Big rant
Trump goes to Iowa and goes off on what The Washington Post calls a 95-minute rant. Among the highlights, Trump goes after Carson, says he doesn’t believe the belt-buckle stabbing story, challenges anyone in the crowd to try the stabbing on him, calls Carson pathological, talks about the pathology of child molesters and says of Carson’s rise in the polls, “How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?”
Mitt’s back?
GOP establishment nears panic as Trump and Carson stay in the lead. No one seems to have any idea what to do about it. Here’s one idea actually being bandied about: Bring back Mitt. Again. Via The Washington Post.
Sanders’s time
On the Democratic side, there’s a debate Saturday night. And the latest New York Times/CBS News poll shows how critical it is for Bernie Sanders to make a move if he is to have any chance of catching Hillary Clinton. As the Times notes, the key number in the poll is that most Democrats believe Clinton would make a more effective president, even on Sanders’s issues. Here’s the full poll. Via The New York Times.
Rock solid
How the Bushes misunderstood Dick Cheney. Did he ever really change as Bush the elder said? Via The New Yorker.
Cruz vs. Rubio
For those who were waiting for Ted Cruz to take on Marco Rubio, now is your time. Cruz and Rubio exchange fire on immigration, and many pundits see (hope?) this is the beginning of a long, nasty debate. Via Politico.
Bad job
Are your health-insurance costs still going up despite the very small rise in rates in 2015? That’s probably because your employer is making you pay more. Vox has the charts to prove it.
Cops vindicated
Yet another report vindicates cops in Tamir Rice’s death. Via The Atlantic.
Not guilty
Jury stuns prosecutors by finding reputed Goodfellas mobster, charged in connection with the famed Lufthansa heist, not guilty. So now that you know, you should definitely see the movie. Via The New York Times.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons, Flickr.
