An investigation from Columbia Law School alleges that Texas put an innocent man to death back in 2004. As of last September, a strong majority (67%) of Americans favored the death penalty for persons convicted of murder.

Although black Americans typically oppose same-sex marriage, a new Washington Post/ABC News poll reveals that a majority have favorable impressions of Obama’s support of it.

The Obama campaign hired a new faith outreach director, to connect the campaign with religious voters during the 2012 election season.

Relatedly, Americans are voicing greater concern about the role churches play in politics: a majority of Americans (54%) say that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters.

Two-thirds (66%) of Americans believe that a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby. Would they also agree that parents should be able to sue for “wrongful birth”?

You know the student debt crisis is getting bad when it keeps a woman from devoting her life to God.

As one might expect, Ron Paul’s supporters are not taking the suspension of his campaign lying down.

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A long, thorough article in the New York Times explores some of the more extreme reaches of student debt, telling the stories of students who took on debt that they will be paying off for decades. Add to that a shaky job market, where only half of recent college graduates currently hold a full-time job, and this debt could seriously impede an entire generation’s economic future. One student, who dropped out of school with $70,000 in student loans, is working three jobs to make her monthly payments and says she has no intention of finishing school. “For me to finish it would mean borrowing more money,” she said. “It makes me puke to think about borrowing more money.”

The Obama administration recently targeted student debt as a priority, which is understandable given that approximately two-thirds (66%) of the general population also say the government should do more to help students pay for college and pay off student loan debt.

But it’s also important to remember that levels of debt vary widely and horror stories like the one cited in the Times are not the norm. For instance, only 3% of students owe more than $100,000. The average debt load, at $23,000, is dramatically different from these extreme cases, although it is still substantial, particularly since recent college grads’ earning potential is fairly low.

As the New York Times notes, much of the difference has to do with the type of college that students attend. In the 2012 Millennial Values Survey, nearly half (48%) of younger Millennials (age 18-24) who attended or are currently attending a community college reported that they did not borrow money to finance their undergraduate college education, compared to 21% of younger Millennials who attended or are currently attending a private college or university, 24% of younger Millennials who attended or are currently attending a religious college or university, and one-third (33%) of younger Millennials who attended or are currently attending a public college or university.

By contrast, nearly one-quarter (23%) of younger Millennials who attended or are currently attending a private college or university say they will graduate with more than $50,000 in debt, compared to 13% of younger Millennials who attended or are currently attending a religious college or university, 6% of younger Millennials who attended or are currently attending a public college or university, and only 1% of younger Millennials who attended or are currently attending a community college.

There are a variety of factors at play here, from tuition hikes and state budget cuts that affect public state universities, to job losses among families that make borrowing unavoidable. It’s also worth noting that while community college does not require as significant a financial contribution from students, many graduates of community colleges go on to pursue degrees at 4-year colleges and universities, while those who do not tend to have lower earning potential. But these numbers show that this issue will continue to be one with which politicians, university officials, students and parents are forced to grapple.

Would Thomas Jefferson have said that Aaron Burr “got out a little bit over his skis” when he shot Alexander Hamilton (who was not Jefferson’s favorite person either)? Sadly, we’ll never know.

Yesterday, President Obama told the graduating class of Barnard College that it was up to them, as young women, to “to stand up and be heard, to write, to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote.” Obama has, over the course of the year, been courting young female voters, who are an increasingly important voting bloc.

Meanwhile, a new SuperPAC hopes to woo young voters to the Republicans’ side. Both campaigns have some work to do among this cohort (many of whom have never voted in a presidential election before). Obama, however, currently leads Romney among young Millennial voters (49% to 35%).

The Tea Party is back and looking toward a handful of Senate races to “shake up” the Republican party.

Pat Robertson endorsed Mitt Romney, noting that he is not Jesus (an astute observation), but implying that conservatives need someone to run against Obama. Last fall, Robertson gave Romney another small boost, when he called him an “outstanding Christian.”

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Lawmakers in Kansas passed what is known in the state as the “Shari’a bill,” a law that prohibits judges from using non-U.S. laws (like Islamic Shari’a, Jewish halacha, or Catholic canon law) in making their decision. Although the law could impact a wide range of religious minorities, critics say that it specifically targets Islam. Many similar laws are making their way through legislatures in other states.

Since President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage, the media and political pundits have been consumed in seemingly endless speculation about whether it will help or hurt him in November. To wit: black Protestants had a wide variety of responses to Obama’s announcement, but black voters appear likely to stick with Obama. Romney hasn’t seemed eager to talk about same-sex marriage on the campaign trail, imploring the media magpies to ignore “shiny objects” held up by the Obama team. But will same-sex marriage help Obama among suburbanites?

Meanwhile, this weekend, Mitt Romney highlighted his opposition to same-sex marriage when he gave Liberty University’s commencement address. In the speech, he told his evangelical Protestant audience that he shared their values, even if he didn’t follow their religion. Recent polling from PRRI shows that evangelicals appear ready to put aside any misgivings about Romney’s faith and support his candidacy.

A new series at the New York Times explores the extent to which student debt has become a part of young adults’ lives.

Mormons are the fastest-growing religious group in the U.S., and they’re expanding especially swiftly inside DC.

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A new survey reveals that both Obama and Romney are out of step with voters on defense spending. After respondents were told about size of the budget, and shown expert arguments for and against spending cuts, two-thirds of Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats supported making immediate cuts. Needless to say, this is not the prevailing wisdom in Washington.

In this week’s Room for Debate: should churches get tax breaks?

A new survey from the Pew Charitable Trusts reveals that Americans in the northeast have more economic mobility, according to NPR. Americans overall remain divided over whether the American Dream, which relies on the concept of economic mobility, still holds true.

Puzzlingly, one in six Americans still think Obama’s a Muslim.

The furor can end: Michele Bachmann is, once again, as American as apple pie.

We’re polling for 2016 already? Seriously?

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In an interview with ABC News, President Obama announced that he supports same-sex marriage. (For the record, he’s about 3 years behind Dick Cheney on this one.) There is a dramatic generation gap on this issue, with nearly three-quarters (74%) of Millennials (age 18-29) in favor of same-sex marriage, compared to only one-third (33%) of seniors (age 65 and up). There are also religious groups on both side of the debate.

The president stressed, however, that his support for same-sex marriage is purely personal, and it should be up to the states to make the ultimate decision. If you’re confused about the status of gay rights in the individual states, this fabulous infographic makes it crystal-clear.

The May PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey indicates that evangelicals may be willing to shelve their concerns and embrace Mitt Romney.

Rep. Robert Dold, a freshmen Republican congressman, declared his support for Planned Parenthood – a rare move on the Republican side of the aisle these days. Although Dold, who is pro-choice, differs from many of his fellow Republicans on the issue of abortion, a strong majority (71%) of Republicans favor expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it.

In non-culture-War-related news, moderate Senate Republican Dick Lugar lost to Richard Mourdock yesterday in the Republican primary. Mourdock had strong backing from the Tea Party. Over at 538, Nate Silver looks at the decline of moderate Republicans in the Senate.

Zoolander fans, this one’s for you.

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Pastor Jeremiah Wright, who’s managed to keep a rather low profile for the past few years, is now engaged in a project that concerns many religious leaders: encouraging young Christians to return to church. Younger Millennials (age 18-24) report significant levels of disaffiliated leaving the religious affiliation of their childhood, mostly from the ranks of Catholicism and mainline Protestantism.

Stanford English professor Terry Castle encourages younger Millennials to assert more independence from their parents. According to PRRI’s recent survey, nearly half (48%) of younger Millennials are living at home with their parents, and 60% talk to their parents at least once a day. Asserting your independence is probably easier when you have a job–according to the U.S. Census a majority of recent college graduates are under or unemployed.

Significant challenges can emerge when religion-based policy and patient care clash at religiously affiliated hospitals. According to NPR, a new survey partially funded by the NIH reveals that a majority (52%) of OB-GYNs at Catholic hospitals report such a conflict. The most frequent issues arise around birth control and sterilization.

Factoid of the day: 1 in 6 of Obama’s top fundraisers are gay or lesbian.

Last week, the Washington Post reported that the number of black and Hispanic registered voters has fallen sharply since 2008. But it might not hurt Obama as much as some initially claimed.

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Our Research Director, Daniel Cox, recently appeared on the American Enterprise Institute’s podcast, “Banter,” to discuss the findings of the 2012 Millennial Values Survey. Check it out here.

The Secular Coalition for America, a prominent secular group, is hoping to expand beyond their solidly Democratic constituency, with the help of a GOP lobbyist. It probably will be a tough sell, though: only 1-in-5 (20%) Republicans say they would be comfortable with an atheist serving as president.

After officially kicking off his reelection campaign, President Obama seeks to re-frame the election.

Only a handful of ultra-wealthy Americans are choosing to influence politics through SuperPACS. This means that 10 donors (seven of whom are individuals, not corporations) make up one-third of the $202 million reported by outside spending groups this election cycle. The list of top donors mostly consists of Republicans.

Former Maine Gov. Angus King, the candidate who may step into moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe’s shoes, warned Democrats and Republicans that he will pay attention to how he is treated during this election cycle. It’s not a threat to be taken lightly, given that King, an Independent, could determine the balance of power in an evenly divided Senate. This could inject a little more civility into the 2012 campaign (at least in Maine). The lack of civility in recent elections is something that voters have identified as a significant problem.

Here’s a graph showing why the reconstituted Ottoman Empire might make more sense for a monetary union than for the Euro Zone.

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• Millennials are close with their parents (as evidenced by the large number who live at home).
• Millennials are more racially diverse than older generations. They’re also more likely to have interacted with people from different religious backgrounds and sexual orientations.
• Education matters. There are significant differences on a wide range of issues between Millennials who have attended college and those who have not. The type of college that they attend also matters. Millennials who attended or are currently attending a private college or university are, perhaps unsurprisingly, more liberal on issues like abortion than Millennials who attended or are currently attending a religiously unaffiliated college.
• There’s a lot of “churn” in the American religious marketplace; many Millennials are moving away from the religious affiliations of their childhoods.

This is just a small sample of the subjects that Mr. Cox and the podcast hosts discussed. Take a few minutes out of your Monday morning and listen to it here.

On Sunday morning, Vice President Joe Biden said that he was “comfortable” with gay marriage, on an appearance on “Meet the Press.” The White House was quick to add that this signaled no change in the president’s views on same-sex marriage, which he has not yet openly embraced. But it does hint at a potential shift in the administration’s position, one that mirrors the general public’s gradually growing support.

Meanwhile, the United Methodist Church voted to uphold its policy that same-sex relationships are “incompatible with Christian teaching.” A representative of the Pope also called on Jews, Christians, and Muslims to unite against same-sex marriage. For more on religious groups’ perspectives on same-sex marriage, check out this research note.

This week, North Carolina voters will go to the polls to decide whether a ban on same-sex marriage will be enshrined in the state’s constitution. Some anti-same-sex marriage groups have been working to enlist black Protestants in the struggle to constitutionally define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but younger black Protestants may be tougher to convince.

Despite the fact that Mormons are mostly politically conservative (and look a lot like white evangelical Protestants on many key policy issues), there are a handful of Mormons who support Obama, despite their shared faith with Romney.

Tea Party power is threatening to unseat one Senate moderate from Indiana, but otherwise, some Tea Party freshmen are finding their own reelection to be quite a challenge.

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