CNN Contributor Roland Martin Leaving Network Because 'New Boss Wants His Own Peeps'

CNN contributor Roland Martin, who was suspended last year over a series of homophobic tweets during the Super Bowl, one in which he mocked men who wear pink, and another in which he advocated violence toward men attracted to men (specifically, male fans of David Beckham), is being let go.

Said Martin to a follower on Twitter,  "Yes, last day at @cnn is April 6," adding, to another, “new boss (Jeff Zucker) wants his own peeps".

Martin met with GLAAD over his anti-gay remarks in late February and after the questionably productive meeting issued a non-apology apology, touted his support for lifting the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy,gay adoption, and including gays in hate crimes laws, and then gave what might be perceived as a warning that he'd possibly be speaking out in ways that gays might not like in the future:

"I have no plan to abandon my goal as a truth teller on a variety of issues; and, yes, that includes those that may be on the LGBT agenda."

Kathy Griffin Goes For Anderson Cooper's Euphemism On NYE: VIDEO

Goodness gracious, Kathy Griffin was in rare form when she joined pal Anderson Cooper for CNN's New Year's Eve countdown, particularly when tickled what she calls his "sack" and he what calls his "Christmas presents." She later attempted to distract the anchor by laying a lip smack down under. Maybe she was  confused about hemispheres and date lines?

While that moment, included AFTER THE JUMP, was most likely the most stressful for CNN's censors, Cooper says the most bizarre moment was when Psy and MC Hammer wandered onto their stage: "He was pushed on by some Psy PR team... I don't think he knew where he was. I don't think he knew who we were. I don't think he realized he was on CNN."

Watch Cooper and potty-mouth Griffin try to be gracious hosts AFTER THE JUMP.

53% Think Republicans 'Too Extreme': POLL

With the dreaded "fiscal cliff" approaching, and Democrats and Republicans still squabbling over what's to be done with the economy, CNN decided to ask Americans what should be done with Democrats and Republicans.

And according to their findings, a slight majority of the nation thinks the GOP needs to mellow out.

...53% say the GOP should compromise more, with 41% saying the Democratic Party should give up more of the proposals it supports to develop bipartisan solutions.

"That's due in part to the fact that the Republican brand is not doing all that well," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed say they view the policies of the GOP as too extreme, up 17 points from two years ago. Only 37% say they view the polices of the Democratic Party as too extreme.

The same percentage of the public, 53%, believes that when it comes to bipartisan compromise, the GOP should be the party to cave on its demands.

Anderson Cooper Talks Coming Out, Temporary Blindness On 'The View': VIDEO

Anderson Cooper and the girls from ABC's The View covered a whole host of topics during his brief visit to the morning show today. Among them: temporarily going blind in Portugal, what he tells his mother when he's in dangerous, war-torn lands where they kill people, how he feels now that he's come out and why he's sweating another New Year's Eve extravaganza with perennially controversial countdown host Kathy Griffin.

Watch the gals and Cooper gab it up AFTER THE JUMP.

AFA's Bryan Fischer Calls CNN 'The Gay Gestapo' for Hangin Up on Him: VIDEO

Earliier this week, CNN's Carol Costello hung up on hate group leader Bryan Fischer when he started into his rant about how Hitler and the Nazis were gay and compared an anti-bullying program to cyanide-laced candy. Now, she's apparently a Nazi too and has earned her spot in the "gay Gestapo," Right Wing Watch reports.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(UPDATED) Disabled Pakistani Girl Imprisoned For Blasphemy: VIDEO

[UPDATE: Turns out that the girl in the following story was very likely framed by a local cleric. Read more here.]

Here is a link to a very disturbing CNN story. It starts bad --

A Pakistani court postponed a hearing Saturday on whether to grant bail to a Christian girl accused of burning pages containing Quran verses in a case that has heightened religious tensions.

Muslim lawyers demanded she remain in jail during a tense hearing that included a shouting match with the judge. They provided a list of reasons she should be detained, including questioning whether the girl gave her lawyer the power of attorney.

A judge ordered investigators to get more details on her power of attorney, and postponed the hearing to Monday. Before Saturday, a decision was supposed to come Thursday, but was deferred so authorities could answer questions about her medical history.

"All these are the delaying tactics by the lawyers of the complainant to keep the girl in jail," said her lawyer, Tahir Naveed Choudhry.

-- and gets worse.

The girl, it turns out, is desperately poor -- from such a backwards neighborhood that authorities can't tell if she's eleven years old, sixteen years old, or some age in between. Nobody else seems to know, either. (I get the impression the author of the CNN article thinks she's fourteen.)

Also: The girl's not being accused of burning the Qur'an pages out of some kind of anti-Islamism. She was trying to start a cooking fire, as many in her corner of the world must, with scrap paper.

Also: The only evidence that she did actually burn pages from the Qur'an come from eyewitnesses. As of yet, no physical evidence has been presented.

Also: Even if the girl actually did burn pages from the Qur'an, she wouldn't know it. She's illiterate.

Also: The girl is mentally disabled, and may have Down's Syndrome.

From CNN:

The court faces a difficult decision amid concerns that if she is released on bail, she could be at risk from Muslims angered by the allegations against her.

Choudhry, a leading member of the Christian community, said the girl is too young to stay in prison and would be safer joining her relatives, who are in hiding.

"She was crying in the jail and missing her parents," he said.

Choudhry suspects the girl's trial could take up to two years. If convicted of blasphemy, the disabled, illiterate young girl could face life in prison.

For obvious reasons, CNN hasn't named the suspected blasphemer. AFTER THE JUMP, see CNN's Reza Sayah discussing the story from Islamabad.