people at large are so dishonored.”

And that's a wrap. The Supreme Court ended Obamacare arguments with a discussion about whether striking down the individual mandate would mean invalidating the whole law. According to the AP, a slim majority of justices signaled that they would let the law stand without the mandate. Conservative Justice Scalia, however, strongly stated that the whole law should fall if the mandate goes down. Meanwhile, Kevin Russell of SCOTUS Blog reports that the liberal justices were very engaged in the severability argument—suggesting that they're worried about the fate of the mandate.

After Thursday, Mitt Romney will have the support of three Bush family members. Romney’s spokesperson announced that former president George H.W. Bush will endorse the Republican candidate in Houston on Thursday. His wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, and son Jeb have already jumped on the Romney bandwagon. Former president George W. Bush has yet to endorse any candidate.

Will Marco Rubio just admit he wants to be vice president already? We're pretty sure the GOP darling is up to something, but he's still playing hard to get! The senator from Florida continued to deny any interest in a VP run Wednesday, saying, "I'm not going to be the vice-presidential nominee, but I'm always flattered when people bring it up. I think they mean it as a compliment." Last week, former Florida governor Jeb Bush endorsed Rubio to accompany Romney on the Republican ticket, calling him "the best orator of American politics today."

Next stop on the Lindsay Lohan comeback tour: Glee? The actress will be guest-starring on Fox’s musical comedy in May, her rep confirmed on Wednesday. While her role has not been confirmed, it’s been suggested that she might play herself as a judge at nationals. The casting comes as a bit of a surprise, since her mother, Dina, has criticized Glee after it referred to her as one of the country’s “biggest losers.” Despite Lindsay’s reputation, she hosted Saturday Night Live earlier this month, and the show got season-high ratings.

The White House defended Solicitor General Donald Verrilli on Wednesday, one day after Verrilli’s tough round of questioning before the Supreme Court during hearings over the constitutionality of the health-care mandate. While cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, reports out of the Supreme Court said Verrilli stumbled under intense questioning, and political watchers have called Verrilli’s performance on Tuesday a “train wreck” and “the Worst Supreme Court Argument of All Time.” The White House handpicked Verrilli to argue the case, which could result in key parts of the White House’s signature legislation in shambles.

It’s time to sit down at the table, Iran’s foreign minister said Wednesday. With the international community concerned about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions, Iranian officials said that the country will reopen talks about its program April 13. Turkey has agreed to host the talks, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said, and indicated that the meeting could include the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, and China. The last time Iran met with these countries was in January 2011, and the summit was derailed by squabbles over the agenda.