Politics

Politico reports: White Christians now make up less than half of the U.S. population, largely receding from the majorities of most demographic groups, with one notable exception: the Republican Party. According to the latest results from Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape survey published Monday by National Journal’s Next America project, just 46 percent of American adults are white Christians, down …

The Ottawa Citizen reports: Gay men will be among the Syrian refugees the government is willing to bring to Canada under a plan that will otherwise welcome primarily women, children and families. Security concerns over extremists potentially slipping in to Canada mean the Liberal government will likely exclude unaccompanied males from its planned resettlement of thousands of refugees. But the …

The Hill reports: Six GOP presidential candidates would beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head matchup, according to a Fox News poll released Sunday. Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) would do best against Clinton, 50 to 42 percent, pollsters found. Billionaire Donald Trump, retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and New Jersey …

This weekend Donald Trump twice declared that “thousands and thousands” of Arabs in Jersey City were cheering when the Twin Towers came down. Which never happened. Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who joined the Marines and served in Iraq after witnessing the attack, is furious. He was elected mayor in 2013 at the age of 36 and my pals …

John Oliver last night added fuel to a long-running “dump the penny” campaign. TIME reports: On the last episode of Last Week Tonight of the year, Oliver called for a small change that could have big results for the U.S. economy — ending the penny. According to Oliver, 8 billion pennies are produced each year, and in an ironic twist, …

Via the New York Times: With a victory that defied political geography and near universal predictions from just months earlier, a previously little-known Democrat, State Representative John Bel Edwards, soundly defeated United States Senator David Vitter in a runoff election on Saturday to become the next governor of Louisiana. A more promising red state Democrat could hardly have been found …

Anti-gay Kentucky governor-elect Matt Bevin is VERY ANGRY about the above cartoon published yesterday by the Lexington Herald-Leader. Bevin, who has four adopted children from Africa, has issued a press release which threatens the paper with reprisals once he assumes office. The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: “The Lexington Herald-Leader chose to articulate with great clarity the deplorably racist ideology of ‘cartoonist’ …

Last night Stephen Colbert opening his show with a blistering denouncement of the GOP response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Watch this.

CNN tonight confirmed that it has suspended reporter Elise Labott for tweeting that the Statue Of Liberty bowed her head “in anguish” following the House vote to suspend immigration by Syrian refugees. The suspension came after Washington Post writer Eric Wemple called out Labott for not complying with CNN’s “neutrality principle/sham.” Labott’s suspension will reportedly last two weeks. And over …

Every House Republican and 47 House Democrats this afternoon voted to suspend immigration by Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Politico reports: The vote was a significant loss for the White House — perhaps the biggest setback since most of the House Democratic Caucus voted against Obama on a trade bill in mid-June. Thursday’s vote, coupled with the Iranian nuclear agreement bill …

The Washington Post reacts to the above map released this week by the Federal Elections Commission: Pretty remarkable no? The cliche about Democrats being the coastal party and Republicans being the party of the interior of the country is born out by this map. Outside of a pocket of liberalism in Minnesota (a long time progressive stronghold) and Illinois (a …

According to a report issued today by the Washington Post, Martin O’Malley’s campaign is just about out of money. They write: With barely 10 weeks before Democrats start picking their presidential nominee, former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley’s campaign is perilously close to financial collapse. The Democratic hopeful this week began asking the roughly 30 staffers at his Baltimore headquarters to …

Newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a letter vowing to follow through on his progressive campaign promises. Deadstate recaps: Trudeau’s plans will include legalizing and regulating marijuana, reducing the number of hand guns and assault rifles, and securing rights for all citizens, especially focusing on LGBTQ rights. Trudeau’s letter lists several other priorities, such as fighting for the …

CNN recaps the Bloomberg poll released last night: The refugee issue has emerged as a key political issue in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris. More than half — 31 — of the nation’s governors, mainly Republicans, oppose letting Syrian refugees into their states and most GOP presidential candidates have called for a pause in allowing them …

Democratic Roanoke Mayor David Bowers today issued a press release which suggests that those WWII-era Japanese internment camps were not only a good idea then, they might be the way to go now with Muslim refugees. Who he totally doesn’t want in his town. “Better safe than sorry.” Bowers: “I’m reminded that President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester …

President Obama just unleashed a barrage of tweets denouncing those who want to “slam the door in the face of refugees.” The Tea Things are going nuts.

According to a new poll out of Florida, Donald Trump’s support there has climbed to 36%, twice that of Marco Rubio’s 18%. Next comes Ben Carson with 15% and Ted Cruz with 10%. From the Tampa Bay Times: A newly released poll of likely Florida Republican primary voters by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative shows Donald …

Via USA Today: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ended his long-shot campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday. Jindal made the announcement on Fox News, saying “it’s not my time.” While Jindal’s campaign showed some progress in Iowa — site of the Feb. 1 caucuses that open the Republican nomination contest — he had trouble gaining traction in other …

In an attempt to out-Cruz Ted Cruz, yesterday Chris Christie told right wing radio host Hugh Hewitt that under his presidency, he’d even ban immigration for refugee orphans under five years old. Presumably because they’d grow up to be suicide bombers. Listen below.

The three remaining Democratic candidates for president will debate in Iowa tonight where the questions will now center on terrorism. The New York Times reports: In the hours after the deadly attacks in Paris, CBS News significantly reworked its plans for the Democratic presidential debate it is hosting here on Saturday night to focus more on issues of terrorism, national …