From the Agenda Project: Yesterday, Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced that not only would they not approve any individual that President Obama nominates to the Supreme Court, they would refuse to hold even cursory hearings. In response, the Agenda Project Action Fund released a provocative new ad targeting GOP obstructionism in the Supreme Court fight. “Constitution or …

And another third place finish for Ted Cruz. Via CNN: Donald Trump notched a resounding win in the Nevada caucuses Tuesday, channeling the roiling anger of Republican voters against the establishment and sweeping almost every category of the electorate to build his dominance in the delegate count. It was a stunning show of momentum for his campaign, one that made …

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will face the voters tonight in a town hall meeting due to start at 8PM Eastern in Columbia, South Carolina. Hosting tonight is CNN, who will be live-streaming on their website with your local cable provider login. A bootleg live-stream from YouTube is embedded below. Watch along with us and weigh in.

Before the Charlotte City Council even voted to approve its LGBT rights law last night, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory had vowed “immediate intervention” if it were to pass. Tonight McCrory and state GOP leaders are moving to make that promise come true and then some. Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Gov. McCrory said legislators …

According to a first-of-its-kind study issued today by the Centers For Disease Control, black gay men in the United States have a 50% chance of an HIV+ diagnosis in their lifetime. All men who have sex with men face a 79-times higher risk of contracting HIV than do heterosexual men. From the CDC’s press materials: A CDC study released in …

So it turns out he wasn’t murdered after all. PROBABLY. From the Associated Press: A letter from the Supreme Court’s doctor says Antonin Scalia suffered from coronary artery disease, obesity and diabetes, among other ailments that probably contributed to the justice’s sudden death. Presidio County District Attorney Rod Ponton cited the letter Tuesday, when he told The Associated Press there …

Last month the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court told Alliance Defending Freedom to take a hike when they affirmed New York’s public accommodations laws in the case of an upstate wedding venue that had been fined for turning away a same-sex couple. Today the ADF announced that they are surrendering. The Associated Press reports: The owners of …

Marco Rubio will be the sole GOP presidential candidate to skip this year’s wingnut fest at CPAC 2016. The news was breathlessly reported this afternoon over at Trump World Headquarters (AKA Breitbart), where they have posted a reaction from CPAC’s organizers: Although, Marco Rubio has built a conservative record and has a high ACU rating, he and his campaign have …

“Shame on Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and the City Council members who voted last night to pass an ordinance that would allow people to use the bathroom of their choice, not based on their biological sex. It’s not over though. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has been clear that this is a bad policy and said if the city passed …

“Get a brain and figure it out. Don’t you want to live better? Don’t you want to be more prosperous? Don’t you want to be happier? Don’t you want to be free? Don’t you want poor people to do well? Don’t you want to love your neighbor? If you want all those things, David, you would embrace competition with both …

JMG reader Ed points us what is actually a parody of an ad for something – that something being a German line of sex toys for women. Watch below as a silly group of bears recreates the ad, substituting ice cream and other items for the dildos, etc. Nearly 200,000 views at this writing.

It could not possibly have been more heated than last night’s debate in Charlotte, which was hands down the most wacko I’ve ever seen. And that includes Hawaii. But here’s how things went last night in Tennessee’s Washington County as reported by the Johnson City Press: Washington County Commissioner Forrest Boreing attributed the early Tuesday morning failure of a resolution …

Hemant Mehta has the news at The Friendly Atheist: It was a year ago today when the American Family Association released a “Bigotry Map,” a sort-of response to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s famous list of “hate groups.” But while the SPLC’s list consisted of groups that “have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, …

Wingnuts are screaming, of course. USA Today reports: Keeping the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay open is “contrary to our values,” President Obama said Tuesday, as he released a plan that examined 13 potential sites for transferring the suspected terrorists but did not propose any specific location. His plan sets up a last-year confrontation with Congress about a campaign …

The trial has finally begun for Elliot Morales, who bragged and laughed to arresting officers after gunning down a gay black man, Mark Carson, on a West Village corner in May 2013. The New York Daily News reports: The best friend of a 32-year-old gay man killed by a hate-filled sicko in the West Village in 2013 tried in vain …

And yet another big loss for the Liberty Counsel. Via the Washington Blade: A Virginia judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County School District’s nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. FCPS Pride, a group that represents LGBT employees of the Fairfax County School District, welcomed the decision from the Fairfax County Circuit Court. “Our …

CNN reports: Donald Trump unleashed tough rhetoric against his rivals as well as a protester at a Monday night rally, the even before the Nevada caucuses. “I’d like to punch him in the face,” Trump said, remarking that a man disrupting his rally was escorted out with a smile on his face. “He’s smiling, having a good time.” Trump claimed …

Marco Rubio has picked up a slew of endorsements from GOP leaders who are continuing to panic as Trump increasingly seems unstoppable. The Hill reports: Jeb Bush, Rubio’s former mentor and chief competition for establishment Republicans, left the race after a poor showing in South Carolina on Saturday. Rubio finished second in the Palmetto State, edging Cruz, who finished a …

Remember the nutters from Australia’s “Stop Safe Schools” group whose protest backfired, resulting in a financial windfall for an LGBT prom? Now those haters are celebrating after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered an investigation into the entire program. From the Sydney Morning Herald: Turnbull has ordered a review into a controversial school education program aimed at promoting acceptance of gay, …

Deal is being pressured by Georgia’s business leaders but he hasn’t said what the changes might be. Via the Associated Press: Georgia’s governor indicated Monday that changes are coming to a bill allowing faith-based organizations to refuse service to gay couples without repercussion. Supporters say it’s intended to prevent religious adoption agencies, schools and other organizations from losing licenses, state …