Politics
The Economy
Worst socialist ever. "In the 84 years that the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index has been calculated, it doubled during the terms of only four presidents before Barack Obama’s election in 2008. This month that number rose to five ... The S&P 500 is up 105% since the President took office ... With socialists like that, who needs capitalists?" Jared Bernstein at On the Economy.
What about austerity? "Whatever happened to the austerity economy? ... On the positive side of the ledger ... housing was finally gaining momentum after a six-year slump and consumers had made major progress toward righting their household finances, enabling them to ramp up consumption. On the negative side, federal fiscal policy seemed to be fighting it tooth and nail, with tax increases and spending cuts that threatened to suck the wind out of any nascent economic boom. So far, the positives seem to be winning." Neil Irwin at Wonkblog.
Congress is destructive. But the economy is still net positive. "A U.S. economy that was supposed to be barely hanging on is starting to look surprisingly robust. Housing prices rose faster over the past year than they have in the past seven ... Consumer confidence hit its highest level in five years. The stock market rallied ... leaving it just short of an all-time high reached last week. And the national retail price of gasoline fell for six days straight ... It adds up to this reality: In a year when tax increases and spending cuts by the federal government were expected to bleed life out of the economy, the strengthening housing and financial markets are proving to be more powerful than acts of Congress." Neil Irwin and Ylan Mui at Wonkblog.
Elections
Rand Paul claims he's running for Senate in 2016, not the presidency. Here's the likely dilemma at play. "Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is being talked about as a candidate for President in 2016, but for now he says he’s running for re-election to his Senate seat ... even as he’s widely seen as having interest in a presidential run that year. ... Paul faces something of a dilemma in that Kentucky law forbids him from both running for re-election and running for President on the same ballot and also requires him to make a decision regarding which race to pursue by some time in January 2016." Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway.
Turning Texas blue: The instruction manual. "The quest for a blue Texas is going to have to be built on three pillars, only one of which is ongoing demographic change. The other two are matching minority, particularly Hispanic, turnout to white turnout and elevating white support for Democrats. In the latter area, if the Democrats can simply get their support to the 30 percent level — in other words, make the typical landslide among whites for the GOP just a little bit less of a landslide — they will be in a good position to stand on all three pillars and make their dream ... of a blue Texas come true." Ruy Teixeira at Think Progress.
How is Anthony Wiener's NYC mayoral bid going? Okay, but not great. "Former Congressman Anthony Weiner’s first week in the race for the Democratic nomination for New York City Mayor has gone very well for him, but he still seems to be far from his goal of winning ... Weiner ... now draws 19 percent of the vote in the crowded primary field ... Given the fact that there are presently nine declared candidates for the Democratic nomination, it seems inevitable that there is going to be a runoff. ... If these numbers hold up, then it suggests that it will be difficult for the former Congressman to get beyond the final hurdle to his political redemption." Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway.
Energy and the Environment
Blocking Keystone isn't a complete solution. But it's the equivalent of a carbon tax. And that sounds pretty good to me. "Blocking the Keystone pipeline will not keep the tar sands oil in the ground. There are other ways to bring the oil to market and the industry will undoubtedly pursue these channels if opponents of the pipeline are successful. But there is an important point here. These other methods of getting the oil to consumers are more expensive. ... In this way opposition to the pipeline is effectively raising the cost of tar sands oil. That is exactly what we should want to see." Dean Baker at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
So, Shell moved an oil drilling rig in the middle of a storm to ... avoid taxes. Figures. "Shell’s Kulluk oil drilling rig left Dutch Harbor in December to avoid the prospect of millions in taxes, a Shell official revealed Saturday in testimony to a Coast Guard investigation panel. Questions over the timing of the Kulluk’s departure have been swirling since the Dec. 31 grounding of the rig in a fierce Gulf of Alaska winter storm. Before Saturday’s testimony ... Shell had maintained that taxes were ... not the driving factor for the move’s timing." Lisa Demer at Anchorage Daily News.
Filibuster Fights
Obama is throwing down the judicial gauntlet. "President Obama will soon accelerate his efforts to put a lasting imprint on the country’s judiciary by simultaneously nominating three judges to an important federal court, a move that is certain to unleash fierce Republican opposition and could rekindle a broader partisan struggle over Senate rules. In trying to fill the three vacancies on the 11-member United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit at once, Mr. Obama will be adopting a more aggressive nomination strategy. He will effectively be daring Republicans to find specific ground to filibuster all the nominees." Michael Shear at the New York Times.
It's about time. "Obama has made a strong opening move here. Senate Republicans have enjoyed so much success bottling up his nomination not only because they have seized unprecedented new powers, but also because Obama has done so little to challenge them until now. The Senate Republicans have in a sense filled a power vacuum caused by Obama’s inattention. They may well hold on to that power, but now, it seems, they’ll have to fight for it." Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine.
Court-stacking? Try 'normal.' "It appears that President Obama will finally nominate judges for the three remaining vacancies on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Republicans are objecting, with Mitch McConnell saying that 'The whole purpose here is to stack the court.' Obama’s response should be: Damn right! The Democrats won the presidential election and have a solid majority in the Senate; of course they are going to 'stack' the courts with their nominees. That’s exactly how the system is designed to work." Jonathan Bernstein at the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Rob Portman is attempting to solve the Cordray problem. "Sen. Rob Portman has been conferring with Richard Cordray, head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as part of an effort to clear the way for his Senate confirmation and avert a Democratic threat to use the 'nuclear option' to curb filibusters. A senior GOP aide said Tuesday that the Ohio Republican had talks with Cordray in recent weeks and had brought together some Democratic and Republican senators to seek common ground on changes within the CFPB that could address GOP concerns about the independent financial regulatory agency." Alan Ota at Roll Call.
GOP
The problem with Republican reformers. "The big problem with today’s Republican Party ... the whole package—the intolerance, the proud stupidity, the paranoia, the resentments, the rage. These are intertwined with policy of course... But they are the party’s real problem. And where these 'reformers' fail is that they never, ever, ever ... criticize it with any punch at all. ... And these people never call out the crazies. ... The bottom line is that if they don’t say anything about all this, then they’re simply not reforming the Republican Party in any sense that is worth taking remotely seriously." Michael Tomasky at the Daily Beast.
The GOP is locked into its right turn. "When Democrats note that the Republican Party has been radicalized to such an extent that many of its own iconic figures would be driven from the party by contemporary GOP standards, it's accurate but expected. When Bob Dole makes the same argument, the political world should take note. ... Dole is giving his party good advice, which it feels compelled to ignore. Sure, Republican lawmakers could listen to Dole, accept legislative compromises, and work with people with whom they disagree, but they know that such actions would only lead to primary challenges, conservative condemnations, and short careers." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
They're also screwing their own interest groups over. "There’s a real risk that even Republican-aligned interest groups will be harmed by the party’s seeming unwillingness or inability to pursue policy compromises ... Complaints ... come from small businesses and insurance companies — groups ... at least loosely aligned with the GOP. But the GOP is unwilling to alter the law, even in ways that would make it more friendly to their interests. And it’s not just the Affordable Care Act. The exact same story is happening with sequestration. ... Perhaps the big question is whether at some point some of these groups are going to be so frustrated by the post-policy GOP that they’ll flip sides." Jonathan Bernstein at the Plum Line.
They're also screwing their own interest groups over. "There’s a real risk that even Republican-aligned interest groups will be harmed by the party’s seeming unwillingness or inability to pursue policy compromises ... Complaints ... come from small businesses and insurance companies — groups ... at least loosely aligned with the GOP. But the GOP is unwilling to alter the law, even in ways that would make it more friendly to their interests. And it’s not just the Affordable Care Act. The exact same story is happening with sequestration. ... Perhaps the big question is whether at some point some of these groups are going to be so frustrated by the post-policy GOP that they’ll flip sides." Jonathan Bernstein at the Plum Line.
Boehner, the lame duck/speaker. "House Speaker John Boehner, who by title and position should be the second most powerful person in Washington, sure doesn’t seem or sound like it. He has little ability to work his will with fellow House Republicans. He has quit for good his solo efforts to craft a grand bargain on taxes and spending. And he hasn’t bothered to initiate a substantive conversation with President Barack Obama in this calendar year." Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen at Politico.
Guns
The end of the NRA? "The reason for the gap between perception and reality is that, for many years, the NRA has had no real opposition. ... That serious opponent has finally emerged. In 2006, Bloomberg formed Mayors Against Illegal Guns with 14 of his counterparts. ... What Bloomberg has embarked upon now is nothing less than the construction of a mirror image to the NRA. There is plenty of latent public support for gun control, his logic goes, but politicians only see a risk in voting for it. He wants to reverse that calculation." Alec MacGillis at the New Republic.
Bloomberg's problem - lots of Dems are angry that he could risk the Senate majority on guns. "Senate Democrats up and down the caucus, from West Virginia’s Joe Manchin to Majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, have been trying to warn Bloomberg off his strategy of running ads that attack vulnerable Democrats over gun control votes. And it’s not because they disagree with what Bloomberg is after—a new law to require background checks for guns bought online or at gun shows. Rather, they think keeping the Senate in Democratic hands in 2014 is more important than any single Senator’s vote on guns." Michael Scherer at Time.
You can run... "Republican Sens. Dean Heller (Nev.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), and Jeff Flake (Ariz.), ... have something important in common. They were each among the 45 senators who killed a bipartisan bill on expanded background checks, but these are the only three of those 45 who seem eager to pretend they didn't kill the proposal. ... The point here isn't just to criticize poor policy judgment, though that certainly matters. Rather, the point is that these three -- and only these three -- feel compelled to mislead their constituents in a coordinated way, cynically hoping that public ignorance will allow them to get away with their vote." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
Hey, states that are refusing to expand Medicaid - you must feel great about screwing over your most economically disadvantaged residents. "The refusal by about half the states to expand Medicaid will leave millions of poor people ineligible for government-subsidized health insurance under President Obama’s health care law ... New high-quality affordable insurance options ... will be unavailable to some of the neediest people in states like Texas, Florida, Kansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia, which are refusing to expand Medicaid. More than half of all people without health insurance live in states that are not planning to expand Medicaid." Robert Pear in the New York Times.
Bloomberg's problem - lots of Dems are angry that he could risk the Senate majority on guns. "Senate Democrats up and down the caucus, from West Virginia’s Joe Manchin to Majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, have been trying to warn Bloomberg off his strategy of running ads that attack vulnerable Democrats over gun control votes. And it’s not because they disagree with what Bloomberg is after—a new law to require background checks for guns bought online or at gun shows. Rather, they think keeping the Senate in Democratic hands in 2014 is more important than any single Senator’s vote on guns." Michael Scherer at Time.
You can run... "Republican Sens. Dean Heller (Nev.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), and Jeff Flake (Ariz.), ... have something important in common. They were each among the 45 senators who killed a bipartisan bill on expanded background checks, but these are the only three of those 45 who seem eager to pretend they didn't kill the proposal. ... The point here isn't just to criticize poor policy judgment, though that certainly matters. Rather, the point is that these three -- and only these three -- feel compelled to mislead their constituents in a coordinated way, cynically hoping that public ignorance will allow them to get away with their vote." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
Health
And, at least criticize the right president. "On Monday, several news outlets highlighted comments that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) made to the Iowa Republican Party earlier this month in which he mocked an Obamacare provision for being burdensome and silly. Paul ridiculed the health law for forcing doctors to use 122,000 new medical diagnostic codes for describing Americans’ injuries to the government, including for 'injuries sustained from a turtle' and 'walking into a lamppost.' The new codes do, admittedly, exist. There’s just one problem with Paul’s claims — they were adopted by the George W. Bush administration, long before Obamacare was even being debated." Sy Mukherjee at Think Progress.
In a rare moment, I'm pleased with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. "In an unexpected twist, it seems no governor is more enthusiastic about Medicaid expansion than Arizona's Jan Brewer. Gov. Jan Brewer sent five bills to the scrap heap ... in a pointed gesture intended to prod lawmakers into a deal on ... her plan to expand Medicaid. ... Brewer ... is playing hardball, telling the state legislature -- where there are Republican majorities in both chambers -- that she'll veto literally every bill that passes until lawmakers get Medicaid expansion done. GOP lawmakers apparently thought she was bluffing, and approved unrelated measures. As promised, Brewer vetoed the bills and reiterated her threat." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
In a rare moment, I'm pleased with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. "In an unexpected twist, it seems no governor is more enthusiastic about Medicaid expansion than Arizona's Jan Brewer. Gov. Jan Brewer sent five bills to the scrap heap ... in a pointed gesture intended to prod lawmakers into a deal on ... her plan to expand Medicaid. ... Brewer ... is playing hardball, telling the state legislature -- where there are Republican majorities in both chambers -- that she'll veto literally every bill that passes until lawmakers get Medicaid expansion done. GOP lawmakers apparently thought she was bluffing, and approved unrelated measures. As promised, Brewer vetoed the bills and reiterated her threat." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
CNN - screwing up information once again. "According to a recent poll, 59 percent of Americans support Obamacare, while 35 percent oppose it. Among supporters, 43 percent support the law as is, while 16 percent think it doesn't go far enough. The way CNN words the question in this poll, they almost have no choice but to say that 54 percent of the public opposes Obamacare. But that's wildly misleading. If you oppose Obamacare solely because you think it should be more generous, then you're not part of the group that's commonly thought of as the opposition." Kevin Drum at Mother Jones.
Immigration
The Gang of Eight is winning in the Senate. "For hard-line foes of immigration reform, the lopsided outcome produced a moment of clarity about the challenges they face in repeating their 2007 feat of scuttling comprehensive immigration legislation. Unlike six years ago, the loudest voices of dissent were drowned out by a disciplined performance from a bipartisan group of eight senators who teamed up to fight off the most serious threats to the bill. ... Senate supporters of immigration reform think they emerged from the judiciary panel’s hearings in a strong position, adopting key amendments to help mitigate criticisms. " David Nakamura in the Washington Post.
The House is another matter, entirely. "There’s still the very real possibility that reform will die in the House of Representatives. There, the numbers are not in their favor. House Republicans have long voiced their opposition to a comprehensive bill. ... The mere fact that some unauthorized immigrants could receive citizenship at some point in the future is enough to inspire opposition. And among House Republicans, this opposition is fairly broad-based ... Tea Party Republicans have a tight grip on the direction of the chamber. If House Republicans can be convinced of the need for a path to citizenship, then there’s hope for the bill. Otherwise, prospects are dire." Greg Sargent at the Plum Line.
Maryland
Explosion near Baltimore caused by a derailed train. "Authorities are attributing the explosion on a derailed freight train near Baltimore to the chemical cargo in one of the cars. ... Sodium chlorate in a car that derailed Tuesday in Rosedale exploded. ... The explosion ignited another chemical, terephthlaic acid, from a second derailed car. Sodium chlorate is used mainly as a bleaching agent in paper production. Oklahoma State University chemist Nick Materer says it could make for potentially explosive mixture when combined with an incompatible material such as spilled fuel." John Gonzalez and Tom Roussey at ABC.
The President
SCOTUSwatch
It's the calm before the storm, but things could be a lot worse. "There has been a remarkable outbreak of harmony at the Supreme Court. Of the seven decisions issued in the last two weeks, six were unanimous. There have been no dissents in more than 60 percent of the 46 cases decided so far this term. ... The harmony will dissipate in the final weeks of the term ... The marquee decisions of the term — on affirmative action, voting rights and same-sex marriage — will almost certainly be closely divided on the core issues. But the overall percentage of unanimous decisions is unlikely to drop to 40 percent, the average rate for full terms in recent years." Adam Liptak in the New York Times.
The States
10 interesting facts about state politics. Seth Masket at Pacific Standard Magazine.
Texas
Oh come on. This is a sick joke. "The Texas Legislature has approved a bill allowing students with proper licenses to keep guns in their cars on college campuses. ... Under current law, universities can post a sign prohibiting guns like any private property owner. But the approved measure overrides that." AP.
Trayvon Martin
An update from the Zimmerman trial. "A Florida judge ruled Tuesday that George Zimmerman’s defense team cannot mention Trayvon Martin’s suspension from school, prior marijuana use, text messages or past fighting during opening statements at next month’s trial. ... Capping a slew of rulings on pre-trial motions, Nelson rejected a defense request for a trial delay and ruled that jury selection will begin June 10." Tracy Connor, James Novograd, and Tom Winter at NBC.
Voting Rights
It probably won't go anywhere, but the mere existence of this constitutional amendment is exciting. "A pair of Democratic congressmen is pushing an amendment that would place an affirmative right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. ... 'Most people believe that there already is something in the Constitution that gives people the right to vote, but unfortunately … there is no affirmative right to vote in the Constitution.' ... The brief amendment would stipulate that 'every citizen of the United States, who is of legal voting age, shall have the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides.'" Hunter Walker at Talking Points Memo.
It's also necessary. "Enshrining the right to vote in the Constitution would ... not make every limitation unconstitutional—it is the essential nature of voting, for instance, that there be a date certain by which votes must be cast in order to be counted—but it would ensure that these limitations are judged under the standard known as 'strict scrutiny,' meaning that governments would have to show that the restrictions were carefully designed to address a compelling interest of the state. ... Many familiar aspects of our current voting system would not meet this standard and access to the ballot could be extended to millions who are now actively or effectively disenfranchised." Jonathan Soros and Mark Schmitt in Democracy.
Ohio is backing off a bill intended to curb student voting. "Ohio Senate Republicans appear to have given the heave-ho to the plan to curb student voting. The measure ... would have required colleges that vouch for students living on campus to give those students the lower in-state tuition, even if the students don't qualify for that. The bill would have cost Ohio colleges and universities as much as $370 million a year. Along the way, Ohio Republicans figured out that their bill to discourage the college vote might have led to more college voting, as students figured out they could get much cheaper tuition for the price of exercising their constitutional rights." Laura Conaway at Maddowblog.
War on Terror
We're beginning to wind down the global war on terror. But don't forget about the domestic front. "Even with welcome changes, the decade-plus of 'U.S. wars,' as well as culture wars, have fed a narrative that inspires alienated immigrants and bigots to self-radicalize right here on U.S. soil. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden calls this the 'new normal' ... To manage the risk better: 1.) intervene in the grey area between radical beliefs and violent behaviors; 2.) install redundant layers of security at both hard and soft critical targets; 3.) instill trust with communities where alienation is likely; and 4.) integrate a whole-of-government approach that embodies U.S. values." Jane Harman at Foreign Policy.
International
Africa
This might just be the most hilarious terrorism story ever. Until you realize how dangerous the terrorist is. "After years ... the leaders of al-Qaida's North African branch sent one final letter to their most difficult employee. In page after scathing page, they described how he didn't answer his phone when they called, failed to turn in his expense reports, ignored meetings and refused ... to carry out orders. Most of all, they claimed he had failed to carry out a single spectacular operation, despite the resources at his disposal... International terrorist Moktar Belmoktar ... quit and formed his own competing group. And within months, he carried out two lethal operations that killed 101 people." Rukmini Callamachi at the Associated Press.
Sudan and South Sudan aren't exactly getting along. "South Sudan has criticized Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir for threatening to shut down the pipeline that carries South Sudan's oil to international markets. Bashir had issued what he said was a last warning to South Sudan to stop supporting rebels in Sudan's states of South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur or he would shut the oil pipeline 'forever.'" AP.
Asia
I get the thought behind the idea, but the PR around 'binders full of women' is god awful. "As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney famously leafed through 'binders full of women' who were qualified to join his cabinet. As prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe has a massive database. Or at least that's the plan. ... Abe's government is planning to launch a database of female candidates who are qualified to become corporate executives ... The database proposal, in fact, is just Abe's latest effort to make gender parity in the workforce a central pillar of his economic-growth strategy, known as 'Abenomics.'" Uri Friedman at Foreign Policy.
Middle East
Obama asks the Pentagon for a Syria no-fly zone plan. "The White House has asked the Pentagon to draw up plans for a no-fly zone inside Syria that would be enforced by the U.S. and other countries such as France and Great Britain, two administration officials told The Daily Beast. ... President Obama’s dual-track strategy of continuing to pursue a political solution to the two-year-old uprising in Syria while also preparing for more direct U.S. military involvement includes authorizing the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the first time to plan for multilateral military actions inside Syria, the two officials said. They added that no decisions on actually using force have yet been made." Josh Rogin at the Daily Beast.
In defense of coercive diplomacy - Iran edition. "Coercive diplomacy succeeds when threats are believed and the game-playing and manipulation stop. Offering a credible endgame proposal could convince the Iranians that time is truly running out — and that we are setting the stage for the use of force if diplomacy fails. We should give Iran a clear diplomatic way out — and Iranians should understand the consequences if they don’t take it." Dennis Ross and David Makovsky in the Washington Post.
The war in Syria is win-or-die for Hezbollah. "Hezbollah is betting its prestige and security on the effort to crush a Syrian rebellion that is detested by Hezbollah’s Shiite Muslim base, but popular with the group’s Lebanese rivals and with much of the Sunni majority in the wider Arab world. Hezbollah’s biggest stake in the conflict is the same as that of its ally, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad: survival. The group relies on Syria to provide a conduit for arms from its main patron, Iran. Preserving that flow is a matter of life or death for Hezbollah, as its leaders have made clear." Anne Barnard in the New York Times.
And Russia's planned arms delivery might draw Israel back into the conflict. "Russia said on Tuesday that it would supply one of its most advanced anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian government hours after the EU ended its arms embargo on the country's rebels ... Israel quickly issued a thinly veiled warning that it would bomb the Russian S-300s if they were deployed in Syria as such a move would bring the advanced guided missiles within range of civilian and military planes in Israeli air space." Julian Borger and Dan Roberts in the Guardian.
US drone strike in Pakistan kills the Taliban's #2. "A U.S. drone strike killed the number two of the Pakistani Taliban in the North Waziristan region on Wednesday, three security officials said, in what would be a major blow in the fight against militancy." Jibran Ahmad at Reuters.
North America
Who is Rob Ford? "By now many of you have probably heard of the rather incredible story of Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, having a relaxed and rather intimate conversation — and even allegedly appearing to be smoking crack cocaine — with a couple of drug dealers. ... Who is this guy?" Herman Rosenfeld at Salon.
Military
Apparently Chinese hackers have managed to get details on a bunch of classified weapons systems. Sounds bad. "Designs for many of the nation’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, according to a report prepared for the Pentagon and to officials from government and the defense industry. Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programs critical to U.S. missile defenses and combat aircraft and ships, according to a previously undisclosed section of a confidential report prepared for Pentagon leaders by the Defense Science Board." Ellen Nakashima in the Washington Post.
But the DOD doesn't seem worried. "The Pentagon is denying that any real damage resulted from hackers accessing the designs for more than 24 major U.S. weapons systems. ... Perhaps Little's message is simply a display of false confidence, or perhaps the U.S. has made enough changes to programs accessed by hackers that it's not worried, or maybe it simply fed them the wrong information." John Reed at Killer Apps.
Science
Cicadas need to swarm in huge numbers - it's their only method of survival. "Literally every insectivorous animal in the northeast--songbirds, carnivorous birds (hawks, owls), opossums, foxes, cats, shrews, snakes, spiders, and even dogs--will gorge on cicadas. Billions of them will be eaten during the one summer when this brood--Brood II--emerges from the ground. Billions. This is a strategy called predator satiation. It's contrary to the survival strategies of almost every other animal: it intends for a huge percentage of its population to be eaten. It doesn't care. The idea is to overwhelm predators with numbers, since the predators can only eat so many." Dan Nosowitz at Popular Science.
Plants regrown after 400 years. "After four centuries in nature's freezer, ancient plants uncovered by the rapid retreat of Canadian glaciers have been regenerated by scientists. ... Seven specimens, representing four distinct taxa, were ground up and sprinkled on to petri dishes full of potting mix, where they started to grow. ... Mosses, one of three bryophyte lineages, are particularly well adapted to extreme environments because of their tolerance for both freezing and desiccation. Brophytes are able to revive themselves after periods of drought or being frozen because they have totipotent cells -- meaning that any viable cell can regress to an initial germination state." Rachel Sullivan at ABC.
Symbiotic relationships are cool. "The swimming ant ... which lives exclusively on the fanged pitcher plant ... in Borneo, provides the plant with extra nutrients, at least in part by capturing and consuming parasitic mosquito and fly larvae that leach nutrients from the pitcher while developing inside it. Scientists once thought that the ant ... was a parasite. But researchers over the last several years have suggested the ant could be doing the plant many small favors. ... The ants and their plant homes are indeed engaged in a mutually beneficial relationship." Kate Yandell at the Scientist.
Miscellaneous
For those of you that still remember the ThreatDown, Colbert warned us. "It was a wild day in Randolph where a family of bears kept residents locked inside of their homes and authorities on their toes. 'We looked in the tree over there and we saw one bear getting hosed down by the firemen and on the little branch over there, there were two baby bears,' ... The bears spent several hours in the neighborhood as they were chased from tree to tree. ... The bears were safely tranquilized and taken back to their natural habitat." CBS.
A cat repeatedly saying 'Al Gore.' Video.
