Politics

Late last month, we noted that Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz was set to cut social benefits for refugees who failed to attend “special integration training courses.”

Austria, like Germany and multiple other countries in the Schengen zone, is struggling to cope with the influx of asylum seekers fleeing the war-torn Mid-East. Of particular concern is the “integration” process whereby those hailing from “different cultures” are having a decidedly difficult time blending into polite Western society.

For over a year now, Marco Rubio and his substantial cheering section have been trying to ignite Marco-Mentum without notable success. Well, they finally made fetch happen – and just in the nick of time.

In the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, there was clearly something stirring. Trump’s numbers were falling; Rubio’s were rising. Just as in 2012, there was a late-breaking surge for the rising candidate. It’s just that this time, the rising candidate was a media darling rather than a factional protest candidate of the social-conservative right.

Emma Ashford once again urges the Obama administration to halt its support for the war on Yemen:

In his last few months in office, President Obama should take advantage of his executive power to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen, and direct America’s diplomats to aggressively pursue a diplomatic settlement. This war is humanitarian disaster and a strategic failure; ending our support for it should be a no-brainer.

Michael Brendan Dougherty identifies the main source of enthusiasm for Rubio among Republican elites and pundits:

The other reason that Rubio-mania will take off is less inspiring. Rallying around Rubio will just be too strong a temptation for the GOP’s elite and the most established organs of the conservative movement. Rubio’s candidacy is essentially based on the premise that nothing from the George W. Bush era has to change for the Republican Party.

One of the web's greatest trolls has focused its attention on Republican presidential nominee candidate Donald Trump. Having skewered Kanye West, President Obama, and Al Gore, "Loser.com" has decided today's biggest non-winner is Iowa's runner-up...

What you see if you visit Loser.com...

While it may be premature to call him a total loser, his "share price" on PredictIt has collapsed...

Still Trump is trading 8 times higher than Jeb as Rubio soars into the money-wagering lead.