Left follows right in abandoning wall between church, state | Opinion

For a country with strong separation of church and state values, the sudden shift toward religious testimonials is one of the most surprising changes in American politics in decades.

Jonathan Turley
Opinion contributor
Oct. 12, 2026, 6:04 a.m. ET

Across the country, a curious trend is taking hold in the Democratic Party: The left has found God in politics.

As Politico noted most recently, Democrats are running for Congress by leaning on their Christian bona fides. Democrats hope they have found the key to political salvation in states like Texas. However, as Democratic candidates like Texas senatorial candidate James Talarico campaign on their religious credentials, the result has been to insert faith into the broader political debate, which now includes questions ranging from the gender of God to whether Christians have to believe that Jesus actually existed.

The rival views on Christianity by Talarico and his Republican opponent for the U.S. Senate, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, are now being debated by voters. Republicans have long emphasized faith-based politics, and the new Democratic shift has created arguably the most religious-themed election season in modern history.

For a country with strong separation of church and state values, the sudden shift toward religious testimonials is one of the most surprising changes in American politics in decades. The result has been a debate over the character of candidates based on their religious views and associations.Opinion: Polls are shouting in favor of Talarico in Texas. We'll seeLove crosswords? Explore the Crossword page and play the new MidGrid Crossword.

'Resistance preaching'

Morality and faith have long been part of American politics. However, the November midterm elections at times have sounded like candidates are running for the College of Cardinals rather than Congress.

For more secular voters, the debate has the unnerving sense of a plebiscite of the devout covering church dogma.

For religious voters, it can be equally unnerving as religion is reduced to political sound bites and bumper stickers.

US urges NATO allies to prepare in case Russia attacks

In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said allies need to be ready, in case Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack.

Francesca Chambers and Miles J. Herszenhorn USA TODAY

Updated Sept. 2, 2026, 8:49 a.m. ET

BRUSSELS – Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be planning an imminent assault on NATO nations, but the United States says its military allies need to train and invest like he is, so they’re ready to fend off a sudden attack.

After leaked U.S. intelligence reportedly revealed that Russia could launch a limited assault, such as a land incursion or cyberattack, on a member country within the next few years, America’s allies have been on high alert.

The warning contradicted assessments that Putin would not attempt to draw NATO into a fight while he’s battling Ukraine – and came amid concerns about a U.S. weapons shortage, as the Trump administration wages war on Iran.

In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY at the military alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker declined to comment directly on the leaked intelligence, while stressing a need for allies to be vigilant in their defense spending and weapons production.

“You can't predict what Vladimir Putin's going to do or any adversary. All you can do is be prepared for it and deter and make it not worth their time to make that move,” Whitaker said. “And I think we are preparing every single day to prevent that from happening, and if it does happen, to be ready for it.

“We should know that our adversary invaded Ukraine, and so we should all be pretty clear-eyed,” Whitaker added.

I am a centrist Democrat and I am terrified of success | Opinion

We appeal to 'the center,' which is an ambiguous blob-like thing that exists only in the minds of Democratic strategists whose brains stopped working in the 1990s.

Rex Huppke
USA TODAY
June 28, 2026, 5:08 a.m. ET

Hello, I am a centrist Democrat who is terrified that progressive liberal candidates keep winning primary elections.

I am also terrified of my own shadow, but this is somehow worse.

Suddenly, voters are being won over by liberal candidates ‒ even a few who are democratic socialists! ‒ who aren’t afraid to lean into populist messages with passion and an apparent drive to actually do things that will make people’s lives better. What is that all about? Since when did the things voters want become so important?

Following the embrace of New York City’s popular democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, two democratic socialist candidates and one progressive candidate won their recent congressional primary races. I immediately took to my living room's fainting couch. (Like most centrist Democrats, I have a fainting couch in every room.)

Like my good friends in the Republican Party, I fear any kind of democratic socialist as well as any progressives who are actually progressive. They all seem far too fixated on helping "the people." Blech.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
As a centrist Democrat, I cannot accept new ideas. Or winning.

I recently read this in The Nation, a progressive magazine I can only read while on a fainting couch: “In Michigan’s open Senate race, Chuck Schumer has made his support of moderate Representative Hayley Stevens clear. But that hasn’t stopped Abdul El-Sayed from climbing in the polls. Running on a platform of taxing billionaires, ending the corrosive effects of money in politics, and Medicare for All.”

It said El-Sayed has been endorsed not only by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Ro Khanna of California but also the “influential United Auto Workers union.”Opinion: Democratic socialism is thriving in New York. This is good.

AUGH! What kind of radical Democrat would talk about taxing billionaires in a moment when income inequality is at the top of voters’ minds and people are struggling to afford food?

That’s edging too far away from the center, which is the safe place where I reside and insist all other Democrats must reside. It’s nice here. There are comfy pillows a corporate lobbyist once gave me, and we just sit and occasionally furrow our brows.

AG Letitia James vows ’no fear’ of Donald Trump, DOJ after enters plea f...

Who could be the next pope? How U.S. cardinals, including Boston's Cardinal O'Malley, rank

Melina Khan

USA TODAY NETWORK - New England

Published 2:55 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2025

Key Points

• Pope Francis is hospitalized as he recovers from a sinus infection.
• If the pope were to resign over health concerns, a new pope would be selected through a process called the conclave, which consists of a vote by members of the College of Cardinals.
• Two U.S. archbishops are considered papabile, or frontrunners for pope. One of them is Boston's former archbishop Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley.

As Pope Francis continues to recover from a respiratory infection, some have questioned whether he would consider stepping down from his role due to health concerns like his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

If the pope were to resign, a new pope would be selected through a process called the conclave, which consists of a vote by members of the College of Cardinals.

Inauguration Time: Here's when Trump will be inaugurated and how to watch on Jan. 20

Margie Cullen

USA TODAY NETWORK - New England


President-elect Donald Trump is set to officially take the presidency for a second time on Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan. 20.

Inauguration Day will include many events, from the Swearing-In Ceremony to the Inaugural Balls. The ceremony will also feature a host of performers, including country singers Carrie Underwood and Lee Greenwood.

Here’s what you need to know about how to watch Trump be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States.

More:When is the presidential inauguration? What to know when Trump gets sworn in.

What time is Trump’s inauguration?

The Swearing-In Ceremony, in which Trump will take the oath of office, is scheduled for noon EST on Monday, Jan. 20.

Inauguration to be moved inside due to cold

The inauguration usually takes place on a platform in front of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. But this year, the ceremony will be moved indoors due to a bitterly cold forecast.

"The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows. There is an Arctic blast sweeping the country. I don't want to see people hurt, or injured in any way,” Trump announced in a statement. "Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather."

How can I watch the inauguration?

There are many ways to watch the inauguration. USA TODAY will have a livestream, and news networks will have programing throughout the day.
Watch the USA TODAY stream

USA TODAY will be streaming the event live here.

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