While a complex web of factors have contributed to the rise in income inequality in America, a new research paper says most of the blame can be largely placed in the immense growth experienced by the top tenth of the richest 1 percent of Americans in recent years. From the report: The rise of wealth inequality is almost entirely due …

The American bishops of the Catholic Church assembled in Baltimore this week for their annual meeting. And they were clucking and fluttering like a bunch of hens, trying to calm the tizzy kicked up by Pope Francis and his kindler, gentler approach to the culture wars. Last month, Francis convened a (relatively) freewheeling synod on the Church and the Catholic …

Last week, the city council of Manteca, CA unanimously passed two ordinances aimed at clearing out the homeless population. One will ban people from sleeping or setting up encampments on any public or private property as of December 4, although the homeless won’t be jailed or fined. It will, however, allow the police to tear down any homeless sleeping areas …

No one wants to see Russian President Vladimir Putin hit on their wife. So when Chinese social media users suggested that Putin may have been flirting with China’s first lady Peng Liyuan when he gave her a shawl under the full glare of TV cameras, the incident was quickly scrubbed from the Internet. Putin started the social media stir when …

The United States and China pledged Wednesday to take ambitious action to limit greenhouse gases, aiming to inject fresh momentum into the global fight against climate change ahead of high-stakes climate negotiations next year. President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would move much faster in cutting its levels of pollution. Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to cap China’s emissions …

Contrary to media hype and the posturing of politicians, Ebola and ISIS are very unlikely to cause our early deaths. More likely to shorten American lives are some unhealthy behaviors that are actually somewhat under our control, like overeating to the point of obesity and overdosing on drugs. A new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research offers good …

A call-in debate turned ugly Thursday on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” when a California Republican used the N-word to refer to President Obama. Identified as Anthony from San Diego, the caller warned Republicans to stick to a moderate agenda following their success in the midterm elections during the open phones portion of the program. “I would just like to say, that …