Politics

The trend continues. CNN reports: An Ohio grand jury has decided not to return an indictment in the 2014 police shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, prosecutor Tim McGinty said Monday. A recent FBI video analysis shows Tamir “was drawing his gun from his waist as the police slid toward him and Officer Loehmann exited the car,” McGinty said. After …

The Guardian reports: In a year which saw a series of terrorist atrocities, including in Paris and Tunisia, as well as a refugee crisis in Europe, the Queen has highlighted the “moments of darkness” that confronted the world in her Christmas Day address to the Commonwealth. The mass shootings and bombings that killed 130 in Paris last month, and the …

Via Mother Jones: Perfect last-minute Christmas present for the low-energy person in your life who needs an extra exclamation point: Jeb! Not the candidate, just his name—upbeat punctuation mark and all. The word has apparently lost its appeal. Even to the candidate. The US Patent and Trademark Office accepted the submission and requested additional information before it would grant the …

Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live this weekend to renew her famed impression of Sarah Palin. Today Palin returns the favor in a video from the group that gave us Ted Cruz frying bacon on a gun and Lindsey Graham destroying his cell phone in a blender. Via Mediaite: Palin stars in the newest IJR video in a parody …

Chelsea Clinton yesterday revealed that she is pregnant for a second time. Her mother responded on Twitter: “Your dad and I could not be happier for you, Marc, and Charlotte. We’re so excited to meet our second grandchild!” As did her father: “Christmas comes early! @HillaryClinton and I are thrilled for Chelsea, Marc and Charlotte’s growing family in 2016!” As …

President Obama will appear in the season debut episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s web series, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Breitbart has an uncharacteristically neutral report: The taped episode features Obama and Seinfeld circling the White House driveway in a 1963 Corvette Stingray while they talk about life in the White House, according to a preview of the show provided to …

Some local news from here in Florida: It’s official. Old Dixie Highway is now officially President Barack Obama Highway within the city limits of Riviera Beach. For the residents of Riviera Beach, it has been a long time coming. Mary Brabham has been a resident of Riviera Beach for years. She says the change is welcome. “It’s time to let …

Not that anybody really cares. Via Politico: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is suspending his presidential run, he told supporters on a conference call Monday. His announcement came on the same day as the deadline hit for him to remove his name from the South Carolina primary ballot, a date that had been closely watched amid speculation that the low-polling …

ABC News reports: A campaign spokesperson for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said staffers today regained access to voter data from the Democratic National Committee, which had earlier blocked the campaign’s access, prompting the Sanders campaign to sue the DNC. The resolution was later confirmed by the Democratic National Committee in a statement. “The Sanders campaign has now complied with …

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest exited the briefing room this afternoon flanked by two stormtroopers, much to the delight of Twitter’s wingnuts, many of whom correctly noted that stormtroopers are the bad guys in Star Wars. The stunt was part of tonight’s screening of The Force Awakens at the White House.

In a huge defeat for Teabagistan, this morning the US House overwhelmingly approved its omnibus spending bill which fully funds Planned Parenthood. The Wall Street Journal reports: In a 316-113 vote, a coalition of more centrist Democrats and Republicans passed the spending bill that would avoid a shutdown when the government’s current funding expires at 12:01 a.m. ET on Dec. …

The New York Times reports: The Democratic National Committee has told the campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont that it was suspending its access to its voter database after a software error enabled at least one of his staff members to review Hillary Clinton’s private campaign data. The decision by the party committee is a major blow to Mr. …

Russian president Vladimir Putin appeared to endorse Donald Trump in remarks made yesterday in Moscow. Via Politico: According to an Interfax report of his annual year-end news conference, Putin called the Republican presidential candidate “a very bright and talented man,” as well as an “absolute leader” in the race for the presidency. “He says that he wants to move to …

The Hill has the numbers: Hillary Clinton holds a huge national lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), according to a new poll. A Monmouth University survey released Wednesday found Clinton with a 33-point lead, taking 59 percent support nationally over Sanders at 26 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley takes 4 percent support in the poll. Clinton has maintained a …

CNN has condensed many of last night’s biggest moments into a 90-second clip. Watch below. I would have included Wolf Blizter rebuking Ted Cruz for refusing to abide by his time limit and that bitchy Trump-Bush blowup.

The New York Daily News continues its loud campaign against the gun industry: For America’s gun makers, the slaughter of school children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School turned out to be very good for the bottom line. In the three years since the massacre in Newtown, Conn., the country’s biggest gun manufacturers have made loads of money following a …

This is quite surprising considering recent events. The Independent reports: The far right Front National (FN) was unexpectedly vanquished in all parts of France last night after disgruntled moderate voters surged back to the polls in the second round of regional elections. In a nationwide vote watched with anxiety all over Europe, Marine Le Pen’s deodorised far-right party failed to …

Politico reports: Rand Paul will be on the main stage at Tuesday’s GOP presidential debate in Las Vegas after CNN apparently tweaked its criteria to add a ninth podium for the Kentucky senator, the network announced Sunday. The candidates who will be on the main stage are: Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Carly …

The haters may have turned back LGBT rights in Houston, but they couldn’t keep the mayor’s office out of Democratic hands. The New York Times reports: State Representative Sylvester Turner, defeated his rival, Bill King, as rainy weather appeared to have lessened turnout in the runoff election. The vote represented a political crossroads of sorts for the country’s fourth-most populous …

Just last week the Democratic former state Assembly majority leader was found guilty of corruption. Aaaand here we go again, but this time it’s the guy who voted against same-sex marriage. The New York Times reports: Dean G. Skelos, the former majority leader of the New York Senate, and his son were found guilty of federal corruption charges on Friday, …