Politics

Andrew Sullivan appeared last night on Real Time With Bill Maher where he declared Hillary Clinton to “unbelievably useless” and a “talent-free hack.” More from Mediaite: Sullivan argued as Clinton’s fiercest critic, and frequently drew disapproving jeers from Bill Maher’s audience. Sullivan tore into Clinton’s time at the State Department, identifying the “disastrous Libya invasion which repeated every mistake that …

This afternoon Breitbart is running a live poll of its readers, asking for their pick to be the next House Speaker. Unsurprisingly the current leader is Tea Party favorite Trey Gowdy. The poll is open to all so if you have any suggestions of your own, here’s the link. Heh.

President Obama reportedly may circumvent Congress and issue an executive order requiring expanded background checks for gun purchases from high-volume dealers. The Washington Post reports: The proposed executive action aims to impose background checks on individuals who buy from dealers who sell a significant number of guns each year. The current federal statute dictates that those who are “engaged in …

The Log Cabin Republicans today salute GOP members of Congress whom they consider to be allies of LGBT movement. Named in the animated “Superfriends” clip: Rep. Mike Coffman, Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Carlos Curbelo, Rep. Charlie Dent, Rep. Bob Dold, Rep. Chris Gibson, Rep. Richard Hanna, Sen. Mark Kirk, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Rob Portman, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

The Hill reports: Newt Gingrich said he would consider taking up the Speaker’s gavel again if called upon to by House Republicans. The former Speaker initially denied any interest in a return to Congress, but when pressed in an interview with radio show host Sean Hannity on Thursday, admitted he would consider it if he had the votes. “If you …

Mediaite recaps: Maddow suggested that since none of the remaining candidates may be able to get 218 votes and the chances of conservatives compromising is low, she suggested either Nancy Reagan or Ted Cruz or the Duck Dynasty guy or even returning champion Newt Gingrich because apparently that’s a thing now. But then she warned about the “ominous” option: what …

Move over Brian Brown, Donald Trump says that HE is the reason for for Kevin McCarthy’s unexpected withdrawal from the House Speaker race. Because of course. Business Insider reports: Trump, the Republican front-runner, said McCarthy made the right decision because he wasn’t tough enough. “Great, Kevin McCarthy drops out of SPEAKER race. We need a really smart and really tough …

At a hastily organized press conference, Rep. Kevin McCarthy today conceded that he has dropped out of the House Speaker race partially due to his accidentally telling the truth about the Benghazi investigation. In so many words, that is. Rachel Maddow will be tickled that McCarthy had one of his famous mouth-fumbling moments right off the bat. Watch below.

Murdoch’s tweet is not going over well. CNN reports: Murdoch’s use of the word “real” flabbergasted many online onlookers, some of whom concluded that the media mogul was questioning Obama’s race and identity. Obama, the first black president of the United States, has also been dogged by false accusations that he isn’t a U.S. citizen. What did Murdoch mean? “We …

Rep. Alan Grayson has filed a House ethics complaint against Republicans Kevin McCarthy and Trey Gowdy over the never-ending Benghazi investigation. Via The Hill: “The Benghazi Committee has been a political dog-and-pony show for its entire 17-month history,” Grayson said in a statement. “It has been clear even to casual observers that the purpose of the committee was never to …

After Donald Trump launched yet another serious of tweets against Politico, they trolled him right back today with a link to their story titled, “The 199 Most Donald Trump Things Donald Trump Has Ever Said.” As the title indicates, their story is a recounting of verbatim Donald Trump quotes over the last few years. A sample: “I have black guys …

Tomorrow House Republicans will meet behind closed doors to select their nominee to succeed Speaker John Boehner. The full House will vote on October 29th, but observers note that none of the declared candidates, at the moment, likely have the 218 votes needed to win. If no candidate reaches that threshold, Boehner would remain Speaker despite his plan to resign. …

A new TV ad urging Joe Biden to join the 2016 race debuted this morning on The Today Show. The New York Times reports: The group trying to persuade Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to enter the presidential race is set to broadcast an unusual commercial on national television in which Mr. Biden recounts how his life was shaped …

Bill Clinton appeared on the The Late Show last night where Stephen Colbert asked him about Donald Trump. CNN recaps: Regarding Trump, Clinton offered some backhanded praise, complimenting him as a “master brander.” He suggested that the GOP frontrunner’s success has come because “he’s the most interesting character out there.” The former president highlighted the appeal of Trump’s brusque, politically …

According to Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest today said that President Obama isn’t prepared to endorse the Equality Act, which would essentially grant LGBT Americans the same federal protections enjoyed by Christians since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. How very disappointing. Nobody really expects the Equality Act to get any …

Democrats will have an opportunity to flip a battleground Senate seat in 2016 as New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan today announced her bid to unseat GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte. The Hill reports: Democrats have been pushing Hassan to run, as polling shows she’s the only Democrat in the state who is competitive in a head-to-head match-up against Ayotte. Recent polling …

Mediaite recaps last night’s show: “Perhaps the clearest sign of how little we want to talk about mental health is that one of the only times it’s brought up is, as we’ve seen yet again this week, in the aftermath of a mass shooting, as a means of steering the conversation away from gun control,” Oliver said. After playing clips …

Teabagistan is flipping out over a column published yesterday in the New York Daily News. An excerpt: One terrorist group is responsible for more civilian deaths since December 2012 (the Sandy Hook massacre) than Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas and the Taliban. Yet it is the only nearly-state sponsored terrorist group that is not listed by the U.S. State Department …

People Magazine recaps last night’s opening skit: Miley Cyrus kicked off the season premiere of Saturday Night Live by looking back at the biggest names of summer of 2015 – including everyone from Arianna Grande to Kim Davis. Wearing a floral plastic minidress and matching bathing cap, the “Wrecking Ball” singer took aim at herself before beginning her act. “I …

Hillary Clinton’s appearance on Saturday Night Live is getting good reviews. Via Salon: The segment did exactly what those close to Clinton have been encouraging her to do to appear more personable: use her self-deprecating sense of humor she’s famous for to help boost sagging poll numbers. The two even mocked some of Clinton’s slow-to-act positions such as her opposition …