Month: July 2013
-
Emmy Nods for Netflix
In a sign of the shifting TV times, CNN is reporting that House of Cards and Arrested Development have received Emmy nominations. Update (Doug Mataconis): The New York Times has the details: In the 65-year-old competition for Primetime Emmy Awards, the online streaming network Netflix officially joined its cable and broadcast counterparts on Thursday, picking up a…
-
Sandusky’s Adoptive Son Seeks Name Change
Can anyone blame him?: Matt Sandusky filed papers Tuesday in Centre County Court seeking to have the names of him and his family changed. Though the documents are sealed, they show he filed for a name change, along with his wife and four children. Matt Sandusky had been expected to be a defense witness until…
-
Afghans Want To Charge U.S. For Removing Military Gear
In what may be the most bizarre twist in the United States’ withdrawal from the Afghanistan War, the removal of American military equipment is being held up by a bureaucratic dispute based in the Afghan’s attempt to charge the U.S. for equipment removed from the country: An escalating dispute between the Afghan government and the…
-
Bloomberg: Take The Stairs
Michael Bloomberg wants New Yorkers to take the stairs. The bastard.
-
Unbundling Cable Packages Would Be More Expensive, But Its Probably The Future
Would your cable bill be cheaper if you could just subscribe to the channels you wanted to watch?
-
Keith Olbermann Returning To ESPN
Keith Olbermann is returning to the network that launched his national career before it went down the rather bizarre, and ultimately doomed, road of political commentary: ESPN is expected to announce on Wednesday that the former network mainstay Keith Olbermann, who contentiously departed in 1997, will return to host a one-hour, nightly show for ESPN2 later this…
-
Pennsylvania Republicans Ready To Kick Tom Corbett To The Curb?
As I’ve noted here before, Pennsylvania’s Republican Governor Tom Corbett is one of the most vulnerable of all the Republican Governor’s from the class of 2010. Based on recent polling, it seems almost inconceivable that he’d be able to pull off a victory in November 2014 absent the type of improbable comeback that you just…
-
Rolling Stone Puts Dzhokhar Tsarnaev On The Cover
Some are expressing offense over the latest Rolling Stone cover: Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is on the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, a decision that has sparked a negative reaction online. The cover, a position normally occupied by rock stars and figures in pop culture, is set to accompany a profile…
-
Are There Too Many Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation?
There are over 1,000 Executive Branch positions requiring Senate approval. That seems excessive.
-
If This Samantha Power Video Is The Next “Big Controversy”, Will It Be The Right Controversy?
Some thoughts on a decade old video in which Samantha Power speculates on actions to take against an unfolding genocide.
-
Should UN Ambassador Have Cabinet Rank?
David Bosco wonders, “Why is the United Nations Ambassador in the Cabinet?”
-
Atlantic Media launches a online publication aimed at the defense/intellegence community
Yesterday, Atlantic Media, the parent company of The Atlantic, launched Defense One. The site’s editor describes Defense One’s mission as such: Defense One will deliver a daily mix of stories by award-winning journalists and useful, insightful commentary across the entire national security spectrum — from politics and procurement to global affairs and ground troops. Expect…
-
House To Vote On Obamacare Attack For 38th Time
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, and try 36 more times after that: House Republicans, politically emboldened by President Barack Obama’s delay of a key requirement of his health care law, are taking another run at scrapping his signature domestic policy. The House has scheduled votes Wednesday to delay the law’s individual…
-
Same-Sex Marriage Legalized In England & Wales
With the final formality of Royal Assent granted today, same-sex marriage has been legalized in at least part of the United Kingdom: The Queen gave her approval to the Bill – one of the most radical pieces of social legislation of her reign – this afternoon. It opens the way for the first legally recognised…
-
Lindsey Graham: U.S. Should Boycott Olympics Unless Russians Give Us Snowden
Lindsey Graham thinks the U.S. should consider boycotting the 2014 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Sochi, Russia, over the Edward Snowden affair: President Obama should consider boycotting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia if that country gives asylum to Edward Snowden, Sen. Lindsey Graham told The Hill on Tuesday. “I would. I would just…
-
Yemen’s al Qaeda No. 2 Still Dead
Abu Sufyan al-Azdi, al Qaeda’s number two man in Yemen, is still dead. Or dead again. Or finally dead.
-
Stevie Wonder Boycotting ‘Stand Your Ground’ States
If Stevie Wonder were still touring, he wouldn’t be making stops in states with “Stand Your Ground” laws.
-
Liz Cheney Announces Challenge To Wyoming GOP Senator Mike Enzi
Liz Cheney, the daughter of the former Vice-President and Congressman from Wyoming, has announced that she will be challenging Republican Senator Mike Enzi in the Republican Senate Primary in 2014: CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz Cheney says she will run against Wyoming’s senior U.S. senator in next year’s Republican primary.…
-
Harry Reid Backs Away From The Nuclear Option, Filibuster Alive And Well
Once again, the threat of the “nuclear option” appears to have had less megatonnage than some expected and others hoped.
-
Hispanics Identify More With Democratic Party
A new Gallup poll shows that Hispanic-Americans identify with the Democratic Party over the Republican Party by a nearly 2-to-1 margin: PRINCETON, NJ — Hispanics of all ages in the U.S. today are more than twice as likely to identify with or lean to the Democratic Party rather than the Republican Party. However, younger Hispanics are…
-
Panamanians Seize Missile Components Headed to North Korea from Cuba
Via the NYT: Panama Seizes North Korea-Flagged Ship for Weapons The Panamanian authorities impounded a rusting North Korean freighter on a voyage from Cuba toward the Panama Canal and back to its home country, and said the ship was carrying missile-system components cloaked in a cargo of sugar. The arms would appear to represent a…
-
Democrats Hold Slight Lead In Virginia Governor’s Race, Libertarian Could Play Spoiler
The latest poll of the Virginia Governor’s race shows Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe with a slight edge over Republican Ken Cuccinelli, with a third-party candidate possibly playing the spoilers role:: Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a 4-point lead over Republican state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor’s race, according to a poll out Tuesday morning.…
-
Moral and Legal Culpability are not the Same (A Trip Back to the Beginning)
Going back to the very beginning can be useful.
-
Could Today Be The Day Harry Reid Goes Nuclear? [Update: Tentative Deal Reached]
The Senate may be headed for an historic confrontation today if an 11th hour deal isn’t reached.
-
Gun Control Has Faded From The Newscycle And The Political Conversation
Low voter priorities and the natural tendency of the media to move on to the next big story meant that gun control was not going to be a top political issue for long.
-
Deadly Clashes Continue In Cairo
Nearly two weeks after protests and a military coup removed Mohammed Morsi from his position as Egypt’s first elected President, clashes between Morsi supporters and military and police forces continue, with last night’s clashes in Cairo being among the most deadly yet: Deadly clashes erupted on the streets of Cairo on Monday night not long…
-
Putin: U.S. Has Trapped Snowden In Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the United States has effectively trapped Edward Snowden in Russia: MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin told an audience of students on Monday that the United States had effectively trapped Edward J. Snowden, the fugitive former intelligence contractor, on Russian territory by frightening countries that otherwise might have accepted…
-
Weiner, Spitzer Lead In Latest NYC Polls
Both former Congressman Anthony Weiner and former Governor Elliot Spitzer are doing very well in the latest Quinnipiac poll for the respective offices they are running for in September’s Democratic primaries in New York City: Strong support among black voters propels former Congressman Anthony Weiner to the top of the heap in the Democratic primary for…
-
Petraeus CUNY Pay Drops to $1
After a backlash ensued after CUNY hired him to teach a single course for $200,000 David Petraeus has agreed to teach for $1. NYT (“Petraeus’s CUNY Pay, Criticized at $200,000, Shrinks to $1“): It was supposed to be a feather in the cap for the City University of New York’s ambitious honors college. Or perhaps…
-
Civil Rights Charges Against George Zimmerman Would Be Completely Inappropriate
Evidence that George Zimmerman acted out of racial bias is completely lacking, which means the Federal Government should stay out of this case entirely.
-
GOP In Good Position To Grab Senate Control In 2014
The GOP’s chances to take over the Senate became much better over the weekend.
-
Chinese G.D.P Growth Slows
Chinese economic growth is still fairly high, but it has slowed significantly: HONG KONG — China’s new tough-love approach to overhauling its giant economy showed through in lackluster economic data released on Monday, underlining just how rapidly growth in the once-sizzling economy has cooled. China’s economy grew 7.5 percent in the second quarter of this…
-
Law & Order: Grade School
Well, this is certainly out of the ordinary: The incident started when a Delaware State Police trooper, who was on assignment as a school resource officer in the Cape Henlopen School District, questioned the third-grader and a fifth-grader while investigating the theft of $1. According to court papers, the questioning was so intense, complete with…
-
Tennessee Man Blames Apple For His Porn Addiction, Files Lawsuit
A Tennessee man is suing Apple because they are abetting his addiction to pornography: The plaintiff, Chris Sevier, is an attorney in Nashville. A news report of his arrest last month on unrelated charges of stalking country music star John Rich (the guy whose obnoxious song mars my weekly viewing of College GameDay) states that Sevier’s…
-
States Resisting Calls To Lower DUI Blood Alcohol Levels
Back in May, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report recommending that the blood alcohol volume limit for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) be lowered from 0.08 to 0.05. So far, states are resisting the recommendation: The National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman’s push to lower legal blood-alcohol limits for drivers appears headed…
-
Iraq Claims It’s Powerless To Stop Iranian Arms Shipments To Syria
The Iraqis claim that they cannot do anything to stop the flow of arms over their borders into Syria: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Iraq is unable to stop its neighbor Iran from transferring weapons to Syria through its airspace, Iraq’s foreign minister said in a newspaper interview published Saturday. “We reject and condemn the transfer of weapons through…
-
Headline You Really Don’t Want To Read Of The Day
Snake Hiding in Toilet Bites Israeli Man’s Penis Well, this certainly makes one re-evaluate the risk factor of certain activities.
-
President Obama Urges Respect for Zimmerman Acquittal; Silent on DOJ Action
The president says we should honor Trayvon Martin by preventing similar tragedies in the future.
-
Ten Years After McCain-Feingold, More Money In Politics Than Ever
The 10th anniversary of McCain-Feingold teaches a lesson we should already have learned.
-
Definitions of Success Matter in Policy Debates
Thoughts on the immigration debate.
-
Thoughts on the Justice System
Thoughts on the Zimmerman verdict (or, more accurately, to reactions to the verdict).
-
“Border Security” And GOP Political Pandering
There are many fallacies contained within the GOP’s insistence that immigration reform must begin and end with “border security.”
-
Plan To Arm Syrian Rebels Hits Roadblocks In Congress
It was just about a month ago that the Obama Administration announced that they intended to reverse long-standing policy and seek to arm the Syrian rebels fighting the government of Bashar Ashad, mostly in response to confirmation that the Assad regime had used small amounts of chemical weapons in battle. So far, though, those plans are…
-
The Costs Of Civil War: Syrian Economy Crumbling
As Syria’s civil war drags on, its economy continues to crumble: BEIRUT, Lebanon — Even as the Syrian government makes some gains against the rebels on the battlefield, it is taking a rout on an equally important front: the economy. Two years of war have quintupled unemployment, reduced the Syrian currency to one-sixth of its prewar…
-
Poll: 60% Of New Jerseyans Support Same-Sex Marriage
A new poll shows support for same-sex marriage remains high in the Garden State: TRENTON — New Jersey voters support giving same-sex couples the right to marry by a two-to-one margin, according to a poll released this morning. The Quinnipiac University poll of 1,068 voters found 60 percent support a state law to allow same-sex marriage,…
-
“Peak Oil” Blog Signing Off
It wasn’t that long ago that the hottest phrase in energy policy was “Peak Oil,” the idea that the world’s oil supply had reached its peak and would soon start declining precipitously, with all of the attendant economic and geopolitical consequences you can imagine may result from that. In the years since then, though, we’ve…
-
The Disappearing Oval Office Address
The Oval Office Address, once a common tool of the Presidency, has been in declining use of late.
-
Obama Words on Military Sexual Assault Backfire
President Obama is rightly outraged by a wave of sexual assaults in the military. He unwittingly made them harder to prosecute.