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Joe Darby, a prominent pastor in Charleston, S.C., was discussing the Democratic presidential field with fellow clergymen when Pete Buttigieg’s name came up. A fellow pastor quickly interjected. “Isn’t that the dude who kissed his husband on TV?” the person asked skeptically, according to Darby. The exchange highlights a major obstacle for Buttigieg, who’s vaulted into the top tier of Democratic candidates without gaining traction among African Americans, according to recent surveys of national and South Carolina Democrats. But as the mayor of South Bend, Ind., devotes more effort to campaigning for black votes in the South and elsewhere, he...

In the wake of a recent Nevada state party convention that descended into chaos, Democrats are sweating out a similar event in Wyoming on Saturday. When Democrats meet in Cheyenne to select delegates to the July national convention, the same elements that created such a volatile mix in Nevada will be present: anger and frustration over Bernie Sanders’ delegate haul, superdelegates who backed Hillary Clinton before the state caucuses took place, and threats to state party officials. Story Continued Below At a gathering of state Democratic chairmen in Philadelphia last week, Wyoming was identified as one of the upcoming states...

IOWA FALLS — Add Chris Christie to the list of Republicans suddenly ready to engage Donald Trump. The New Jersey governor, whose 2016 bid is getting fresh consideration by voters increasingly concerned about terrorism, spent Saturday warning Iowans against “shiny,” “new” candidates with little security experience. "We do not need reality TV in the Oval Office right now," Christie said at one stop. "President of the United States is not a place for an entertainer," he said at another....

"Well, he was at a military school, five years. That's just like being in the army believe me," Trump's mentor during his days at the academy, Colonel Theodore Dobias, told POLITICO. "That's six o'clock in the morning, 10:30 at night. Five days of school. From 8 till 3:30 ... Study at 7:30, taps at 10:30. And believe me that's the way it was. There was 400 kids and that's what we did." *snip* But Dobias, who is now 89 and fought in World War II in the Army for the 10th Mountain Division, heaped praise on Trump, who he coached...

Other members of the Senate fumed Saturday over objections by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) that held up a $1.1 trillion omnibus bill meant to keep the government open. The objection was fueled by the two conservatives' desire to fight President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration. The objections by Cruz and Lee mean that the Senate must slog through procedural votes Saturday on nominees and also vote to end a filibuster on the omnibus bill at 1 a.m. on Sunday. It was too much for Democrats and even Republicans to bite their tongues over....

Tucson Region Hearing ends in case of two entrant helpers Arizona Daily Star Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.11.2006 Testimony in a hearing on whether to dismiss charges against two volunteer aid workers charged with violating federal immigration law wrapped up Tuesday, and now U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernardo P. Velasco is weighing a decision. Jeff Rogers, the attorney for defendant Daniel M. Strauss, said two weeks would be about average for the judge to issue a decision, though since Velasco has been ill Rogers speculated it could take longer. Velasco's decision will be a recommendation to U.S. District Judge Raner...