Month: May 2013
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Millennials Not Buying Cars or Even Getting Drivers Licenses
The under-35 set are buying cars at a lower rate than they used to.
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Scientists Say They Have Cloned Human Embryos To Make Stem Cells
A potentially groundbreaking development in microbiology that is certain to have political consequences: Scientists say they have, for the first time, cloned human embryos capable of producing embryonic stem cells. The accomplishment is a long-sought step toward harnessing the potential power of embryonic stem cells to treat many human diseases. But the work also raises…
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Minnesota Becomes 12th State To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
For the third week in a row, we’ve got a new state that has legalized same-sex marriage: (CNN) – Minnesota became the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriages Tuesday after Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, signed a bill giving same-sex couples the right to marry. “It’s history,” his Twitter account read, along with a photo of…
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IRS Scandal More About Political Bias Than “Incompetence”
What happened at the IRS looks a lot more like deliberate political bias than simple incompetence.
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Anthony Weiner Preparing To Run For NYC Mayor
As improbable as it all seems, it appears that former Congressman Anthony Weiner is about to announce his candidacy for Mayor of New York City: Anthony Weiner’s bid to rise from the political dead is ready to begin in earnest — the disgraced former congressman will announce he is running for mayor as early as…
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Army Sexual Assault Coordinator Accused Of Abusive Sexual Conduct
Well, here we go going: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army says the coordinator of a sexual assault prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for “abusive sexual contact” and other alleged misconduct. He has been suspended from all duties. The announcement Wednesday evening came just days after the arrest of the Air Force’s…
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NTSB: Lower Threshold For DUI From .08 To .05
A government panel is recommending that the BAC limit for drunk driving be lowered nearly 40%.
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Justice Department Defends Actions In Seizure Of A.P. Phone Records
The Deputy Attorney General in charge of the investigation that included the seizure of Associated Press phone records is defending the DOJ’s actions: James Cole, the deputy attorney general who the Justice Department said oversaw the secret collection of AP reporters’ phone records in 2012, says in a letter to the news organization that Justice…
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Eric Holder Recused Himself From Case Involving AP Phone Records
Attorney General Eric Holder revealed today that he hasn’t been involved in the criminal investigation that resulted in the seizure of the phone records of Associated Press reporters for nearly a year: Attorney General Eric Holder recused himself from the Department of Justice’s decision to secretly seize two months of phone records of Associated Press…
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RNC Hispanic Outreach Director Becomes A Democrat
The man who was in charge of Hispanic outreach for the Republican National Committee in Florida has become a Democrat: The Republican National Committee’s former Hispanic outreach director in Florida has become a Democrat, citing the Republican party’s “intolerance” and a general frustration with the party’s attitude toward immigration Pablo Pantoja wrote in an e-mail to…
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IRS Released Confidential Data Of Conservative Groups
Pro Publica reported last night that the IRS had released to it confidential information consisting of applications for tax-exempt status of several conservative organizations: ProPublica on Monday reported that the same IRS division that targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny during the 2012 election cycle provided the investigative-reporting organization with confidential applications for tax-exempt status. That…
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Some Initial Thoughts on the AP and IRS Stories
A starting point for two important stories.
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Hillary Clinton Hates The Sunday Morning Shows
Several times, people have wondered why it is that UN Ambassador Susan Rice appeared on the Sunday morning talk shows in the wake of the Benghazi attack instead of Secretary of State Clinton. Well, it turns out Clinton hates going on those shows: “Secretary Clinton had originally been asked by most of the networks to…
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Air Force One For Sale
No, they’re not selling President Obama’s plane out from under him, but the General Services Administration is offering for sale a plane that served as Air Force One for about three decades: The General Services Administration listed a plane that once served as Air Force One on its federal auction website, and bidding begins May 15.…
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Report: Government Secretly Obtained Phone Records Of Up To 100 A.P. Journalists
An interesting, albeit somewhat mysterious, report this afternoon reveals what seems to be an unprecedented intrusion into the practices of journalists as they collect news: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative’s top executive called a…
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Driverless Cars A Threat To Personal Privacy?
Will drivers really be okay with Google tracking everywhere they go in their self-driving car?
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Public Not Viewing Benghazi As A Scandal, Poll Shows
Public Policy Polling is out with the first new poll of public attitudes regarding the political firestorm surrounding the terrorist attack on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi last September and, so far, it doesn’t look like Republicans are winning this battle: PPP’s newest national poll finds that Republicans aren’t getting much traction with their focus on…
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Subway No Better Than McDonald’s if You’re an Idiot
Shockingly, there are high calorie items on the menu at Jared’s favorite sandwich shop.
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Obama: IRS Political Targeting “Outrageous”
Not surprisingly, President Obama was asked about the unfolding IRS scandal at his joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron: Washington (CNN) – President Obama vowed Monday to hold the Internal Revenue Service accountable if reports of political targeting are proved true. “If in fact IRS personnel engaged in the kind of practices that…
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Brave’s Merida Gets Disney Princess Treatment
Critics are assailing Disney for turning “Brave” protagonist Merida into just another princess.
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Too Early for 2016 Talk?
We’re actually not speculating about who might be running any more than we used to.
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JFK In 1962: Mom, Please Stop Writing Khruschev
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss posted this photo on his Twitter feed yesterday of a letter that President Kennedy sent to his mother in November 1962 regarding a photograph of Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev that she had previously sent to the Soviet leader asking him to autograph it as well. Keep in mind that…
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Minnesota Expected To Approve Same-Sex Marriage
By the end of today, Minnesota is likely to become the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage: ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Reuters) – The Minnesota Senate is expected to give final approval on Monday to a bill that would make the state the 12th in the United States to allow same-sex couples to marry and only…
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Space Oddity, International Space Station Edition
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield performs David Bowie’s classic “Space Oddity” from outer space.
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That Sounds About Right…
Former SecDef Robert Gates on many critics’ views on the Benghazi incident: "It’s sort of a cartoonish impression of military capabilities and military forces.” Personally, I have been thinking “action movie impression” but “cartoonish” works as well.
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Official Cause of Death Wrong at Least One Third of Time
We rely on death certificates for epidemiology studies. But they’re incredibly unreliable.
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FDA Considering Age Limits For Caffeinated Beverages?
Recent comments from an FDA official raise the prospect that the agency is considering minor’s access to caffeinated beverages.
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When Americans And Germans Fought On The Same Side In World War II
There’s a fascinating story at The Daily Beast about a battle during the closing days of World War II in Europe and a battle in which the American and German Armies were on the same side: Here are the basic facts: on 5 May 1945—five days after Hitler’s suicide—three Sherman tanks from the 23rd Tank Battalion of the…
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The IRS Scandal Expands
Partisan targeting by the IRS should not be permitted to stand.
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Keynes and the Long Run
Keynes and uncertainty about the the future: about childlessness or philosophical assumptions?
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Roe v. Wade Went Too Far
Justice Ginsburg made some interesting comments about Roe v. Wade recently. Could they be a signal about where the Court is headed on gay marriage?
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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Declares Victory
A former Pakistani Prime Minister who was deposed in a military coup is claiming victory in yesterday’s elections: ISLAMABAD — Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared victory following a historic election marred by violence Saturday, a remarkable comeback for a leader once toppled in a military coup and sent into exile. The 63-year-old Sharif,…
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Demographic Trends Not Looking Good For Republicans
Republicans are fighting over how best to deal with their demographic problems, but they seem to be fighting the wrong battle.
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Death Toll In Bangladesh Building Collapse Over 1,100
It’s been nearly two weeks since a building in Bangladesh housing five separate garment factories collapsed, killing an untold number of workers, and the news just keeps getting worse: The police said Saturday that the death toll from the collapse of a garment-factory building in Bangladesh had soared past 1,100 as recovery operations continued. Doctors said…
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The Youth Unemployment Problem
Large numbers of younger workers are having trouble finding work in many parts of the developed world.
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Newtown Panel Advises Tearing Down Sandy Hook Elementary
Sandy Hook Elementary School has been shuttered since law enforcement concluded their investigation of the shooting that occurred there on December 14th of last year. The children who attended the school are now going to school at a previously unused school in a neighboring town. Now, Newtown has to decide what to do with the…
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Michele Bachmann: 9/11 And Benghazi Were “God’s Judgment”
Michele Bachmann thinks she’s found the root cause of terrorism: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) continued to promote a right-wing Sept. 11 “National Day of Prayer and Fasting” on Thursday, telling an audience gathered at a Capitol Hill event that such actions were necessary because “judgment” had been passed down by God on that day in…
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Your State’s Highest Paid Public Employee Is Probably A Coach
The odds are that the highest paid public employee is either a football or basketball coach: You may have heard that the highest-paid employee in each state is usually the football coach at the largest state school. This is actually a gross mischaracterization: Sometimes it is the basketball coach. Based on data drawn from media…
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U.S. Withdrawing Diplomats From Libya After Protests
The U.S. is withdrawing some of its diplomats from Libya in the wake of new protests rocking the country: Growing concerns over protests roiling Libya prompted the State Department to begin evacuating some diplomats from Tripoli, as the Pentagon put troops stationed at nearby European bases on high alert. The response was driven in part…
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Bourbon Snobbery
The noted wine critic Robert Parker recently forayed into reviewing bourbon and came under intense fire from enthusiasts of American whiskey.
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Behold New York City’s New Skyline
With its spire now officially attached as a permanent structure, One World Trade Center completes the new skyline of New York City. Photo via Time Magazine
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New York Times Reporter Ejected From Pakistan On Eve Of Elections
New York Times reporter Declan Walsh has been ordered to leave Pakistan on the eve of that nation’s elections: Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has ordered the expulsion of The New York Times bureau chief in Islamabad on the eve of national elections, the newspaper said Friday. The Times has strongly protested the move and is seeking his…
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Homebrewing Finally Legal in Alabama
Via the American Homebrewers Association: Homebrewing is Legal in Alabama! The era of illegal homebrewing has come to an end! Alabama, the final remaining state to still outlaw the making of beer at home, officially legalized homebrewing with the passage of bill HB9 which was signed by Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday, May 9, 2013.…
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Gmail Follows Facebook in Screwing Up its Product
With its most recent “upgrade,” Gmail has become much less useful to its best customers.
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Initial Benghazi Talking Points Changed 12 Times, Mentions Of Terror Removed
The talking points prepared in the immediate aftermath of the Benghazi attack were heavily edited at the request of the State Department.
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Benghazi Whistle Blower Demoted for Bad Management, Not Whistle Blowing?
ThinkProgress’ Hayes Brown reports that, contrary to his claim that he was demoted for speaking up on the Benghazi attacks, Gregory Hicks was instead demoted for being a bad manager.
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State Department Goes After Maker Of 3D-Printed Gun
The State Department tries to scrub information about the 3D-printed gun from the Internet.
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POLITICO to Charge More in Places Where It’s Less Popular
POLITICO is joining the stampede toward metered paywalls. In a twist, it will remain free in regions where it’s most popular.