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PABLOMARTINEZMONSIVAIS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Barack Obama greets children from Al-Rahmah school and other guests during his visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore, Wednesday in Baltimore, Md. Obama is making his first visit to a U.S. mosque at a time Muslim- Americans say they're confronting increasing levels of bias in speech and deeds. ByDarleneSuperville The Associated Press CATONSVILLE, MD. Pres- ident Barack Obama sought Wednesday to correct what he called a "hugely distorted impres- sion" of Muslim-Ameri- cans as he made his first visit to a U.S. mosque. He said those who demonize all Muslims for the acts of a few are playing into ex- tremists' hands. Inserting himself into a debate that has ricocheted in the presidential cam- paign, Obama told parish- ioners at a mosque outside Baltimore that he'd heard from young Muslims wor- ried they'll be rounded up and kicked out of the coun- try. He said Muslims, too, are concerned about the threat of terrorism but are too often blamed as a group "for the violent acts of the very few." "We've seen children bul- lied, we've seen mosques vandalized," Obama said, warning that such un- equal treatment for certain groups in society tears at the nation's fabric. "That's not who we are." For Muslim advocates, Obama's visit was a long- awaited gesture to a com- munity that has warned of escalating vitriol against them that has accompanied the public's concern about the Islamic State and other extremist groups. Although Obama has visited mosques overseas, he waited until his final year in office to make such a visit at home, reflect- ing the issue's sensitive po- litical implications. In this year's Republi- can presidential campaign, Donald Trump has called for banning Muslims from the U.S. temporarily and Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio warned of "radical Islamic terrorism." Muslim-Ameri- can advocacy groups have warned of growing antag- onism that has followed re- cent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, by those purporting to act in the name of Islam. Obama visits US mosque RELIGION AND POLITICS By Kathleen Hennessey and Steve Peoples The Associated Press BOW, N.H. Once a bro- mance, now a brawl. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz cast aside any veneer of kindness on Wednesday to trade in- sults and accusations in a show of hardball poli- tics that demonstrated the stakes for both men in the New Hampshire primary six days away. The billionaire mogul charged the Texas sen- ator with "fraud" and called for a do-over of the Iowa caucuses. That's where Cruz's unexpected victory exposed weak- nesses in Trump's un- orthodox, personality- driven bid for the White House. Cruz shot back with his fiercest attack yet on the man who has domi- nated opinion polls in New Hampshire, suggesting the reality star doesn't like the reality of losing. He's hav- ing a "Trumper-tantrum," Cruz told reporters. "He's losing it." The back-and-forth be- tween two candidates who once made of a show of their rapport underscored the shifting dynamic in a Republican race rattled by the Iowa results. Cruz's campaign staff popped champagne on the flight to New Hampshire early Tuesday, proud of stealthily out-organizing the political novice. Trump appeared to take the loss graciously Monday night, but by Wednesday morn- ing he had turned. "Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he stole it," Trump tweeted, and his campaign accused Cruz of dirty tricks in telling Ben Car- son's supporters their man was dropping out and they should turn to the Texan. For all their bluster, the top two were keeping a wary eye on Iowa's surpris- ingly strong No. 3. In a blitz of new Hamp- shire campaigning, Flor- ida Sen. Marco Rubio was casting himself as the sole "unifier" in a deeply frac- tured party and the man best positioned to beat a Democrat in November. "When I am our nomi- nee I can bring this party together," Rubio told more than 300 people at an ath- letic complex in Bow. "We cannot win if we are di- vided against each other." For Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Hampshire increas- ingly looked like a do- or-die proposition: Show some momentum or pack it up. They hustled across the state trying to pre- vent this from becoming a three-man race. Christie argued, rather hopefully, that the battle for establishment Repub- licans was down to him and Rubio. "He knows we have the best ground game here. He knows we have the most support from folks like this," Christie said. The long-crowded field continued to shrink. Rand Paul announced he was dropping out, and that put a new crop of vot- ers up for grabs for the other contenders. The Ken- tucky senator had tried to improve the GOP's popu- larity among younger vot- ers and minorities. But his appeal never broadened much beyond the libertar- ian-leaning Republicans who backed the previous White House bids of his father, Rep. Ron Paul. Trump was far away — in Arkansas — but still get- ting plenty of attention. "Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus, either a new elec- tion should take place or Cruz results nullified," he tweeted. "Many people voted for Cruz over Car- son because of this Cruz fraud," Trump wrote. Before Trump's tweets on Wednesday, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told CNN the senator had apol- ogized personally to Car- son, though Tyler said the Cruz team "as a campaign" never alleged Carson was dropping out. Carson, who is conspicu- ously absent in New Hamp- shire, said it all amounted to "dirty tricks." Cruz offered no apolo- gies. Instead, he declared that his two young daugh- ters were better behaved than Trump. "I don't know anyone who would be comfort- able with someone who behaves this way having his finger on the button. We're liable to wake up one morning and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark." POLITICS On ce a b ro ma nc e, n ow a b ra wl : ri va ls T ru mp a nd C ru z go a t it JAE C. HONG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump poses with a ring given to him by a group of veterans during a campaign event on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 5 B