Elections
2013 - Massachusetts
Gabriel Gomez is facing funding problems in MA. "Republican strategists ... are growing increasingly frustrated by what they see as the unwillingness of establishment donors and conservative activists to get fully behind the candidacy of the first-time candidate for Massachusetts Senate ... Gomez ... certainly appears to have at least a chance of pulling off a major upset in the June 25 special election, but many Republican contributors have yet to be convinced that the contest is competitive. Of course, Republican skepticism about Gomez’s prospects becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy if he can’t raise enough money to compete with ... Markey, who has had about a 3-to-1 spending advantage." Stuart Rothenberg at the Rothenberg Political Report.
2013 - Virginia
Culture warrior problems. "For Virginia Democrats, the strategy for this year's statewide elections came into sharp focus ... To that end, E.W. Jackson, the unhinged candidate for lieutenant governor, did Virginia Democrats a pretty big favor today." Jackson ... was asked about possible areas of disagreement between himself and gubernatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli (R). 'We are in fundamental agreement. I've heard that this ticket is probably more homogeneous than almost any ticket ever in the history of Virginia. So there's no stark disagreement between us.' You can almost hear Virginia Democrats smiling." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
2014
For GOP - the question remains: To attack Obama in 2014 or not. "The problem, of course, is that Republicans are also committed to pursuing these scandals — and attacking Obama directly over them — as part of a deliberate strategy to whip up the base for 2014. They are tethered to a midterm strategy centered on attacking Obamacare implementation problems and hyping Beltway scandals in order to create a sinister narrative of Obama/Dem Big Government Overreach. Yet as Snowe notes, focusing only on 'negativity about President Obama' is getting in the way of the GOP’s need to develop an affirmative agenda of its own." Greg Sargent at the Plum Line.
If Dems lose in 2014, demographics may be to blame. "If ... Republicans gain a modest number of House and Senate seats in November 2014, the Beltway set may be tempted to interpret the results as a sixth-year itch rebuke of President Obama ... To do so would be to ignore simple demographic math ... Herein lies the biggest danger for Democratic candidates in 2014. Midterm elections have always drawn older voters, and usually drawn white voters, to the polls in disproportionate numbers. ... In the 1980s, that didn't hold partisan consequences. Today, that amounts to a built-in midterm turnout advantage for Republicans." David Wasserman at the Cook Political Report.
Romneybot is back. "After he lost the Presidential election ... most political observers believed that Mitt Romney would mostly fade into the background ... That’s why it’s somewhat surprising to see him stepping back into the political arena ... Perhaps the most interesting part of this is the idea that Romney will be campaigning for candidates in 2014. ... Now, if by 'campaigning' Romney’s people mean fundraising ... then I can see a role for Romney to play in the 2014 campaign. As an actual 'campaigner,' though? Nope ... The GOP base was never all that enthusiastic for Mitt Romney. So, it’s unclear why they’d want to see him return or why his endorsements in 2014 would matter to anyone." Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway.
The South and New England: Gubernatorial lineups and the resulting policies. "If Republicans win Arkansas in 2014 and Le Page gets knocked off in Maine, it could be the final dent in the old coalitions ... It would be the first time no Republican governor held office in New England and no Democratic governor did so in a confederate state since the end of Reconstruction ... The policy ramifications of such a switch cannot be understated. Search Google for 'Mike Beebe' and 'veto', and the first links that appear are vetoes of abortion bans and voter identification laws ... Do a search for 'Paul LePage' and 'veto', and you come up with vetoes for Medicaid expansions and cigarette bans." Harry Enten at the Guardian.
2014 - Colorado
The GOP has created a contest between the bad and the worse. "Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler announced he is forming a committee to run for Governor of Colorado in 2014. After serving only two and a half years in office, he has quickly established a reputation as one of the most inappropriately partisan, corrupt, and scandal-plagued public officials ... And it gets worse: Gessler's chief opponent for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2014 ... is Tom Tancredo ... Tancredo's hateful anti-immigrant crusades have made him a pariah even among most national Republicans--but in Colorado, Tancredo enjoys enough support that he could actually win the nomination." Progress Now Colorado.
2014 - Rhode Island
Lincoln Chafee may now be a Democrat, but that doesn't guarantee his reelection. "Rhode Island's Lincoln Chafee could very well be the least popular governor in the country—by a wide margin ... The state's economy is bad enough that Chafee’s approval ratings have fallen into the twenties. ... Now he’s a Democrat, setting up one of the most interesting contests of 2014. ... But Chafee’s weak numbers among independents in January, when he really was an independent, also suggests that his problems with Democrats weren't simply that he wasn't a Democrat; rather, voters just don’t have much confidence in the direction of the state." Nate Cohn at the New Republic.
2016
The decline in Hillary Clinton's approval rating was expected. She's back in politics. "It’s easy to be popular when nobody is criticizing you — and there was a long period, from the closing stages of the 2008 campaign through most of her tenure as secretary of state, when Republicans had little interest in attacking Mrs. Clinton directly. Now that Republicans have chosen to engage her again, her numbers are coming down. The largest decline in her ratings ... has come from Republican voters, with a more modest decline among independents and almost none at all among Democrats. This is what happens when a politician returns to being in the partisan fray after having drifted above it for some time." Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.
Middle East
Afghanistan
The Red Cross is freezing activity in Afghanistan. "The Red Cross’ facility in the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan came under attack on Wednesday when a suicide bomber and three gunmen attempted to storm the building. After the bomber detonated, part of seen engulfed in flames. One security guard was killed in the ensuing firefight between the insurgents and Afghan security forces, with one other person injured. The attackers were eventually repulsed, with all seven Red Cross staffers rescued. In response to the attack, the ICRC announced ... that it would be freezing activities in Afghanistan and closing its office in Jalalabad." Hayes Brown at Think Progress.
Pakistan
Pakistani Taliban reject peace talks, after the US drone strike that killed their #2. "Pakistan’s Taliban said ... it will not participate in peace talks with the country’s new government and will exact 'revenge in the strongest way' after one of its top leaders was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike. ... The Taliban’s chief spokesman blamed Pakistan’s government for not doing more to prevent CIA-launched drone strikes on Pakistani soil. 'The government has failed to stop drone strikes, so we decided to end any talks with the government,' Ehsanullah Ehsan, the spokesman, said in a phone interview. 'Our attacks in Pakistan will continue.'" Tim Craig and Haq Nawaz Khan in the Washington Post.
Syria
Syrian rebels say Hezbollah is turning the tide against them. "The top Army officer for the Syrian rebellion says thousands of foreign fighters from neighboring Lebanon have already crossed the border and may turn the tide for its fight to end the more than 2-year-old civil war. Fighting continues in the small town of al-Qusair ...considered a key stronghold for success ... Hezbollah ... reportedly sent fighters to assist President Assad's forces along with backing from the Russians and Iranians. Regime forces have all but surrounded the city ... prompting Gen. Salim Idris, the rebel Syrian Military Council chief of staff, to petition for international support." Paul Shinkman at US News and World Report.
And Russia is considering taking things up a notch. "Russia is ready to pull out the stops and possibly start supplying offensive weaponry to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, in response to the European Union's decision to drop its own embargo on providing arms to Syria's rebels, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told journalists ... Experts say the claims, if true, promise a much deadlier and far more complex future for the more than two-year-old Syrian civil war, which has already killed more than 80,000 people by United Nations estimates." Fred Weir at the Christian Science Monitor.
But no anti-aircraft missiles for the next few months. "Particularly worrying for the West is Moscow's plans to fulfill a 2010 contract to send Assad the S-300, an advanced anti-aircraft missile system that could ... threaten planes deep inside the air space of Israel or NATO-member Turkey. The Russian arms industry source said the S-300 missiles could not arrive in Syria for months, but the pace of delivery would be determined by the behavior of Assad's foes. "Regarding the deliveries of the S-300, they can begin no earlier than the autumn," the source said. "Technically it's possible, but much will depend on how the situation develops in the region and the position of Western countries.'" Thomas Grove at Reuters.
US is withholding aid for Syrian rebels. "The United States is withholding $63 million that it had pledged to the main Syrian opposition organization because the Obama administration is frustrated with the group’s disarray and is searching for more credible partners to support in the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar Assad ... The decision not to fund the Syrian Opposition Coalition contrasts sharply with the Obama administration’s continued public expressions of confidence in the group, which has been central to U.S. policy on Syria since last fall and which the administration recognizes as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people." Hannah Allam and Roy Gutman at McClatchy.
Turkish police use tear gas on protestors. "Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests in years ... The unrest reflects growing disquiet at the authoritarianism of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP)." Ayla Yackley at Reuters.
And Russia is considering taking things up a notch. "Russia is ready to pull out the stops and possibly start supplying offensive weaponry to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, in response to the European Union's decision to drop its own embargo on providing arms to Syria's rebels, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told journalists ... Experts say the claims, if true, promise a much deadlier and far more complex future for the more than two-year-old Syrian civil war, which has already killed more than 80,000 people by United Nations estimates." Fred Weir at the Christian Science Monitor.
But no anti-aircraft missiles for the next few months. "Particularly worrying for the West is Moscow's plans to fulfill a 2010 contract to send Assad the S-300, an advanced anti-aircraft missile system that could ... threaten planes deep inside the air space of Israel or NATO-member Turkey. The Russian arms industry source said the S-300 missiles could not arrive in Syria for months, but the pace of delivery would be determined by the behavior of Assad's foes. "Regarding the deliveries of the S-300, they can begin no earlier than the autumn," the source said. "Technically it's possible, but much will depend on how the situation develops in the region and the position of Western countries.'" Thomas Grove at Reuters.
US is withholding aid for Syrian rebels. "The United States is withholding $63 million that it had pledged to the main Syrian opposition organization because the Obama administration is frustrated with the group’s disarray and is searching for more credible partners to support in the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar Assad ... The decision not to fund the Syrian Opposition Coalition contrasts sharply with the Obama administration’s continued public expressions of confidence in the group, which has been central to U.S. policy on Syria since last fall and which the administration recognizes as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people." Hannah Allam and Roy Gutman at McClatchy.
Turkey
Turkish police use tear gas on protestors. "Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests in years ... The unrest reflects growing disquiet at the authoritarianism of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP)." Ayla Yackley at Reuters.
Politics
California
How liberals saved the state. "Liberal organizations led California’s comeback, by taking away the tools empowering minority Republicans. The initiative allowing Democrats to approve a budget by majority vote passed in 2010, before Brown’s term began. Online voter registration rules and a massive campaign to engage low-frequency voters led to a sweep of the 2012 elections. Democrats passed a sorely needed tax measure to balance the budget, and attained an overwhelming majority in the Legislature. Success has unsurprisingly flowed from the removal of ideological gridlock." David Dayen at Salon.
Civil Rights
'Stand Your Ground' laws to be examined for racial bias. "The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted on Friday to launch an investigation into whether 'Stand Your Ground' laws around the country have a racial bias. These statutes gained attention after the February 2012 fatal shooting of Travyon Martin, an unarmed African-American teenager. Authorities initially refused to arrest neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman, who is accused of shooting Martin, citing Florida's Stand Your Ground law. These measures allow individuals to stand their ground and use deadly force in self-defense, with no obligation to first attempt to retreat." Amanda Terkel at the Huffington Post.
Congress
Things might be better if we were more like Canada. "In economic and fiscal policy, it’s ... like moving Congressional Budget Office analysts ... many steps up in the chain of command and decision making. ... The CBO, in reviewing Rep Paul Ryan’s budget, intimated ... that shrinking the government as much as he proposed in his budget was so outside the bounds of our history that is was highly unlikely to occur. It might be the case that in a Canadian-style system, such a budget would not have been floated, as public staffers would have steered the process to a more realistic outcome. ... Their governance architecture squeezes out this type of extremism in a way we could use right about now." Jared Bernstein at On the Economy.
New record! "Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, 'Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White' was a top song on the radio and there were just 48 states in the Union. The year was 1955 when Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) first came to Washington as a 29-year-old lawmaker, succeeding his father, John D. Dingell Sr., a New Deal Democrat, who had died. As of June 7, Dingell will have served his constituents for 57 years, five months and 26 days, exceeding the previous record held by the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.)." Ed O'Keefe at the Washington Post.
The Economy
The baby-naming industry. Yes, it exists. "Baby naming has become an industry — with paid consultants, books, Web sites brimming with trend data, and academic studies exploring correlations between baby names and future success. The once-simple task of coming up with a monogram for the baby blanket has evolved into a high-stakes exercise in personal 'branding.' And so many prospective parents feel paralyzed, trying to find the elusive name that is exotic yet not bizarre, classic yet not pompous, on trend but not trendy." Alex Williams at the New York Times.
I normally don't talk about advertising, but sometimes people's reactions are just disgusting. "Who would have thought that breakfast cereal would trigger the latest racial battle line? In this case, a Cheerios ad much like every other homespun Cheerios ad — with a heart healthy message and loving family – ran into trouble from some commenters because of the kind of family it featured. Mom is white, dad is black and their cute little daughter is a mix of the both of them. That’s it. Cheerios had to disable comments on YouTube ... but you can imagine the general witless racism with stereotypes about minorities and warnings of race-mixing as the end of civilization." Mary Curtis at the Washington Post.
Filibuster Fights
More misleading talking points. "Republicans hoping to prevent President Obama from successfully filling three vacancies on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals have argued ... that the court doesn’t need any more judges because its caseload is comparatively small ... Not all cases take up the same amount of a judge’s time ... The D.C. Circuit, which hears the lion’s share of cases regarding federal agency regulations, takes on some of the most laborious cases ... The unique caseload ... adds an extra layer of importance to Obama’s attempt to fill the court’s vacancies ... The court will likely be asked to rule on agency rulemaking for issues from financial regulation to health care to environmental protections." Pema Levy at the International Business Times.
But don't worry - the 'court packing' nonsense is still going strong, too. "'A type of court-packing reminiscent of FDR's era,' warned Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. 'Packing the court because it has issued rulings against the administration is a cynical approach to the judicial branch.' ... At the risk of repeating history that should be obvious to anyone entrusted with the authority to offer advice and consent, FDR's court-packing scheme deserved that derogatory phrase. Roosevelt proposed expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court in order to add members more sympathetic to the New Deal. Obama's diabolical plan? To submit nominees to the lower court for existing vacancies." Ruth Marcus at RealClearPolitics.
Fiscal Fights
The food stamp program is good, so obviously we 'can't afford it'. "Food stamps have played an especially useful ... role in recent years. First, as millions of workers lost their jobs ... many families turned to food stamps to help them get by ... We desperately needed ... public policies to promote higher spending on a temporary basis — and ... food stamps ... is just such a policy. ... Wait, we’re not done yet. Food stamps greatly reduce food insecurity among low-income children, which, in turn, greatly enhances their chances of doing well in school and growing up to be successful ... So what do Republicans want to do with this paragon of programs? First, shrink it; then, effectively kill it." Paul Krugman in the New York Times.
And student loans are a 'distraction.' "First, Messer characterizes student loans as a 'distraction' unworthy of the president's time. I can think of a few million families, each of which is poised to take a serious hit in the wallet, who would disagree. ... So what do we have here? A Republican congressman who doesn't want a student-loan interest-rate hike and doesn't want young voters to turn against his party, but who'll nevertheless dismiss student loans as unimportant, prioritizing deficit reduction that's already happening and preventing explosive spending growth that's purely imaginary. It remains a post-policy political party." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
Guns
You can't hide from the polling, Sen. Pryor. "Arkansas Democratic Senator Mark Pryor has a new reelection ad up today in which he says: “The mayor of New York City is running ads against me, because I oppose President Obama’s gun-control legislation. … And I approve this message because no one from New York or Washington tells me what to do. I listen to Arkansas.” New poll yesterday: The support for stronger background check laws ... in Arkansas ... 85/10 with Democrats, 48/43 with Republicans, and 45/43 with independents. So, Senator: bullfeathers. You're not listening to Arkansas. You're listening to the NRA." Michael Tomasky at the Daily Beast.
Surprise, surprise. The NRA embracing treaty conspiracy theories. "The National Rifle Association is stoking the misguided fears of its members that the United Nations is coming to steal their guns through an international arms treaty in an attempt to raise funds needed to help block the treaty in the Senate. ... The vehicle for this complete destruction of the Constitution? The recently passed United Nations Arms Trade Treaty ... Despite the fact that only North Korea, Syria, and Iran voted against the treaty, the right-wing in the United States has long opposed what it sees as a chance for the government to legally steal Americans’ handguns." Hayes Brown at Think Progress.
Immigration
Liberal pushback against the Gang of Eight. "Pro-immigrant advocates are pushing back against the Gang of Eight’s strategy to win 70 votes or more ... fearing it would require too many concessions to Republicans. ... The cost of winning ... Republican votes could prove steep. Pro-immigrant advocates are leery of proposed changes to strengthen enforcement provisions, which could lengthen the already arduous path to citizenship ... The ... debate boils down to whether it’s better to make concessions now to pick up a larger group of Senate Republicans, or to keep the Senate legislation as pristine as possible so it emerges from negotiations with the House still palatable to the vast majority of Democrats." Alexander Bolton at the Hill.
Scandals
The latest (and hopefully last) target of Benghazi. "One newly important target of the latest outburst of Benghazi! investigations the lofty approval ratings of one Hillary Rodham Clinton. And per this week’s new survey from Quinnipiac, that mission was largely accomplished, though mostly because the kind of people whose positive feelings about HRC were not going to survive another presidential campaign are turning negative early ... Unless something really new happens, the damage to her support levels, and quite possibly the political utility of the Benghazi! furor itself, have probably reached the point of diminishing returns." Ed Kilgore at the Washington Monthly.
The IRS 'smoking gun' misfires. "Shulman, the Bush-appointed head of the IRS, was cleared to attend 157 gatherings at the White House. How many did he actually attend? Eleven. The former IRS commissioner attended 11 events at the White House over the course of three years. Why is that interesting? It's not. To borrow a phrase, this isn't a smoking gun; it isn't even a lukewarm slingshot." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
SCOTUSwatch
Some possible outcomes for the upcoming affirmative action ruling. "The U.S. Supreme Court is entering June with the entire education community anxiously awaiting a decision in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (No. 11-345), a case that may determine the fate of the use of race in college admissions. The case, which involves the flagship university's limited consideration of race to go along with the Top Ten Percent plan for its undergraduate admissions, was argued Oct. 10, during the second week of the court's term. It is the only case yet to be decided from the first two months of arguments." Mark Walsh at Education Week.
Why the case is important. "Amid America's demographic transformation, the allocation of higher-education opportunities now raises ... issues of competitiveness and social stability. With the absolute number of whites in the workforce expected to decline ... the U.S. will struggle to compete if it cannot move more low-income and minority youths through college. And a society that relies on minorities to fill ... workforce needs but reserves the best opportunities primarily for the children of white, college-educated parents will court endemic social tension. With educational opportunity already stratifying by race and class, this seems an inopportune time to retrench affirmative action." Ronald Brownstein at the National Journal.
One Fifth Amendment question that might reach a Supreme Court case near you in the future. "Under existing law, someone served with a valid search warrant can be compelled to unlock a locked door or box, but they cannot be compelled to reveal the combination that would unlock a safe ... I find the argument that the computer password is more akin to a combination than a key ... persuasive ... When they are giving a combination, or a password, they are testifying not only that they know what the combination/password is but also that they have control over the item in question, which would be one of the elements of the crime that prosecutors would be forced to prove at trial." Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway.
War on Drugs
The key statistic of marijuana legalization debates. "Here's the crucial number. More than 70 percent think that 'government efforts to enforce marijuana laws cost more than they are worth.' This wide margin of disapproval of the current system unites every demographic segment of U.S. society. Every ideological segment too: Large majorities of Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals and moderates all think the current costs of enforcement outweigh the benefits." Clive Crook at Bloomberg.
War on Terror
I can't believe that this needs repeating, but the FBI will prosecute you if you go join a group allied with Al-Qaeda. "U.S. law does not explicitly frown upon joining a foreign rebel movement -- so long as that group isn't fighting against the United States ... but taking up arms with jihadist groups is another story for Western governments. ... So if you're an American thinking of joining the fight in Syria, take note of your colleagues' mistakes. While the U.S. government is broadly supportive of the Syrian rebels, the FBI is decidedly not your friend." Elias Groll at Foreign Policy.
International
Global
The global flowchart of GHG emissions. "A few points: – Coal still dominates. ... Worldwide, coal remains a huge contributor to climate change — responsible for a quarter of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions. And ... nearly half ... is used by industry. ... – But fossil fuels are only part of the story. ... That still leaves 35 percent from 'direct emissions.' ... Cutting down trees and tilling the soil ... methane leaks from landfills and mining, as well as methane emissions from ... livestock. – Homes and buildings are a larger source of emissions than transportation." Brad Plumer at Wonkblog.
The fight against global poverty is going surprisingly well. "In September 2000 the heads of 147 governments pledged that they would halve the proportion of people on the Earth living in the direst poverty by 2015 ... Indeed, it was achieved five years early. In 1990, 43% of the population of developing countries lived in extreme poverty ... the absolute number was 1.9 billion people. By 2000 the proportion was down to a third. By 2010 it was 21% ... The global poverty rate had been cut in half in 20 years." The Economist.
The world's abortion rights in 2013. Chart.
Asia
Japan's Self Defense Forces are becoming a little less defensive and a little more preemptive. "Japan's military, long constrained by the nation's postwar pacifist constitution, moved toward gaining the freedom to strike enemy targets abroad if an attack is anticipated. Tokyo is preparing a new basic defense policy framework under hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and recommendations ... called for building the capability to attack an enemy's strategic bases for self-defense purposes. Such a step would allow Japan's Self-Defense Forces to launch a pre-emptive missile strike at an enemy's military target when an imminent attack on Japan from that specific site is confirmed." Yuka Hayashi in the Wall Street Journal.
China aims to have the world's tallest building. "A Chinese firm best known for building air conditioning units is constructing a vertical city. Broad Sustainable Construction (BSB) said ... next month it will finally break ground on the tower ... The 838-meter-tall (2,749 feet) tower more commonly known as “Sky City” will be about 10 meters taller than the world’s highest skyscraper at present, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa ... It will house about 30,000 people in a 202-floor building that will also include offices, a hotel, a school, and a hospital—not to mention 92 elevators, a six-mile-ramp between floors, and 17 helipads." Lily Kuo at Quartz.
Central America
Abortion politics in El Salvador. "In a 4 to 1 decision, the country's Supreme Court ruled ... that a woman ill with lupus and kidney failure does not have a right to an abortion -- despite the fact that her unborn child is all but certain to die outside the womb ... But ... the 22-year-old woman in question ... will have a Caesarean section next week, a decision endorsed by the country's health minister ... The case of Beatriz could come to represent an important touchstone in abortion reform in the region. While the decision to perform a C-section technically means that an abortion will not be performed, it is largely a distinction without a difference since Beatriz's child will die once removed from the womb." Elias Groll at Foreign Policy.
Europe
Germany seems to have lost 1.5 million people. "Germany, which has been deeply concerned about its rapidly dwindling population, released the results of its first census in nearly a quarter of a century on Friday and found 1.5 million fewer inhabitants than previously assumed. ... Germany had not conducted a single census count since reunification ... How a country known for exactitude could miss so badly on something as simple as its population is a result of another German preoccupation: privacy. The last census, in 1987, was strenuously opposed by those who believed the government should not monitor citizens. The latest ... in 2011, came about only because the European Union required it." Nicholas Kulish and Chris Cottrell in the New York Times.
Economics
Calling out 'straw man' economics. "Laffer's big examples of the virtues of tax cutting all involved ... much higher taxes than we have in the United States. He specifically cited JFK's work in getting the top marginal income tax rate down to 70 percent and the center-right government of Sweden's successful efforts to get overall government spending down below 50 percent of GDP ... The fact that these were Laffer's big examples—we shouldn't put marginal rates above 70 percent and shouldn't have the government spend more than 50 percent of GDP—only seemed to me to underscore how strong the case for taxing the rich is in the contemporary United States." Matthew Yglesias at Slate.
Military
It's always cool when your military is trying to turn science fiction into reality. "Army researchers are responding to a request from the U.S. Special Operations Command for technologies to help develop a revolutionary Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit. The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS, is an advanced infantry uniform that promises to provide superhuman strength with greater ballistic protection. Using wide-area networking and on-board computers, operators will have more situational awareness of the action around them and of their own bodies." Roger Teel at Army.mil.
Faster, better, cheaper: What the DOD could learn from NASA. "Rather than accept cost growth as inevitable, as typically happens in the federal government, NASA terminated the program entirely. This willingness to make hard decisions was all part of the plan under NASA’s Faster, Better, Cheaper concept and was a key element of its determination to find low-cost, high-speed access to space ... Here’s why this matters: this approach could help any federal government agency, including the military, restrain the cost of high tech projects." Dan Ward at Breaking Defense.
Faster, better, cheaper: What the DOD could learn from NASA. "Rather than accept cost growth as inevitable, as typically happens in the federal government, NASA terminated the program entirely. This willingness to make hard decisions was all part of the plan under NASA’s Faster, Better, Cheaper concept and was a key element of its determination to find low-cost, high-speed access to space ... Here’s why this matters: this approach could help any federal government agency, including the military, restrain the cost of high tech projects." Dan Ward at Breaking Defense.
The economics of military service. "Now that the country has an all-volunteer force, military service in the United States is increasingly reserved for the poorer segments of society. As Amy Lutz, a Syracuse University sociologist, concludes ... "As family income increases, the likelihood of having ever served in the military decreases … the economic elite are very unlikely to serve in the [U.S.] military." ... The 'common defense' in the United States is an activity paid for by richer Americans and carried out (mostly) by poorer Americans." Stephan Walt at Foreign Policy.
Polisci
What drives foreign fighters? "Recruiters typically appeal to a global sense of community, be it a common religion, ethnic identification, or political ideology: 'Recruitment occurs when local insurgents, ... attempt to broaden the scope of conflict to increase their resources and maximize their chances of victory ... They therefore frame their victory in the conflict as necessary to the interests of outsiders with whom they share connections ... The data available ... indicate that membership in standing transnational organizations provided recruiters access to pools of prospective combatants and that membership roles in existing groups were sometimes used to justify or coerce enlistment." Joshua Keating at War of Ideas.
Science
Proof of water on Mars, courtesy of Curiosity. "Scientists now have definitive proof that many of the landscapes seen on Mars were indeed cut by flowing water ... Researchers report its observations of rounded pebbles on the floor of the Red Planet's 150km-wide Gale Crater. Their smooth appearance is identical to gravels found in rivers on Earth. Rock fragments that bounce along the bottom of a stream of water will have their edges knocked off, and when these pebbles finally come to rest they will often align in a characteristic overlapping fashion. Curiosity has pictured these features in a number of rock outcrops." Jonathan Amos at BBC.
Using genetic engineering to bring an American icon back. "The king of the eastern forests, the American chestnut tree, was already doomed. An interloping fungus ... would soon make short work of this then-common species. In less than a century's time, it killed off an estimated four billion of these towering trees. Now, for the first time since the die-off, there is real hope. Researchers at SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry have been trying to build a better American chestnut, one that would be resistant to the blight, and there's reason to think they've succeeded. Such a plant could repopulate the vast region of the eastern United States in which the tree was once found." Rebecca Rosen at the Atlantic.
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