CBS News poll: Trump maintains commanding lead over GOP field  —  Donald Trump (35 percent) continues to hold a commanding lead over the rest of the field, with a 17 point lead over his closest rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz (18 percent).  John Kasich (11 percent) has now risen to a virtual third-place tie with Marco Rubio (12 percent).

Pope Francis Suggests Donald Trump Is ‘Not Christian’  —  ABOARD THE PAPAL AIRLINER — Inserting himself into the Republican presidential race, Pope Francis on Wednesday suggested that Donald J. Trump “is not Christian” because of the harshness of his campaign promises to deport more immigrants …

MSNBC's Town Hall With Donald Trump Was Disgraceful  —  The media's coverage of Trump has been soft, insufficient, and without substance.  —  Is Donald Trump in trouble?  After facing hostile questions from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Wednesday night—they comprehensively laid out his flip-flops …

Controversy Erupts At A T14 Law School Over How (Or Even Whether) To Mourn Justice Scalia  —  How should one respond to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a controversial figure within the law?  One can imagine a range of possible reactions, from mourning and tributes to criticism …

President Obama is going to Cuba.  Here's why:  —  Cuba is only 90 miles from Florida, but for a long time the distance between our two countries seemed a lot greater.  —  For more than fifty years, the United States pursued a policy of isolating and pressuring Cuba.

Oregon Occupier Countersues For $666 Billion, Citing ‘Works Of The Devil’  —  Shawna Cox, one of the last militants to be arrested for occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge last month, has filed a counter-suit against the U.S. government and others in which she alleges “damages from the works of the devil in excess of 666,666,666,666.66.”

Obama ‘Hope’ designer endorses Sanders  —  Artist and activist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic “Hope” poster during then-Sen. Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, is backing Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.  —  “I'm supporting Bernie Sanders …

How to Break a Party  —  Beginning with the Tea Party wave and continuing through the not-Romney musical chairs of the 2012 Republican primary and the battles over debt limits and fiscal cliffs, most coverage of the Republican Party's internal divisions during the Obama era fell into an easy groove …

Mainstream G.O.P. Field of Three Faces Brutal Delegate Math  —  If the Republican Party remains divided for much longer, it will start getting more difficult for a mainstream candidate to win the nomination.  —  Yet Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and John Kasich all have incentives to stay in the race …

A note from the editorial director  —  Earlier today, SB Nation posted a story called “Who is Daniel Holtzclaw?” that attempted to find out the backstory of convicted serial rapist Daniel Holtzclaw.  The story focused on his football background in particular.

Jeb Bush confronted like never before by worried supporters  —  SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — He's stuck in the polls and just lost a major endorsement.  And now voters are in open panic about the fate of Jeb Bush.  —  The Republican presidential candidate was barraged by conflicting advice …

Apple Unlocked iPhones for the Feds 70 Times Before  —  A 2015 court case shows that the tech giant has been willing to play ball with the government before—and is only stopping now because it might “tarnish the Apple brand.”  —  Apple CEO Tim Cook declared on Wednesday that his company …