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The Vermont senator is now seen as 'electable' by a majority of Americans, while Hillary Clinton's lead among likely Democratic voters has narrowed to 9 points Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has seen a rise in his Iowa and New Hampshire poll numbers -- and with the Iowa caucuses less than two weeks away, his national support is growing, too. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, he trails national frontrunner Hillary Clinton by just nine points among likely Democratic primary voters -- the closest margin yet. Sanders has always been well-liked, compared with Clinton. This poll is no exception. More than half...

Well, most of the Democratic 2016 field supports this, as do anti-gun activists, so it's no surprise that some members of Congress are trying to gut the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005 (via the Hill): Gun manufacturers could be sued by victims of gun violence under new legislation from Democrats.The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act would roll back long-standing protections enjoyed by the gun industry that shields it from many lawsuits.The bill would make firearms manufacturers and dealers liable for harm caused by the weapons they sell. The legislation is...

MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews said that “I do believe in reparations, if he could figure out what it would be” in a discussion on Democratic presidential candidate Senator Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ (I-VT) position on the issues on Wednesday.

Vote comes despite latest terrorism-related arrestsBrushing aside new fears over terrorists exploiting the refugee program, Senate Democrats on Wednesday successfully defended President Obama’s call to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees this year, saying the U.S. has an obligation to help the weak and needy. Republicans had hoped to impose new security checks on the program by requiring Mr. Obama’s FBI, Homeland Security and intelligence chiefs to certify every refugee, saying those security officials needed to be on record if the country was going to expand its program. But Democrats filibustered the plan, leaving Republicans five votes shy of the 60 needed...

Sunday night's NBC face-off between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders was watched by 10.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched Democratic primary debate since October. The ratings were an improvement over the other two Democratic debates on broadcast networks this election season. CBS's Democratic debate on a Saturday night in November averaged 8.5 million viewers. The ABC debate on the Saturday before Christmas in December had 7.8 million. NBC had an advantage over ABC and CBS, since Sunday nights have heavier TV viewership. Still, NBC's debate -- the fourth of the Democratic cycle -- didn't come close to matching the...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted 2016 rival Donald Trump on Monday, questioning his ties to Democrats and previous support for liberal positions as the two battle for the top spot in Iowa."If he's giving checks to Democratic politicians and he supports their views... then it starts to suggest, 'gosh if he publicly supports their views if he finances their causes,'" Cruz told Boston radio station WRKO. "Then suddenly when he announces as a candidate for president, every single one of his views changes - listen if he has had a change of heart, I am thrilled." Cruz, who is competing...

Hillary Clinton offered direct praise for a Youtube channel creator who asked a planned question during Sunday night’s Democratic debate.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) acknowledged that "Iran may do bad things with the $150 billion that will be released to them as part of the deal negotiated by the Obama Administration. "Will they fund terrorist cells?" Pelosi asked. "Undoubtedly, but these terrorists will only kill thousands. A nuclear weapon could kill millions. Under this premise, paying billions that would enable terrorists to kill thousands seems a worthwhile trade off." "Sometimes you've got to make a deal with the devil," she added. "For example, look at the deal Chamberlain made with Hitler in 1938. A small sliver of land...

Bernie Sanders is mad as hell -- and he's hoping Democratic voters are, too. The Vermont senator denounced a "corrupt" political system and cast himself as a break from it, while Hillary Clinton tied herself tightly with President Barack Obama and argued she'd build on his legacy, as the Democratic presidential contenders clashed Sunday night in Charleston. Here are six takeaways from the final Democratic debate before the first votes are cast in Iowa and New Hampshire: 1. Sanders = Trump It's not often you hear Sanders say the words "my good friend Donald Trump" -- but the two have...

When Democratic presidential candidates get together to debate, it really is like watching the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks, as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) once joked.

The long-accepted Census Bureau prediction that whites will be a minority in 2044, ending any dominance by the white-heavy Republican Party, is being sharply challenged by an unusual source: the AFL-CIO....

Socialist candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination Sen. Bernie Sanders refused to answer any questions about how his Administration will pay for the plethora of taxpayer-subsidized loot he is promising to voters, saying that "it would spoil the surprise." "Does anyone demand that Santa Claus lay out a budget for all the gifts he gives?" Sanders wanted to know. "On one level, it would be rude to look a gift horse in the mouth. From a more practical standpoint, if I tip my hand ahead of time the people I'm going to ask to bear the expense may try to...

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is slamming Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz for attacking “New York values" and praising GOP rival Donald Trump for defending his home state. "I'm a Democrat, but Donald Trump did a very good job defending New York," Schumer told host John Catsimatidis on "The Cats Roundtable" on New York's AM-970 on Sunday. "I'd like Ted Cruz to go talk about New York values to the firefighters who rushed to the towers on 9/11, and the police and EMTs, to the brave New York police officers who keep our streets safe," he added. Schumer also noted that...

Sunday night's presidential debate should be the most closely watched meeting of the party's candidates this year. But once again, thanks to the Democratic National Committee"s schedule, debate viewership will not be even close to what it could have been. **SNIP** But not only will this debate air at 9 p.m. on Sunday, in the middle of a three day weekend, but it will also run during National Football League playoff games and - dare we say - a new episode of PBS's popular series, "Downton Abbey."

Since President Obama took office the number of able-bodied-without-dependents who are receiving government food subsidies has soared by 370%. This increase in participation by persons who in another era would have been expected to fend for themselves was hailed as "great progress on the President's goal of transforming America," by Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell. "Relieved of the burden of feeding themselves, these individuals are free to pursue goals higher on Maslow's hierarchy of needs." One of the favorite "higher goals" of this segment of the population is smoking. Fully 50% of the subsidized beneficiaries are smokers...

Donald Trump's ability to draw a crowd has flabbergasted even one of left-leaning MSNBC's talk-show hosts, Joe Scarborough, who took to national airwaves to say the billionaire is beating all records -- that his ability to pack a room with eager listeners exceeds anything even much-loved Ronald Reagan could do. ... "I saw Reagan come to Pensacola twice in 1980. I saw the crowds. I never saw anything like that in my hometown before. ..." Earlier this week, Trump attracted "a capacity crowd of nearly 12,000 at the Pensacola Bay Center on Florida's panhandle." Pensacola has a population of...

Donald Trump is finding himself with strange bedfellows after Thursday's Republican debate, after he gave a rousing defense of "New York values" in response to attacks by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Among those who seconded his comments: prominent Democrats Hillary Clinton, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Donald Trump may not have to win the White House for the Senate to start voting on his agenda. Senate Democrats plan to force their Republican colleagues to take sides on the GOP presidential frontrunner's most controversial proposals by offering them as amendments to other bills this year. "Since Republican leaders in the House and Senate have pledged loyalty to Trump, the obvious next step is to vote on his policies, including his unconstitutional plan to bar people from entering the United States based on their religion," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a Thursday statement, referencing Trump's...

BREAKING: Defense Secretary Slips Up, Reveals Obama Admin LED IRAN Straight to Our Sailors First came the fact that President Barack Obama refused to address the arrest of 10 of our sailors by the Iranian military after their boats had mechanical trouble at sea. Then came news that the Obama administration had offered the Iranians an apology for the release of the sailors. Now comes the disturbing revelation, apparently delivered by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, that the Obama administration tipped off the Iranians that our soldiers were lost at sea and requested their aid. The news came from Rep. Louie...

Critics of Maine Gov. Paul LePage failed to muster enough support to require a vote Thursday on an independent investigation that could have led to impeachment for alleged abuse of power. Instead, House lawmakers voted 96-52 to indefinitely postpone debate after Republican leader Ken Fredette introduced a motion to pre-empt any action on the impeachment order. A group led by Democratic Rep. Ben Chipman of Portland wanted to punish the brash and outspoken Republican governor for pressuring a school operator into rescinding a job offer to Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves. ...