* Ed Kilgore writes that the demise of the Christian right might be another consequence of Donald Trump’s candidacy:
Hostile liberals and uncomprehending secular media have been predicting the demise of the Christian right for decades now. It is far too early to interpret current leadership tensions as fatal to that cause. But despite the millions of votes they will soon deliver to him, Donald Trump could ultimately prove to be the death of the Christian right as we know it. And you can add that problem to the many issues Republicans and the conservative movement have to deal with when this election is over, particularly if they don’t just lose but lose badly.
* Speaking of losing badly, FiveThirtyEight now has Clinton’s chance of winning at 83%. The Upshot has it at 87%. And Sam Wang says 95%.
* Those predictions are the reason why this is happening:
The leading super PAC trying to elect Hillary Clinton is preparing to expand beyond the presidential race and potentially run television ads focused on a handful of competitive Senate races.
Until now, Priorities USA has spent the 2016 election cycle entirely focused on the top of the ticket—getting Clinton elected. The fact that they may use their resources to also promote Democratic candidates in down-ballot races suggests how increasingly confident they are in a Clinton victory.
According to a source familiar with the plans, Priorities USA is currently producing television ads to potentially air in Senate contests in North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania—all competitive races that are also battleground states for the presidential race.
Other Senate races could also be targeted, and potentially even some top-tier House seats that Democrats think they have a shot at taking from Republicans.
* John McCain is one of the Republicans who decided to un-endorse Donald Trump. This is how the narcissistic bully responds:
* Here is some good news for the non-deplorable citizens of Maricopa County, Arizona:
The U.S. Department of Justice officials have opted to charge Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio with criminal contempt for violating a federal court’s orders in a racial-profiling case.
Arpaio has not yet officially been charged. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton asked the federal government to write an order to show cause, by Wednesday, for her to sign. That will serve as a charging document for the case to go forward against Arpaio only.
* For all of you outer space enthusiasts, President Obama has written: “America will take the giant leap to Mars.”
We have set a clear goal vital to the next chapter of America’s story in space: sending humans to Mars by the 2030s and returning them safely to Earth, with the ultimate ambition to one day remain there for an extended time. Getting to Mars will require continued cooperation between government and private innovators, and we’re already well on our way…
Someday, I hope to hoist my own grandchildren onto my shoulders. We’ll still look to the stars in wonder, as humans have since the beginning of time. But instead of eagerly awaiting the return of our intrepid explorers, we’ll know that because of the choices we make now, they’ve gone to space not just to visit, but to stay—and in doing so, to make our lives better here on Earth.
* Finally, this one was released a few days ago. But in case you haven’t seen it yet, you won’t want to miss this classic:
