Gingrich Blasts House GOP's Medicare Plan  —  Presidential Candidate Calls It ‘Right-Wing Social Engineering,’ Agrees With Obama About Need for Insurance Mandate  —  White House hopeful Newt Gingrich called the House Republican plan for Medicare “right-wing social engineering,” …

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Gingrich reaction: Republicans livid, accuse former speaker of hypocrisy in attack on Ryan  —  This morning Republicans are just beginning to assess the damage that former House Speaker and current presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has done to the GOP budget plan currently before Congress.

America Held Hostage  —  Six months ago President Obama faced a hostage situation.  Republicans threatened to block an extension of middle-class tax cuts unless Mr. Obama gave in and extended tax cuts for the rich too.  And the president essentially folded, giving the G.O.P. everything it wanted.

French gals burned by pol ‘in heat’  —  He's un animal.  —  IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn acted like a “chimpanzee in heat” during a creepy previous grab-and-grope with a French journalist — an incident with eerie similarities to his alleged attack on a Manhattan hotel maid Saturday, according to an explosive interview.