Human Events
February 1, 2012
Newt Gingrich

Last week, the Obama administration finalized a radical new rule that uses the health care law to require all health insurance providers to cover abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization as well as contraception, all free of charge. The administration based the rule’s "religious exemption" on a provision drafted by the ACLU, applying the rule even to religious organizations such as Catholic schools, hospitals, universities and charities that oppose such things as a matter of religious belief.

The weak exemption the administration allowed applies only to religious organizations serving primarily people of the same religion. It is so narrow that Timothy Dolan, the Catholic archbishop of New York City and current head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "even Jesus and His disciples would not qualify for the exemption in that case, because they were
committed to serve those of other faiths."

Human Events
January 25, 2012
Newt Gingrich

As a member of Congress I sat through 20 State of the Union addresses. I listened to Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. Four of those I spent sitting behind the president as Speaker of the House.

During each of the four years I was speaker, it was President Clinton who delivered the State of the Union address.

I can tell you firsthand that it is very challenging to be the Republican Speaker of the House sitting directly behind a Democratic president as he delivers his biggest speech of the year. There are more pitfalls than you might imagine.

Human Events
January 18, 2012
Newt Gingrich

One-fifth of the world’s oil trade passes through a six-mile wide sea traffic lane in the Strait of Hormuz, bounded on one side by the Islamic Republic of Iran and on the other by the Arabian Peninsula.

An average of 14 oil tankers travel through the strait each day on their way to deliver fuel to Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Cutting off this supply line would propel soaring energy prices and cripple economies around the world. That is exactly why Iran’s regime has threatened to close the Strait in retaliation if the United States or Europe takes serious steps to punish its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

It’s not exactly an idle threat.

Human Events
January 11, 2011
Newt and Callista Gingrich

The Gingrich Foundation is proud to honor the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. as its January Charity of the Month. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation cares for two of America's most iconic historical sites -- Lady Liberty and Ellis Island.

 January 1, 2012 marked the 120th anniversary of Ellis Island's opening day. From the time Ellis Island opened its doors in 1892 until the Island's closing in 1954, twelve million people passed through on their way to a new life in the United States. It is estimated that over 100 million of us can trace our ancestry back to someone who entered the United States through Ellis Island.

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are at the heart of what it means to be an American. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation is charged with protecting and preserving these national treasures.

Human Events
January 11, 2012
Newt Gingrich

Last week I featured the story of New Hampshire’s Ian Hill, whose Wicked Good Donut business is allowing him to save for college and meet a payroll for several staff—all at just 16 years of age.

Ian’s story is an example of how the entrepreneurial spirit in America is often learned early. He offers an example in his understanding that opportunity is often something we create rather than stumble upon.

That’s exactly the lesson to draw from the responses to my letter last week, after which dozens of people wrote in with stories of young Americans who are learning early that hard work pays off. Like Ian’s donut business, many of these children started work as little more than a hobby, or perhaps a way to earn some spending money, and soon saw the chance to create something much bigger. One man I heard from actually started washing windows at age 16 and two decades later has grown that business into a multi-million dollar home improvement company. Another person wrote in with the story of a young man in Houston, Texas who started running garage sales for his neighbors and is now working on franchises.

Human Events
January 4, 2012
Newt Gingrich

In the past few weeks I have written often about giving young Americans the opportunity to learn work habits at an early age.

This week I want to tell you about a 16 year old I met recently in New Hampshire who discovered the many rewards of hard work at 11 years of age.

Ian Hill has learned entrepreneurship firsthand, growing his company, Ian’s Wicked Good Donuts, from a hobby into a thriving business that allows him to save money for his college education. As Ian shares below, he has made decisions about investing in equipment, finding new customers, and sticking to a budget.

People
December 30, 2011
Jill Smolowe and Sharon Cotliar

At a recent event in Mount Vernon, Va., for her children’s book Sweet Land of Liberty, Callista Gingrich sat sandwiched between two larger-than-life characters. To her left was a costumed Ellis, the cuddly elephant star of her story; to her right sat her husband, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. With Callista, 45, a diminutive blonde woman sorely at risk of being upstaged, Newt, 68, made sure his wife of 11 years remained the center of attention. When a man approached with seven books by Newt and two by Callista, Newt told him, “She’ll sign all of them,” then waited for Callista to pen her name before signing his own.

Those close to the Gingriches say that such displays of spousal support are not just show. “Newt is a changed man,” says Mary Ourisman, a former U.S. ambassador. “Callista has been amazing for him.” Though Newt was still taking some heat ahead of the January 3 Iowa caucus for his six-year extramarital affair with Callista when she was a congressional aide, friends say she is now among his strongest assets. “We take time for each other on a regular basis,” Callista told People during a chat after the book signing. “We enjoy being with one another.” Their togetherness has vexed some staff- ers worried about Newt’s time, but he insists, “You have to slow down to really be with each other.”

Politico
December 28, 2011
Karin Tanabe

To most, Callista Gingrich’s children’s book character, Ellis the Elephant, probably looks like a fluffy little American flag-waving cartoon animal. But to Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, he is much more.

In September, he called the arrival of Callista’s children’s book, “Sweet Land of Liberty,” “One of the most exciting events this fall.” But that praise has nothing on his recent comments in a New York Times magazine piece posted online on Wednesday. Gingrich said that the furry star of Callista’s book “saved" him during the summer months when he lost the majority of his senior campaign staff.