Napolitano quizzed on Secret Service scandal, all eyes on Gingrich, plus more to watch for Wednesday in politics

ByABC News
April 25, 2012, 7:26 AM

— -- Two things to listen for Wednesday: What Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tells a Senate panel about the Secret Service brothel scandal and what Newt Gingrich has to say about staying in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

Napolitano's appearance before the Judiciary Committee will be the first public proceedings to focus on the scandal.

"No one wants to see the president's security compromised or America embarrassed," chairman Patrick Leahy was expected to say to Napolitano, according to his prepared remarks. "Senators on this committee will be very interested to hear from you on this matter today."

As for Gingrich, he got no traction in Tuesday's primaries after Mitt Romney won all five. Gingrich told a small crowd in Concord, N.C., Tuesday evening that while he still wants to take the conservative fight "all the way to Tampa" to the Republican National Convention, he also wants to be pragmatic.

"Over the next few days, we're going to look realistically at where we are at," Gingrich said.

Gingrich is scheduled to campaign in North Carolina on Wednesday. Romney, who is turning his attention squarely on Nov. 6, will attend a fundraiser in New York City.

President Barack Obama wraps up a two-day, three-state trip focused on getting Congress to prevent interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. He'll be at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

And then there is this: Defense lawyers for John Edwards are expected to get their first shot at cross examining former aide Andrew Young who is a key witness against his former boss.

And this might get some buzz Wednesday: Michelle Obama and Ann Romney outscore their husbands in personal popularity in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, while Hillary Clinton, for her part, has hit a new high in favorability data stretching back to her entry on the national stage 20 years ago.

Sources: Yahoo! News, ABC News, Associated Press.

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