The Republican presidential candidates during last month’s debate in California (Associated Press).

CNBC has announced the 10-candidate lineup for next Wednesday’s debate in Colorado, and it looks very familiar.

All 10 candidates ascended the stage last month in Simi Valley, Calif.: Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Chris Christie, and Rand Paul.

The only difference from last time: Scott Walker, who dropped out of the race after the last debate at the Ronald Reagan  library.

The next set-to at the University of Colorado at Boulder starts shortly after 8 p.m. ET.

As in California, CNBC will sponsored a preliminary debate with four low-rated candidates: Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham. That session begins at 6 p.m. ET. Jim Gilmore again failed to make the cut for the undercard debate.

The debate is titled “Your Money, Your Vote,” CNBC announced Wednesday.

The session “will focus on the key issues that matter to all voters — job growth, taxes, technology, retirement and the health of our national economy,” said the financial news network.

CNBC said it determined the finalists based on a aggregate of polls:

Donald Trump: 25.22%
Ben Carson: 19.78%
Marco Rubio: 9.67%
Jeb Bush: 8.11%
Carly Fiorina: 8.11%
Ted Cruz: 6.89%
Mike Huckabee: 3.56%
Chris Christie: 3.00%
John Kasich: 3.00%
Rand Paul: 3.00%

Donald Trump (Getty).

Presidential wannabes got an interesting newsflash this week: Drop the fancy words and you might attract the masses.

The Boston Globe analyzed the announcement speeches of 19 presidential contenders and found that those who keep it simple do best.

The billionaire Donald Trump, for instance,  talks to voters in a way that can be understood by a fourth-grader and tops the Republican polls. Retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson — a guy who has separated conjoined twins, for crying out loud! — speaks at the sixth-grade level. He ranks No. 2 in many Republican polls.

Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore, meanwhile, used among the fanciest language in the Republican field, The Globe found. A 10th-grader can comprehend his vocabulary and syntax, and yet he ranks so low in the polls that CNN didn’t invite him the join the undercard debate last month.

In all seriousness, there are many factors that contribute to a candidate’s success. But The Globe analysis is fun to ponder. Experts don’t seem surprised by the results. In the Twitter and soundbite age, candidates need to communicate in short bursts to get our attention. (Trump excels at that: “I’m really rich.” His critics are either “dumb,” “morons” or “losers.”)

Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton’s speeches can be understood by eighth-graders. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ exhortations to rein in Wall Street hit a higher level — high-school sophomores, The Globe’s Matt Viser reports.

The Globe used the so-called Flesch-Kincaid readability test, which analyzes word choice and sentence structure to produce grade-level rankings of speech.

The House votes on an amendment. (C-SPAN screenshot)

The House Freedom Caucus has a point.

The rebellious conservative wing of the House Republican took the lead in ousting Speaker John Boehner over frustrations that they are unable to offer amendments on bills and to get votes on the House floor for their conservative ideas.

A new study from the Bipartisan Policy Center shows that they are not making this up. So far in the 114th Congress, House leaders have brought to the floor only six bills under an “open” process that allows anyone to offer amendments, less than 10% of the total bills brought to the floor. Thirty-eight bills were brought to the floor under “closed” rules that allowed for no amendments; 31 had allowance for votes on a limited number of pre-determined amendments.

By comparison, in the 103rd Congress (1993-1994) 44% of bills came to the House floor under “open” rules.

The graph is stark, and looks like this:

The graph from the Bipartisan Policy Center shows the decline in “open” rules in the House.

A brief primer on how this works: For any piece of legislation going to the floor, the House Rules Committee — which is heavily stacked with allies of the House speaker — approves a rule governing the floor debate. The rule determines how much time will be allowed, how it will be divided between the parties and which amendments will be voted on. Before voting on the bill, the House votes to adopt the rule for debating the bill.

“We reached a tipping point where at one time people said you need more (limited) rules because you had so many bills you wanted to consider,” and voting on unlimited amendments sucks up a lot of time, said the BPC’s Don Wolfensberger, a former Rules Committee chief of staff. “Now it is being used by both the majority party to severely limit the ability of both parties to offer amendments.”

This is not just a feature of the Republican Congress. The BPC study showed that the House considered zero bills under “open” rules in the 111th Congress (2009-2010) under the speakership of Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Former Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio, who served on the appropriations committee, told USA TODAY says the problem with closed rules is “when you represent 700,000 people, members think it would be nice if you could go to the floor with an idea and have it debated and voted on.”

But “both sides have abused” the amendment process he said. “They’ll take the opportunity to file amendments … that are not serious legislative attempts,” but are instead just trying to send a political message. It takes hours of floor time to dispose of the amendments, which never had a chance of passage anyway.

“Some people blame C-SPAN,” LaTourette joked, because the lawmakers are simply grandstanding for the TV camera.

LaTourette says instead of closed rules, a better solution would be to allocate each party a set number of amendments on a bill, and allow the parties to argue among themselves to decide which measures to put forward. That would require members who have amendments in mind to convince their own party that their idea deserves to be a priority.

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Tuesday night that he would run for speaker if he could get support of all the major GOP factions, including the House Freedom Caucus, and he said he might be open to some rules changes. “If [the Freedom Caucus] really would be satisfied with a couple more amendments, that would be a reasonable thing,” LaTourette said.

Kevin Smith, a spokesman for Boehner, said “Under Republican leadership, the House of Representatives is more open and transparent – both in our amendment process and consideration of legislation – especially when compared with the practices of then-Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats just a few years ago.”

Vice President Joe Biden (Cliff Owen, AP)

Vice President Biden’s would-be rivals offered swift and succinct reactions via Twitter to his announcement Wednesday that he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination.

For Republicans, it was another chance to slam Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

A quick sampling:

Republican Mike Huckabee, who trails in the polls, used Biden’s departure to remind folks that he’s a former Arkansas governor who’s battled with Democrats in the state loyal to the Clintons, the state’s former First Family.

Vice President Biden, 72, announced Wednesday he would not be a candidate for president in 2016.

Here are some key facts about the vice president and former U.S. senator, whose long career in elective office will likely end when the Obama administration leaves office in January 2017.

Overcoming challenges

Biden is known for his gift of gab, but in high school he was nicknamed "Joe Impedimenta" for his stutter. He overcame it by standing in front of a mirror at night, reciting Yeats and Emerson. Biden has said he considers his stutter "the greatest gift God ever sent my way" because it gave him insight.

In 1988, Biden was absent from the Senate for seven months after undergoing two surgeries for near-fatal brain aneurysms. He's reported no serious health problems since then. "It just makes you think … you'd better take advantage of the day," he said in 2008.

Family tragedy

In December 1972, just before his first Senate term began, Biden's first wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car accident that also injured the couple's sons, Beau and Hunter. (Biden married his second wife, Jill, now an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, in 1977, and they had a daughter, Ashley.) On May 30, Biden lost 46-year-old Beau, Delaware's former attorney general, to brain cancer.

In this Sept. 16, 2008, file photo, Joe Biden arrives by Amtrak in Wilmington, Del. (Gerald Herbert, AP)

Decades of Senate service

Biden, a self-described "Senate man," was just shy of his 30th birthday when he was first elected to represent Delaware in the Senate. He went on to serve 36 years, earning the nickname "Amtrak Joe" for commuting between Wilmington and Washington every day by train.

Biden served stints as chairman of both the Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees. He counts among his legislative accomplishments the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which put 100,000 more police officers on the street and established the Violence Against Women Act to target domestic violence and rape. However, criminal justice reform advocates now say the legislation contributed to today’s high incarceration rates that have disproportionately affected minorities. Biden also presided over the hearings in 1991 that vetted Clarence Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court and included Anita Hill's explosive allegation that Thomas had sexually harassed her.

Something borrowed?

Biden dropped a presidential bid in September 1987 after reports he had plagiarized a speech by British Labour Party Leader Neil Kinnock. (Biden said he forgot to attribute the passage. On previous occasions, he had credited Kinnock.) That led to reports of other unattributed remarks and revelations that as a law school student, Biden wrote a paper that drew heavily from a law review article he cited only once. In that case, the Delaware Supreme Court Board on Professional Responsibility later concluded Biden hadn't violated any rules.

Capitol Hill negotiator

Biden has been an unusually active vice president, partly because of his long-standing relationships with Capitol Hill lawmakers. He's been the Obama administration's go-to guy for negotiating down-to-the-wire agreements on fiscal issues, including proposals to extend the Bush-era tax cuts, legislation to increase the nation's borrowing limit, and a strategy for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" of spending cuts and tax increases in 2013.

After the December 2012 shootings in Newtown, Conn., Obama put Biden in charge of a gun violence task force. More recently, the White House tapped Biden to lobby members of Congress to support the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Going off script

Biden has a history of unscripted remarks that sometimes have gotten him in trouble. In 2007, Biden called Obama the first "mainstream, African-American (presidential candidate) who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." Three years later, at the ceremony to sign the Affordable Care Act into law, microphones picked up Biden whispering to Obama "This is a big f-ing deal!" In 2012, Biden said on Meet the Press that he was "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex marriage, upstaging Obama's plans to announce his own support for gay marriage.

Billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn (Bloomberg)

Investor Carl Icahn said he plans to launch a super PAC, aimed at “holding lawmakers accountable” for congressional gridlock.

Icahn, one of the country’s most outspoken activist investors, announced his political venture in a letter on his website and pledged to commit $150 million of his own fortune to the political action committee.

He said also he sent the letter to congressional leaders and to all members of the House and Senate tax-writing committees.

Icahn said he wants to push legislation to rein in so-called corporate “tax inversions,” which allow companies to avoid taxes by moving their headquarters overseas, often in mergers with foreign corporations.

“If this exodus is allowed to accelerate, there will be disastrous consequences for our already fragile economy, as well as meaningful and unnecessary jobs losses,” Icahn wrote.

He called on Congress to pass international tax reform and proposed a 5% to 10% tax on the money companies return to the United States. That would produce $200 billion in new taxes that could help fund highway infrastructure, Icahn said.

Last month, Icahn endorsed Republican Donald Trump, who also has promised to take aim at corporate inversions.

MORE:Billionaire Carl Icahn warns of ‘danger ahead’ for U.S. economy

MORE:Icahn right on taxes, experts say

Icahn’s pledge to put $150 million into a super PAC would put him in the upper echelons of political donors and would top the super PAC donations of other well-known billionaires in recent years.

Environmentalist Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, was the biggest political giver of the 2014 midterm elections. He put roughly $75 million of his own money into the political organization he created to advance his agenda on climate change, a tally by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics shows. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was No. 2 and spent more than $28 million to push his gun-control and environmental messages in the most recent federal elections.

Icahn said he plans to seek other donors to his still-unnamed super PAC but said his $150 million investment “will be more than enough to make voters fully aware of the horrible consequences that will ensue if Congress fails to pass legislation immediately to stop these ‘inversions.’ ”

Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited amounts as long as they operate independently of the candidates they support. The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision helped pave the way for these free-spending groups to influence candidate elections.

Icahn’s move is the latest illustration of the way the nation’s high court has “turned our political system into a playpen for multi-billionaires and multi-millionaires,” Fred Wertheimer, president of the watchdog group Democracy 21, said in a statement.

Vice President Joe Biden (Evan Vucci, AP)

WASHINGTON — Vice President Biden said Wednesday he will not seek the 2016 presidential nomination, saying there is not enough time to mount an effective campaign.

“We’ve got a lot of work to get done over the next 15 months,” Biden said in remarks from the White House Rose Garden.

His family was prepared for a presidential run less than a year after the death of eldest son Beau Biden, the vice president said, but too many logistical challenges remain and “the window” has closed just months before votes are cast.

The vice president, who ran twice for the White House unsuccessfully, also said: “While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent.”

After months of speculation, the White House suddenly announced at mid-day that Biden would be making a statement from the Rose Garden — suggesting he wouldn’t be running, given the fact he would be speaking on official government property.

Ten minutes later, with wife Jill and President Obama standing beside him, Biden made it official he is not a candidate.

While not naming Hillary Clinton or any of the other Democratic candidates, Biden said the party’s nominee should run on Obama’s record.

Biden also seemed to take a shot at Clinton, who during last week’s debate — perhaps jokingly — described Republicans as her enemies.

“I don’t think it’s naive to talk to Republicans,” Biden said. “They are our opposition. They are not our enemies.”

Hillary Clinton (AP)

Bernie Sanders was on to something, it seems.

Most Americans say they also are "tired" of hearing about Democrat Hillary Clinton's use of private emails during her tenure as secretary of State, according to a new poll out Wednesday from Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The poll, released one day before Clinton faces questions from a special committee investigating the Benghazi attacks, finds that 59% of the public are tired of the issue and only 32% think it’s something the media should continue to cover.

A majority (52%) also believe the Benghazi panel is more interested in going after the Clinton than in getting the facts about the 2012 terrorist attacks on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya (32%).

During last week's Democratic presidential debate, Sanders declared that people were "sick and tired" of hearing about Clinton's "damn emails" and wanted to focus on instead on pressing economic issues.

While a majority of those surveyed also say Clinton's use of a personal email account during her State Department employment was mainly a matter of convenience, nearly half (48%) say she has been less than honest in her later explanations about the emails.

"Bernie Sanders was right. America has heard enough," said Patrick Murray, the polling institute's director. "Hillary Clinton's testimony tomorrow can either cement that view or open up a new can of worms. Right now, it looks like the public is more inclined to side with Clinton when she goes up against the House committee."

MORE: Benghazi committee may be a bigger albatross for Gowdy than Clinton

Clinton and her allies are working hard to undermine the credibility of the Benghazi panel, releasing a deluge of "opposition" research about Republicans on the committee. A TV ad out Wednesday from a pro-Clinton super PAC accuses Republicans of "playing politics" with the investigation.

The continuing email controversy, which first erupted in March, is at least partially responsible for Clinton’s drop in the polls, Monmouth's pollsters say. But their most recent survey finds that Clinton's favorability ratings – 41% favorable to 48% unfavorable — haven't changed much since August.

Voter opinion of Sanders has increased with his name recognition, however. His favorable rating (35%) is up from 24% two months ago. Thirty percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Vermont senator.

The poll of 1,012 adults was conducted by phone Oct. 15-18 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Here’s the new ad from a pro-Clinton super PAC about the investigation:

The Democratic candidates at the Oct. 13 debate in Las Vegas. (Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

Exactly 100 days ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Democratic presidential candidates and their throngs of supporters will descend on Des Moines on Saturday to see whether the party’s signature event will reshape the race.

The Iowa Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner has historically marked a point of divergence — signifying the final push to caucus night and the milestone where some candidacies pulled ahead and others fell back.

The "JJ" is Iowa's largest gathering of Democrats. More than 6,000 tickets have already been sold, said Sam Lau, communications director for the state party.

He said much of that audience represents the party's core, people who are enthusiastic and who are likely to caucus for a Democrat on Feb. 1.

"They're coming to that point where they're starting to really firm up their decisions on who to caucus for," Lau said. "And it's an incredible opportunity for all of our candidates to really make their case to very passionate Democrats — Democrats who are excited, who are engaged."

Former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley and former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee will speak.

Former Virginia senator Jim Webb announced Tuesday he would withdraw from the race for the Democratic nomination and instead will explore a bid as an independent. He also withdrew from the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

Here's a look at seven questions Iowa Democrats are asking ahead of Saturday's dinner — questions they hope will be answered at the JJ.

Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop at Uncle Nancy’s Coffee House on Sept. 6, 2015, in Newton, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall, AP)

1.  Clinton is bringing the star power, but can she maintain momentum?

The Clinton team is hosting a rally in downtown Des Moines on Saturday afternoon that will be co-headlined by former president Bill Clinton and pop superstar Katy Perry.

Clinton endorser and former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Tyler Olson said that type of star power helps generate enthusiasm among people who are already committed to Clinton. It may also draw in people who are simply hoping to hear a great concert, he said, but their presence gives the campaign the opportunity to swoop in to try to persuade undecided voters.

"It's not just fluff," he said.

Clinton spokeswoman Lily Adams said campaign staff will be on hand with "commit to caucus" cards asking Iowans to pledge to turn up on caucus night.

"We'll have organizers who are going to be here at the rally who are signing folks up, having those one-on-one conversations between Katy Perry songs," she said.

Clinton is coming off a strong debate performance last week, when many commentators said she appeared poised and presidential. That can be a precarious position going into a much-hyped event like the JJ, said Tom Henderson, chairman of the Polk County Democrats.

"With Clinton being the front-runner, it's more difficult for her because everybody expects her to do great," Henderson said. "So it's almost like she has to perform at that level just to maintain the status quo."

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a town hall meeting on Oct. 18, 2015, at Richardson Elementary school in Fort Madison, Iowa. (Jeff Brown, The Hawk Eye via AP)

2. Will Sanders be able to show the grass-roots enthusiasm he's boasted about?

Sanders regularly turns out crowds of thousands of people. How many can he get to the JJ?

Robert Becker, Sanders' Iowa spokesman, said the campaign will focus not just on getting supporters to the dinner, but on making sure people across the state can rally for the senator through simulcast watch parties and a concert in Davenport the night before.

"Our theme is working class and youth, and that's what we want to showcase," he said. "We recognize that not every Iowan who supports us can take time off work and commute across the state. It's a statewide focus."

Henderson said it's also worth noting not just the size of the crowd, but "who's doing the noise-making" inside the hall.

Are the cheers coming from the $10,000 tables on the ground? Or is it coming from the bleachers, where $50 buys you event entry but no dinner?

Sanders' populist message has resonated with middle-class voters and those who oppose the rise of what he calls the "billionaire class," Becker said, so expect to see most of his support coming from the bleachers.

Martin O’Malley speaks at a meet-and-greet on Aug. 23, 2015, in Muscatine, Iowa.
(Paul Sancya, AP)

3. Can Martin O'Malley deliver the breakout performance he needs?

Kristin Sosanie, O'Malley's Iowa spokeswoman, said last week's Democratic debate — the party’s first of the caucus season — acted as a "launching pad" for the governor, who so far has lagged in the polls far behind Clinton and Sanders.

"A lot of people were able to see the governor for the first time nationally and for the first time here in Iowa," Sosanie said. "He really laid out his perspective. He showed he is a serious candidate."

Look for him to spend his speaking time on Saturday drawing sharp contrasts with the other contenders, she said, particularly on things like gun control, climate change and immigration reform.

Henderson said that in addition to giving a stellar speech, one way for O'Malley to generate some buzz is to turn out a big, enthusiastic crowd. He likened this year’s event to the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner during the 2007 caucus cycle in which Clinton campaigned against Barack Obama and John Edwards, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina.

"I think people were surprised at the level of support for Barack Obama," Henderson said. "And that's what stuck with people after the JJ dinner."

He said that this year, voters are expecting both Clinton and Sanders to show up with big crowds.

"So maybe that's how O'Malley breaks out," he said. "You want to do something that people don't expect."

Vice President Joe Biden (Evan Vucci, AP)

4. A Joe Biden entry is on everyone's mind. So, darn it, will he or won't he?

State party spokesman Lau said candidates will speak in reverse alphabetical order Saturday. That means if Vice President Biden were to jump into the race, he'd likely kick off his campaign with the last speech of the night.

Biden has been the focus of will-he-or-won't-he speculation for months. Some commentators marked the first Democratic debate as the unofficial deadline for him to make his announcement, and, when he didn't participate, wrote off his candidacy.

But the rumor mill continues to churn, and a new wave of conjecture has launched ahead of the JJ.

Some, like Olson, said the JJ represents just another artificial deadline for the vice president, who soon approaches very real deadlines if he wants to be included on state caucus and primary ballots.

Henderson, however, said Biden needs to be on the stage if he wants to make a serious run.

"This is the one time in Iowa where everyone is together," Henderson said. "If he's not here for that, it makes me wonder why he thinks he can perform in the caucuses, which are just a few months off."

And even if the Democratic Party makes room for Biden on the stage, it won't be able to make room for his supporters inside the hall. Lau said the venue is already near capacity, with more than 6,000 tickets sold.

Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley walk on the stage at the end the first Democratic debate on Oct. 13 in Las Vegas. (Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

5. Speeches will be delivered "in the round." Who will that help and who will it hurt?

Candidate speeches will be delivered from a center stage entirely surrounded by the audience.

That format can make the event feel more intimate for the crowd, Olson said.

"Having it in the round gives candidates an opportunity to connect better than standing behind a podium or in the front of a big hall," he said. "The candidate that can best make that connection is going to — Do you win the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner? I don't know if you win it — but they're going to come off well."

Candidates who aren't able to work the stage and connect with onlookers in various corners of the hall will struggle, Henderson said.

Look for the well-rehearsed candidates to make their "payoff lines" while facing their delegation of supporters to get the biggest impact, he said.

Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders sign a painting as they gather at a watch party for the presidential debate in Las Vegas on Oct. 13. (Alex Wong, Getty Images)

6. Will candidates play up their strengths or take the opportunity to address problem areas?

Each candidate will get to choose how to spend his or her time on stage. There is no question-and-answer session, and there is no moderator.

Some critics said Sanders took a hit during the Democratic debate for his stance on gun control.

Olson wondered whether he would take the opportunity to try to set the record straight, or if he would stick to his tried-and-true message of income inequality.

Clinton, he said, may try to knock down the narrative that she’s unable to connect with voters.

Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee shakes hands during a campaign stop in Laconia, N.H, on June 24. (Jim Cole, AP)

7. Jim Webb has left the race. But what on earth is Lincoln Chafee doing?

Webb announced Tuesday that he would not seek the Democratic nomination for president, cutting to four the list of contenders set to appear at the JJ.

But fellow underdog Lincoln Chafee — who, like Webb, is polling at less than 1% nationally— is still set to speak.

And Chafee raised significantly less money through Sept. 30 than Webb, according to the most recent candidate disclosures with the Federal Election Commission.

Chafee reported raising a total of $44,506 through the end of September, compared with Webb, who reported nearly $700,000 in total contributions.

"I'm all for anybody running for whatever they want to run for," Olson said. "But it's not a five-person race. … I think people want to hear from Secretary Clinton, Senator Sanders and Governor O'Malley."

Debbie Rich, a spokeswoman for Chafee, said in a statement that "Governor Chafee hopes that the Democratic candidates will bring a unified message of closing the income inequality gap, addressing climate change and working for peace in the Middle East and North Africa among other issues."

Pfannenstiel reports for The Des Moines Register.

So, Jim Webb is out … wait, was he ever really in the race?

The Democrat who spent most of the first debate complaining that he wasn't getting equal time during the debate now seems to think that he may do better as an independent. Because, you know, if somehow the networks lose their minds and schedule an independent candidate debate, he'd have the run of the place.

The new non-issue of the week

Former president George W. Bush with the book he wrote about his father. (Courtney Sacco via AP)

Creating high-wage jobs? That's an issue worth debating. Making health care more affordable? Yep. Good one. Let's chat about that. But George W. Bush? Really? Since when did he become the most important issue facing Republicans? It started after Donald Trump used W's record to attack his brother Jeb on foreign policy. It escalated after W told donors that he just really doesn't like Ted Cruz. Now, the rumor is that if you repeat W's name three times at midnight, you lose your soul (or maybe just your GOP street cred. We're sketchy on the details). Seriously, guys. W's not in office anymore. Can we move on?

How to lie with statistics – and religion!

A sign points Michigan voters to their polling place. (Daniel Mears, Detroit News via AP)

If evangelicals are so marginalized – some estimate as many as 17 million evangelicals sat out the 2012 election– why was every major Republican except Donald Trump singing evangelical praises at a Texas megachurch? Because, apparently, defining an evangelical is tougher than it sounds. Those who strongly identify with the Christian tradition are strong primary participators, which explains why candidates want – nay, need – evangelicals to like them. To get to the 17 million non-voter number, you've got to throw in people who sort of agree with stereotypical evangelical stances, and maybe those who say they met some evangelicals once. In other words, it's a statistic that doesn't mean much.

Where candidates stand on climate change

The oil industry promotes itself with little hearts available at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

It’s time-consuming to find what candidates have said about climate change. And it's too simplistic to say that all Democrats are tree-huggers and all Republicans hate the environment. NPR to the rescue! They've tabulated candidates’ views in this easy-to-follow graphic, so you can quickly learn which candidates think climate change is man-made and whether they've offered any plans to combat it. Of particular entertainment value: Ted Cruz's views on climate change are are too complicated for a simple yes or no, and Hillary Clinton recently changed her stance on the Keystone XL pipeline (natch — she’s in a primary battle, after all).

Who fat-fingered this one?

Vice President Joe Biden (Evan Vucci, AP)

The Washington Postaccidentally published a story saying Joe Biden was running for president, Breitbart reports, which Republicans disseminated before the paper could scrub the Interwebs of its existence. Reading the now-deleted text, it looks like a placeholder story – one we in the business pre-write about something that's expected to happen, adding quotes and details once the news is confirmed – and not some grand conspiracy or insider knowledge about the Democratic veep's plans. But dude. This is why the publish button should be relegated to an obscure corner of every online publishing system, and when you click it, a pop-up window should ask in very terse terms, "Are you sure you want to publish this?"