Terrorism In Colorado Springs, Cruz vs. Rubio Battle Heats Up, and How Inequality Fuels ISIS

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December 1, 2015

Top Stories


The 3 Big Fights Shaping Up In The Rubio-Cruz Rivalry

The Gist: As attention shifts to a growing rivalry between Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), the two candidates have been calling each other out on issues from immigration to taxation.

Ted Cruz: ‘The Overwhelming Majority Of Violent Criminals Are Democrats’

The Gist: Cruz chastised those who have linked the deadly shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic with anti-abortion rhetoric, arguing that most criminals are actually Democrats.

Trump Says He Saw ‘Love’ From Black Pastors Despite Lack Of Endorsements

The Gist: Donald Trump claimed his private meeting with black religious leaders went well, though numerous pastors who attended the event publicly condemned his treatment of minorities.

From The Reporter’s Notebook


Clark McCauley, a social psychologist at Bryn Mawr College who studies terrorism, told TPM’s Lauren Fox that the goal of terrorists in injecting fear is not fear itself, but how Western countries respond to threats. “What they are looking for is not chaos,” McCauley said. On the contrary, terrorists are looking for a Europe unified against Muslims, which will leave millions of Muslims living in the EU with no place to turn.”

Agree or Disagree?


Josh Marshall: From the beginning of Robert Lewis Dear’s attack on the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic, there’s been an odd reluctance to state what appears to be obvious. This was the latest instance of anti-abortion rights terrorism in the U.S. and appears directly linked to the false claims about Planned Parenthood’s involvement in the trafficking of body parts from aborted fetuses.

Say What?!


“You know what, I actually remember things like that, ‘cause I live one town away from one of the towns where, according to my neighbors, they saw with their own two eyes, there were people celebrating.”

– Fox News host Steve Doocy defended Trump, saying he remembered Muslims cheering on 9/11.

BUZZING: Today in the Hive


From a TPM Prime member: “Turns out some people who have recovered from Ebola infection some months later suffer a relapse. The virus can be sequestered somewhere in the body. That is very apparent…….to me anyway. I have seen reports of the virus being in semen as long as 9 months after recovery. A very scary situation. Survivors need to stay vigilant about their health, something that is not addressed currently at the level it should be in West Africa and other places the virus has got to…”

Related: 8 conservative freakouts that blamed Obama for ebola in 2014.

Have something to add? Become a Prime member and join the discussion here.

What We’re Reading


Why inequality is to blame for the rise of ISIS. (The Washington Post)

Recipes often claim to be “quick and easy” but rarely are — the myth of easy cooking. (The Atlantic)

The power source India chooses may decide the fate of the planet. (Wired)

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