Photograph of John McCain and President George Bush at the White House by Ron Edmonds/AP Yesterday, Senator John McCain was welcomed and endorsed by President Bush. Bush referenced McCain's doubters and past history, "John showed incredible courage and strength of character and perseverance in order to get to this moment. And that's exactly what we need in a President: somebody that can handle the tough decisions; somebody who won't flinch in the face of......

Senator John McCain at a campaign stop in San Antonio, TX by Eric Gay/AP CNN, NBC, and the AP are projecting Senator John McCain will clinch the Republican presidential campaign, after winning the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island and clinching the 1,191 delegates needed. A source tells NBC that President Bush has invited McCain to the White House tomorrow and will endorse him. McCain will be having a victory party in......

A Hillary Clinton campaign stop in Cincinnati became an opportunity for her to blast Barack Obama over what she called "blatantly false" campaign literature. Clinton said, "Shame on you, Barack Obama," as she held the literature in question. “It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public. That’s what I expect from you. Meet me in Ohio. Let’s have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign.”......

Photograph of a Manhattan polling place by Daniella Zalcman on Flickr After the NY Times story revealed how NYC votes for Barack Obama appear to have been undercounted for the unofficial (yet official enough to be sent to the AP and other news outlets) results on primary night, State Senator Bill Perkins of Harlem spoke out. Perkins, who supports Obama, told the Post: "Every election has problems, but in this case, all the problems......

Not only are New York gyms poorly run, but the establishments that are supposed to make you healthier are doing the opposite. The Daily News reports on the germ-ridden gyms of the city in a fairly unsurprising article. The paper spot-checked Dolphin Fitness, Equinox, Crunch, NYSC and YMCAs around New York and "uncovered potentially harmful bacteria lingering all over exercise mats, bicycles, drinking fountains and other surfaces. The equipment posing the highest risks are cardiovascular......

The Waldorf Astoria loves to brag about how every president since Herbert Hoover has been a guest at their hotel, but they rarely disclose what delicacies our rulers savor while there. But starting this month, guests at the Waldorf Towers and diners in the hotel’s Bull & Bear steakhouse can have a taste of presidential luxury that, until now, only taxpayer money could buy. For $330 each, guests in the towers can have a four......

As of 11:45 p.m., Hillary Clinton and John McCain are projected to win their New York primaries. The Democratic primary distributes NY delegates proportionally, so the final total will be important in determining how many will go to Clinton and how many to Barack Obama. McCain also did well in the Northeast, winning the whole tri-state area, while Mike Huckabee has been strong in the South. Mitt Romney has won Massachusetts, plus some in the......

Senator John McCain won the Republican primary in New Hampshire, with the race being called for him early on. Senator Hillary Clinton beat Senator Barack Obama by a few thousand votes in a very close race. Comebacks all around! Update, 11:06PM: During her victory speech, Clinton thanked the voters of New Hampshire and asked them to give the country the comeback it needs. Unlike her Iowa background of friends like Madeline Albright and Wesley......

At last night's ABC News/Facebook debate in New Hampshire, both parties' candidates held debates. After the Thursday's Iowa results presented Barack Obama as a winner and Hillary Clinton as a disappointing (to her campaign) third place, some interesting things transpired during the Democratic debate. Obama and Iowa runner-up John Edwards apppeared to team up against Clinton. The NY Times called it an "allegiance of convenience" and noted that the defining moment was when Clinton......

Rudy Giuliani's good financial fortune derived from the formation of Giuliani Partners is leading to political misfortune, as yet another piece of lucrative business he conducted in the private sector has come back to haunt his candidacy. Recently, his involvement with Purdue Pharma--the producers of the painkiller OxyContin--has come under scrutiny. Giuliani is being accused of using his high profile in the wake of 9/11, his background as a federal prosecutor, and his personal reputation......

A look at some of this week's noteworthy television: Elmo’s Christmas Countdown (Sunday, 7:00 p.m., WABC 7) It is a brand new Sesame Street Christmas special complete with an all star guest list providing music and voices like ABC News anchor Charles Gibson voicing a news reading reindeer and Ben Stiller voicing an elf. From the sound of it doesn’t seem like it will wind up being an enduring classic like A Charlie Brown Christmas.......

Just in time for last night's Republican debate, political website Politico broke a story claiming that former mayor Rudy Giuliani billed "obscured city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses" for extra-marital Hamptons trips with future wife Judith Nathan. When Giuliani would travel outside the city, he would be accompanied by a police detail. And if he stayed overnight, the police would also need lodging and other expenses taken care of. Politico......

A grand jury voted to indict former police commissioner Bernard Kerik on federal corruption charges yesterday and, this morning, he surrender to the FBI in White Plains. The indictment was sealed, but the 16 counts include charges of "conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, tax fraud and making false statements." The U.S. Attorney's office, which sought the indictment, and the FBI are giving a press conference now; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York......

Reporters Away We have been harping on stations that send reporters to cover stories outside of the tri-state area for some time now questioning both the journalistic and financial soundness of it. We have no problem with the networks sending their anchors out to report at the site of major stories like this, and all three did for a few days, but sending local reporters out is a different story. It took WABC sending two......

During yesterday's testimony in Knicks sexual harassment trial, we learned the following things: A former Knicks employee named Jeffrey Nix (ha!) testified for his friend Anucha Browne Sanders, saying that she had complained about Thomas' behavior well before being fired. Browne Sanders, who is suing Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden management for sexual harassment (and wrongful termination and $10 million), had claimed that Thomas called her a bitch and swore......

Regular polls asking who voters want for president are boring, so ABC News asked Americans who they would "rather have as a traveling companion on a drive across country" - Senator Hillary Clinton or Rudy Giuliani? And Clinton won 48% to Giuliani's 39%. Well, of course - can you imagine that trip with Rudy? It would be all about 9/11! And Clinton probably knows the best fast food places because of Bubba. When asked who......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Secrets of New York: New York's Firsts: Pioneering Moments (Sunday, 8:30 p.m., WNYE 25) Kelly Choi takes a look at some New York firsts. White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Monday, 7:30 p.m. HBO) To commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the first bombing of civilian targets with nuclear weapons at Hiroshima, HBO airs this look at the two deadly attacks through archival footage and......

Joel Siegel, perhaps best known as Good Morning America's film critic (a program he was on weekly since 1981), died yesterday in New York at the age of 63. Siegel had been battling colon cancer, though many didn't even know he was sick as he stayed positive until the end and kept working until just two weeks ago. In addition to his weekly appearances on GMA he was also seen frequently on ABC News, and......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: person under a bus at Park Ave. South and East 24th St., a shooting on Church Ave. in Brooklyn, and shots fired on East 169th St. and Tinton Ave. in the Bronx. As part of its 20th anniversary weekend, WFAN 660-AM will be airing four hours of old Imus shows, which used to be the morning anchor of the station. Queens and Brooklyn residents team up to protest eminent......

When asked in 2005 what train wreck of a celebrity she would give some advice to, then-Gawker editor Jessica Coen said, "Lindsay Lohan, may God help you secure a room at Promises." Lohan ended up going to Wonderland for rehab, and apparently it didn't work any wonders on her. Adding to the list of Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name is the one and only La Lohan. Recently in town for the......

After Wednesday's blow-up with Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Rosie O'Donnell made today's show her last day on The View. Originally, O'Donnell's exit was planned for June 20, but it seems like she wanted out early. Here are some statements via ABC News:Brian Frons, the president of Disney-ABC's Daytime Television Group, said, "We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she......

Congratulations to everyone graduating this month! As NYU's commencement was today, with speaker jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, we decided to list the many NYC commencement speakers, with help from The Chronicle of Higher Education (if we've missed any or gotten it wrong, let us know in comments): Barnard College: Anna Deveare Smith, playwright-actress CUNY Lehman College: Representative Charles Rangel CUNY Brooklyn College: Roberta S. Matthews, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Brooklyn......

Day three of the Peter Braunstein trial brought information about places and things, as well as a look at evidence and the now common debates about the defendant's mental state. Lawyers for Braunstein, a journalist who is on trial a 13-hour attack on a former colleague that occurred on October 31, 2005, contend that their client is schizophrenic and that leaving some much evidence behind is not normal. Whereas prosecutors say his actions show premeditation......

It looks like Rosie O'Donnell is leaving daytime television yet again. No, it's not because of her attempts to speak Chinese, but because of contract issues. How mundane. TMZ first reported last night that O'Donnell, the co-host and moderator of ABC's morning talk-show, was set to announce her departure from the show. This morning, ABC News confirms the story in an "exclusive" (side note - shouldn't ABC break news about its own show before TMZ?).......

Hundreds of Virginia Tech alumni, NYU students and other New Yorkers gathered for a candlelight vigil in Washington Square Park last night. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, who had traveled to Virginia Tech earlier in the week, brought back a candle from a vigil there and used it to light candles last night. And today, many people are also wearing orange and maroon, Virginia Tech's colors, for "Orange and Maroon Effect" day to show support for......

Update: WNBC reports that Cho Seung Hui sent a "box containing a manifesto of sorts, photographs and other material" (including videos) to NBC News. NBC News received it today and president Steve Capus turned the box over the FBI, but MSNBC says that the box was sent between the two shootings. The package included a long, “rambling, manifesto-like statement embedded with a series of photographs,” Capus said. The material is “hard-to-follow ... disturbing, very......

Set your DVRs, because tomorrow night's 20/20 should be a doozy. The Barbara Walters interview with Rudy and Judith Giuliani will air, and they talk about marriages (and divorces), their first meeting ("instant" attraction), and how Rudy would be fine if Judi sat in on policy meetings at the White House. Oh, yes. According to ABC News' preview, Giuliani says, "If [the meetings] were relevant to something that she was interested in. I mean that......

NY State agricultural officials say that testing so far has indicated the presence of rat poison in recalled pet food. According to ABC News, a source says "the rodenticide, which the source says is illegal to use in the United States, was on wheat that was imported from China and used by Menu Foods in nearly 100 brands of dog and cat food." Yikes! [Via Poop City, which has had excellent coverage of the recall.]......

There's Joey Ramone Place and Peter Jennings Way. But getting a street named after the city's arguably most famous TV detective who was also a Broadway legend is no easy task. The NY Times has the full story about the quest for Jerry Orbach's name to grace a street corner. Specifically the corner of West 53rd and 8th Avenue, where he and his wife Elaine Orbach lived. It turns out that Community Board 5,......

First things first: According to WNBC, the NYPD says that NYC marketing firm Interference Inc. gave them a list of 41 locations where the Aqua Teen Hunger Force LED devices were hung (38 in Manhattan, including the Meatpacking District, Greenwich Village, LES, and 3 in Brooklyn). The NYPD only found two which were at 33rd Street and the West Side Highway, which can only mean that everyone who passed by these things and heard......