Health
The Affordable Care Act
The GOP's Obamacare problem. "As the law comes online ... untold numbers of uninsured Americans will ... receive benefits through Medicaid, or ... enter the exchanges, receive subsidies, and purchase health insurance. In short order, the Affordable Care Act will have created a constituency for itself — the millions of voters who receive benefits ... It will yield countless politicians ... who will want to capitalize on this constituency by working to implement it as best as possible ... It’s Republicans who are caught in a bind. Soon, they’ll either have to accommodate the law in order to satisfy their constituents, or continue their quest for repeal, and in the process, further harm their political standing." Jamelle Bouie at the Plum Line.
The big question - will the GOP do anything to help the law get implemented? "Here’s a question to keep an eye on when the Obamacare exchanges go live later this year: How many Republican lawmakers will take the most basic of steps ... and help their constituents benefit from — or even understand — the law? I’m not talking about whether Republicans will continue arguing against Obamacare or calling for its repeal. Those are actual policy positions ... I’m talking about whether Republican lawmakers will do the absolute minimum when it comes to making the law work for their own constituents — whether they will offer basic assistance navigating the law as it goes into effect." Greg Sargent at the Plum Line.
Seven ways that the GOP have already attempted to sabotage the ACA. Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
The Medicaid expansion, or lack thereof. "Of course, not all state officials are trying to make the law work. Some are doing their best to fight it—most obviously, by making sure their state Medicaid programs don’t expand to cover all poor people (rather than certain classes of them). The instant, most devastating impact of this decision is to deny health insurance coverage to some of the neediest people in the country. A new Kaiser Family Foundation report, prepared by researchers at the Urban Institute, calculates that as many as 6.4 million Americans will miss out on coverage because their states won’t expand Medicaid." Jonathan Cohn at the New Republic.
We haven't seen the end of the 'killing Obamacare' House votes. Not even close. "Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed Sunday to hold more House votes to thwart ObamaCare, a major priority for the GOP as the law is implemented. 'You're going to see a lot more,' Boehner told CBS's 'Face the Nation.' 'You're going to see bipartisan votes coming out of the House to derail this thing. The House has voted nearly 40 times to defund, dismantle or repeal the healthcare law, prompting frustration from Democrats who say the votes are aimed at sabotage." Elise Viebeck at the Hill.
Obamacare is losing the support of 'moderate Dems.' "The landmark health-reform law ... has never been very popular and always highly partisan, but a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that a group of once loyal Democrats has been steadily turning against Obamacare: Democrats who are ideologically moderate or conservative. Just after the law was passed ... 74 percent of moderate and conservative Democrats supported the federal law making changes to the health-care system. But just 46 percent express support in the new poll, down 11 points in the past year. Liberal Democrats, by contrast, have continued to support the law at very high levels." Scott Clement at the Fix.
Politics
Abortion
North Dakota's absurdly restrictive anti-abortion law has been blocked. "A federal judge in North Dakota on Monday temporarily blocked the state’s law banning abortions as early as six weeks after fertilization, calling the legislation 'clearly unconstitutional.' The preliminary injunction from U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland means that the nation’s most restrictive abortion law, which would bar abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detectable, will not take effect Aug. 1 as planned. The ruling also suggests that, even as states across the country enact measures limiting abortion access, some of the laws may never take effect because of stiff legal challenges." Juliet Eilperin at the Washington Post.
California
DOD
Six reasons why the military sexual assault problem is worse than you think. Samuel Dinkle at Think Progress.
The Economy
Economists are more confident in the recovery. "A new survey released Monday showed that economists are becoming more confident about the nation’s recovery but still expect only gradual improvement. More than 70 percent of those surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics, an industry group, forecast that the economy will grow more than 2 percent over the next year. In January, only half of respondents were that optimistic." Ylan Mui at the Washington Post.
President Obama and 'middle out' economics. "Mr. Obama plans to elaborate on the middle-out theory in a series of speeches intended to move the national conversation ... But the middle-out idea is also an intellectual counteroffensive against the supply-side economics that has dominated conservative thinking for decades ... The grand idea behind the rhetorical flourish ... is that the hollowing out of the American middle class ... has slowed growth and created a more fragile economy ... A thriving middle class is not just a worthy goal in itself, but a path to a stronger economy." Annie Lowrey at the New York Times.
On economic inequality - geography matters. "Geography appears to play a major role in making ... areas where it is most difficult for lower-income households to rise into the middle class and beyond, according to a new study that other researchers are calling the most detailed portrait yet of income mobility in the United States ... Climbing the income ladder occurs less often in the Southeast and industrial Midwest ... By contrast, some of the highest rates occur in the Northeast, Great Plains and West." David Leonhardt + Interactive Charts at the New York Times.
Elections
Obama's is losing working-class whites, but that doesn't give the GOP a winning coalition. "Despite Obama’s monumental collapse among white working-class voters ... the GOP won’t sweep the ... voters who ... disapprove of his performance. More than half of them are self-identified Democrats—and it’s tough to imagine that most won’t return to the next Democratic nominee ... Democrats would still win ... on the strength of their resilient 'new coalition' of minorities and well-educated whites. Additional gains among white working class voters will ... be part of the next winning GOP coalition. But it’s hard to win with narrow gains ... among a single demographic group." Nate Cohn at the New Republic.
Virginia gubernatorial race - advantage: Dems. "The clown show of 2013 was supposed to be the swing-state Virginia gubernatorial election. Republican Ken Cuccinelli (Cuch) holds deeply conservative views, including his belief that 'homosexual acts' are wrong, while Democrat Terry McAuliffe (T-Mac) is seen as unlikable ... The question that has marked this campaign is whether it would be Cuch's extreme policy positions, which, many would argue, the GOP suffers from nationally, or T-Mac's personality deficiencies that would ultimately be too much for Virginia voters to bear. In my view, issues will trump personality, and that favors the Democrat." Harry Enten at the Guardian.
Voter ID is wrong, but it's not an electoral game changer. "These data leave no question about whether voter ID laws have a disparate impact on non-white voters. In that sense, Democratic fears and Republican hopes are confirmed. But the North Carolina data also suggests that voter ID laws are unlikely to flip the outcome of a national election, even if it does have an objectionable, disparate impact on non-white and Democratic-leaning voters ... It's not the apocalypse, even if it is an affront to voting rights." Nate Cohn at the New Republic.
Bad news for Cheney. "After announcing ... that she would be mounting a primary challenge against incumbent senator Mike Enzi ... early polls suggest Liz Cheney may have been overly optimistic about her odds of winning ... Only 33 percent of Wyoming voters have a favorable opinion of Cheney. Furthermore, the 46th vice president’s daughter trails both Senator Enzi and Representative Cynthia Lummis ... in a primary matchup. Even if Cheney were to defeat Enzi, she would face more trouble in the general election ... In the country’s third most conservative state, Cheney ought to be stunned and alarmed that a Democrat holds a viable chance of defeating her in a general election." Allison Brito at the National Memo.
EPA
Surprise, surprise. Except it's not a surprise. Just bad priorities "House Republicans on Monday unveiled plans to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by 34 percent in 2014 and block federal rules to limit carbon emissions from power plants ... The proposed $2.8 billion cut is twice as deep as the 17 percent reduction proposed last year by the House GOP and reflects a decision to cut domestic programs below sequestration levels in the coming year while adding money for the military ... In total, the bill cuts $5.5 billion, or 19 percent, from agencies under its purview. The EPA is cut deeper in order to reduce the effects on other budgets, such as that of the National Park Service." Erik Wasson and Ben Geman at the Hill.
Filibuster Fights
The next test for whether Reid's 'nuclear option' threat actually changed anything. "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will file cloture on the controversial nomination of B. Todd Jones as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, told CQ Roll Call on Tuesday. The anticipated move by the Nevada Democrat — who hinted at it during a press conference earlier in the day — will immediately test the agreement reached between Democrats and Republicans last week to avoid a contentious change to the Senate’s rules governing executive branch nominations." John Gramlich at CQ Roll Call.
Fiscal Fights
I can't make this any simpler - some GOP representatives are political extremists. "If Obama wants to lift the debt ceiling for the rest of his term ... all he has to do is … cut and privatize Medicare ... Republicans have generously offered the choice of letting Obama accept a package of deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamps in return for a shorter debt-ceiling extension. Of course, if he chooses that route, he’ll have to come back again later and offer up further concessions. The list is utterly deranged ... In the actual world, the economy is recovering and the deficit ... is falling like a rock. Yet messianic Republican suicide threats in the face of an imagined debt crisis have not subsided at all." Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine.
Three things to remember for the next round of fiscal fights. Jonathan Bernstein at the Washington Post.
Obamacare and the government shutdown. "ObamaCare is at the center of a rapidly escalating fight that threatens to shut the government down this fall. Senate Republicans, including two members of the leadership, are coalescing around a proposal to block any government funding resolution that includes money for the implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. But such a move is a nonstarter for President Obama and congressional Democrats ... In the House, 64 Republicans have signed onto a letter pressing Boehner not to bring any legislation funding ObamaCare to the floor." Alexander Bolton at the Hill.
Sequestration and public defenders. "The public defender system hasn't just been stripped bare by sequestration, its bones have been chiseled away as well. There has been a 9 percent reduction in the roughly $1 billion budget for federal public defender's offices, while federal defenders in more than 20 states are planning to close offices. Careers have been ended and cases have been delayed ... and yet ... money is not actually being saved. When federal public defenders aren’t able to take a case ... the job falls to private court-appointed attorneys ... Those lawyers are paid from the same pool of money as federal public defenders, but they cost much more and, according to some studies, are less effective." Sam Stein and Ryan Reilly at the Huffington Post.
The budget strategy adopted by the House GOP is coming apart at the seams. "Like an army that’s outrun its supply line, the Republican budget strategy in Congress shows almost daily signs of coming apart. The central premise, as sold by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, was that Washington could wipe out deficits in 10 years and protect defense spending, all while embracing the lower appropriations caps dictated by sequestration. Four months later, it’s proving to be a bridge too far." David Rogers at Politico.
Foreign Policy
The new plan for Egyptian aid. "U.S. law bars aid to countries where there has been a military coup, but many U.S. officials want to preserve ties to Egypt's army and do not want to risk ... further upheaval ... The Senate plan would divide the aid into four blocks. It would send one-fourth ... immediately, but the next tranche would be conditioned on State Department certification that the Cairo government is supporting an 'inclusive' political process and releasing political prisoners. The rest of the aid would depend on a democratic election being held and a new government taking steps to protect the rights of women and religious minorities." Patricia Zengerle at Reuters.
US tells Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 rebels. "The United States on Tuesday called on Rwanda to end support for M23 rebels in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, saying there was evidence Rwandan military officials were involved. 'We call upon Rwanda to immediately end any support for the M23 (and) withdraw military personnel from eastern DRC,' ... the concerns followed a 'credible body of evidence' in a recent report by Human Rights Watch that said M23 rebels in Congo were to blame for executions, rapes and forcible recruitment of men and boys while receiving support from Rwanda." Reuters.
GOP
The House GOP August recess plan. Seriously - this exists. "When House Republicans retreat to their districts for the August recess, they will each be armed with a detailed guide — an exceptionally detailed guide — on how to assure their already convinced constituents that Washington is broken." Matt Fuller at Roll Call.
Guns
The growth of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. "In its eighth year of existence, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) has hit new heights of prominence, emerging after December’s Newtown shooting as the country’s leading gun control group ... MAIG is a self-proclaimed nemesis of the National Rifle Association ... That role has made the group more controversial, and bigger, than ever before ... At least a few of the ... mayors that make up MAIG have decided to leave the group due to political differences. But the organization is gaining new mayors far faster than losing existing ones ... MAIG now claims more than 1,000 mayors, up from 650 a year ago. It has gained about 300 since Newtown." Dan Friedman at the New York Daily News.
Immigration
The House, the Gang of Seven, and the immigration compromise. "The bipartisan 'gang of seven' group of House members negotiating over immigration is closing in on a plan that would include a path to citizenship, but would impose new triggers on citizenship — and new conditions on the initial legal status the undocumented would enjoy — that would put the bill significantly to the right of the Senate effort. The details on the emerging plan ... are important, because the tougher conditions it will impose could give some House Republicans a way to embrace comprehensive reform ... At the same time, it could conceivably be acceptable to some Dems and immigration advocates, too." Greg Sargent at the Plum Line.
Maybe supporting immigration reform isn't an electoral death trap. "There's really only one instance of a sitting Republican politician whose position on immigration was the primary factor in losing his seat ... It's well-financed groups like the Club for Growth that have proved a far greater danger to Republican incumbents than grassroots anger over immigration ... Members of Congress who weathered the last immigration fight, in 2006-07, have vivid memories of the outpouring of anger it unleashed on the right. But there's ample evidence immigration has receded as an issue for GOP voters since that time, and that the noise made by 'amnesty' opponents may not match their numbers." Molly Ball at the Atlantic.
Divided public, divided GOP. "Majorities of Americans support the two main pillars of immigration reform — increasing border security and a path to citizenship ... But partisan, racial and ethnic divisions damp overall public support for a comprehensive reform package ... The findings also underscore how the legislative battle ahead presents House Republicans with the prospect of satisfying the party’s base at a cost of diminishing the party’s prospects of winning future national elections." Jon Cohen and Dan Balz at the Washington Post.
Making the GOP Latino-friendly is so much harder than it sounds. "A recent survey from Latino Decisions tested a number of abrasive Republican comments about Latinos and immigration reform by House Republicans ... and found that two-thirds of Latino respondents figured that 'many' (as opposed to 'only a few') Republicans in Congress felt that way ... So it’s a truly Sisyphian task to 'rebrand' the Republican Party as Latino-friendly, particularly if House Republicans cannot bite the bullet and allow a majority of House members pass Latino-friendly legislation." Ed Kilgore at the Washington Monthly.
And the KIDS Act doesn't seem to be the solution. "Last week, House GOP leaders embraced something called the 'KIDS Act,' which is basically the renamed Republican version of the DREAM Act ... Speaker John Boehner ... and Majority Leader Eric Cantor ... may kill comprehensive immigration reform, but they're hoping this lesser bill softens the political impact. There are ... several problems. For one thing, Boehner and Cantor have already voted against a nearly identical measure, reinforcing doubts about their sincerity. For another, their bill would let children who were brought into the U.S. illegally stay, but still call for the deportation of those kids' parents." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
LGBT Rights
The next big same-sex marriage constitutional question. "Looking at Ohio’s bans on recognizing same-sex couples’ out-of-state marriages ... Black — an Obama appointee to the bench — concluded, 'The purpose served by treating same-sex married couples differently than opposite-sex married couples is the same improper purpose that failed in Windsor and in Romer: ‘to impose inequality’ and to make gay citizens unequal under the law.'" Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed.
New York
NSA
Some FISA court reforms that I would be pretty down with. James Carr at the New York Times.
Snowden's Moscow lawyer: Snowden is planning to stay in Russia. I suppose that's one way to avoid being tried and convicted of espionage. "The Moscow lawyer of NSA whistleblower/leaker Edward Snowden tells Russia Today that the 30-year-old is planning to spend the foreseeable future in Russia." Michael Kelley at Business Insider.
Virginia
The McDonnell scandal is not done. "The scandal surrounding Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), which has intensified in recent weeks and threatens to push him from office, took an unexpected turn today when the governor apologized for causing "embarrassment" and announced he has repaid the loans he and his wife received from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie R. Williams Sr. ... Of course, if McDonnell expects this to resolve the matter, he's going to be disappointed. After all, the scandal goes well beyond the loans, and included, among other things the extravagant shopping spree, the engraved Rolex watch, the lake house vacation, and the use of a Ferrari. There's also all the steps, of course, the governor took on Williams' behalf. In other words, the scandal is far from over." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
Voting Rights
SCOTUS decisions have consequences: North Carolina edition. "This week, the North Carolina legislature will ... pass a strict new voter ID law that could disenfranchise 318,000 registered voters ... The bill has since been amended ... to include a slew of ... voter suppression measures. They include cutting a week of early voting, ending same-day registration during the early voting period and making it easier for vigilante poll-watchers to challenge eligible voters ... Until the Shelby County v. Holder decision ... this bill would have been reviewable ... by the ... Justice Department, and might not have even included some of the more egregious restrictions." Ed Kilgore at the Washington Monthly.
No, North Carolina has never had a voter fraud problem. It still doesn't. "If we listen to the rhetoric from the state legislature, Republican policymakers say they're worried about voter fraud. Let's pause, then, to note (a) since 2000, there are exactly two individual incidents involving voter impersonation in North Carolina, out of several million votes cast; and (b) many of these new voting restrictions have literally nothing to do with the possibility of fraud. Let's make this plain: GOP officials in North Carolina believe the best way to ensure they keep power is to prevent more eligible voters from participating in their own democracy." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
This seems like a decent idea. "Six House Democrats have proposed legislation that would require all states to seek permission from the federal government before reapportioning their districts, except when reapportionment happens right after a decennial census ... According to a description of the bill, it would require states with new redistricting plans prior to a new census to 'obtain a declaratory judgment or pre clearance in the manner provided under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. That section allows preclearance through an Executive Branch process or a judicial panel under the U.S. district court in Washington, DC." Pete Kasperowicz at the Hill.
International
Global
The age of digital diplomacy? Try the age of digital silence. "Few if any national leaders tweet using their own thumbs. Only a third of the roughly 227 top ministers or heads of government that Burson-Marsteller profiled can say they represent themselves on social media. Of those, only 14 tweet on any kind of regular basis. If digital diplomacy were really taking off, we might expect it to help maintain relationships among world governments, or at least serve as a cheap way to engage in posturing amid international negotiations." Brian Fung at Wonkblog.
Africa
Seven things to know about South Sudan's governance crisis. Akshaya Kumar at the Enough Project.
Asia
Progress in Myanmar. "Myanmar's government is releasing another 73 political prisoners and more could be freed in coming months to honor a commitment made by the president during a recent trip to Europe, a member of a government body looking into the process said on Tuesday. President Thein Sein, a former general now heading a quasi-civilian government, has pushed through a series of political and economic reforms since a military government stepped aside in 2011." Aung Hla Tun at Reuters.
Another win for Abe. "As expected, Japan’s ruling coalition won a majority in Sunday’s Upper House election, earning majority control of both houses of parliament for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The standoff between Upper and Lower Houses that began in 2007—what became known as the 'twisted Diet'—is over." Sheila Smith at the Council on Foreign Relations.
And another problem with Fukushima. "Fukushima nuclear plant operator Tepco on Monday admitted for the first time that radioactive groundwater is flowing into the sea, fueling fears that marine life is being poisoned ... Earlier this month, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said groundwater samples taken at the battered plant showed that levels of cesium-134 had shot up more than 110 times in a few days. Although unable to explain the increased readings, Tepco had nevertheless maintained the toxic groundwater was likely being contained, largely by concrete foundations and steel sheets. 'But now we believe that contaminated water has flowed out to the sea,' a Tepco spokesman said Monday." Japan Times.
Indonesia is the new upcoming hacking powerhouse. "Internet hackers have found a new home from which to spread online mayhem ... According to a new report from cloud computing provider Akamai, Indonesia became a hotbed of hacking activity during the first quarter of 2013, rocketing to second place behind China among the most prevalent sources of Internet attacks. In the final three months of 2012, Indonesia played host to a mere .7 percent of all Internet hacking activity, but during the following three months that figure ballooned to 21 percent ... Indonesia's sudden rise in the tables is indicative of how diffuse networks of hackers around the globe can exploit weaknesses in the web." Elias Groll at Foreign Policy.
Europe
The EU adds Hezbollah's military wing to the list of terrorist organizations. "The military wing of Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese Shiite group, was blacklisted by European Union ministers as a terrorist organization on Monday in a policy shift that reflected their concern about Hezbollah’s suspected involvement in Europe-based bombings and its growing role in the Syria war. The blacklisting designation was welcomed by the United States and Israel, which have long regarded Hezbollah as a terrorist organization." James Kanter and Jodi Rudoren at the New York Times.
Being the royal baby of Britain isn't what it used to be. "Face it, Royal Baby – the last 100-odd years have not been kind to the British monarchy. You guys have gone from pretty powerless to totally powerless, and the realm over which you can exercise your total lack of power has shrunk too. And the Queen gets to live on less than her predecessors did. If the next 50-odd years stay that course, be prepared to take the helm of a much-diminished royal family after a life spent being scrutinized by the British media, and without the opportunity to have a normal career or a normal, small wedding, or, really, a normal anything. Your fate is sealed. The coping begins now." Dylan Matthews at Wonkblog.
The royal baby and the retweet network, in graphic form. Joshua Tucker at the Monkey Cage.
Middle East
Syria is still a humanitarian crisis zone. "Relief officials warned ... of a brewing humanitarian crisis in southern Syria as rising violence reportedly continued to strand thousands of would-be refugees along the border with Jordan. According to rebel officials and local residents, an intensified government bombing campaign is obstructing roads and paths in the region, where 10,000 displaced people are said to have spent the past week in border towns and villages waiting to cross into Jordan." Taylor Luck at the Washington Post.
Pakistan's security threat isn't terrorism - it's water. "In a report released ... by the Asian Development Bank ... Pakistan was pinpointed as 'one of the most water-stressed countries in the world' ... According to the ADB, Pakistan’s storage capacity, the amount of water it has on reserve in case of an emergency, is limited to a 30-day supply — far below the recommended 1,000 days for countries with similar climates ... The last several years have seen the country plagued by chronic energy scarcities ... Deficiencies of another precious natural resource, such as water, have the potential to intensify the already unstable situation in the country." Aziz Nayani at Grist.
Jailbreak! "Hundreds of extremists were feared to be on the run in Iraq ... after al-Qaeda’s affiliate ... launched a major assault on the infamous Abu Ghraib prison ... In Washington, U.S. officials closely monitoring the jailbreak said the number of escapees was thought to be 500 to 600, including a significant number of al-Qaeda operatives. Members of the Iraqi parliament who said they had been briefed by security officials asserted that the escapees included some top 'emirs,' or leaders, of the al-Qaeda in Iraq franchise, many of whom had been captured by U.S. troops." Jabbar Yaseen and Liz Sly at the Washington Post.
North America
Confirmation that Keystone's opponents generally know what they're talking about. "A new report ... finds that enforcement of environmental infractions by companies in the Alberta oil sands are 17 times lower than similar infractions reported to the United State’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ... The findings are shocking and come at a very inconvenient time for government and industry supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline project ... Of the more than 4,000 infractions reported, less than 1 percent ... received an enforcement action ... Compare this the EPA, who has an enforcement rate of 16 percent for similar infractions by companies under the Clean Water Act." Kevin Grandia at Grist.
South America
Prices in Brazil are really high. "Shoppers ... need to brace themselves when buying a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone: the same model that costs $615 in the United States is nearly double that in Brazil. An even bigger shock awaits parents needing a crib: the cheapest one ... costs over $440, more than six times the price of a similarly made item ... in the United States. For Brazilians seething with resentment over wasteful spending ... the high prices they must pay for just about everything ... only fuel their ire ... Economists say much of the blame for the stunningly high prices can be placed on a dysfunctional tax system that prioritizes consumption taxes, which are relatively easy to collect, over income taxes." Simon Romero at the New York Times.
Economics
Awesome game theory experiment - need I say more? "Prisoners aren’t necessarily as calculating, self-interested, and un-trusting as you might expect, and as behavioural economists have argued for years, as mathematically interesting as Nash equilibrium might be, they don’t line up with real behaviour all that well." Max Nisen at Business Insider.
Science
Cosmic insignificance. "This is nothing short of stunning: Two spacecraft on nearly opposite sides of the solar system both took pictures of the Earth at nearly the same time, showing our entire planet as not much more than a smeared flash of slightly overexposed light ... Every human being who ever lived, in all of history, is contained in those images. The farthest any human being has ever traveled ... is contained in those images. The farthest ... just beyond our own Moon ... is just a few pixels in these pictures. The Earth itself is a mere pixel here. Even in the zoomed Cassini picture, the Earth is barely larger than a single pixel in size." Phil Plait + Images at Slate.
Exoplanets are cool. But most of them have awful weather. "Of the more than 900 exoplanets—planets outside our solar system—discovered to date, none, not a single one, appears to be a nice place to visit or live. If anything, descriptions of most of these far-flung bodies sound like a walking tour of hell. There’s the planet where glass falls from the sky, or the one where temperatures spike so quickly that they generate supersonic megastorm. These weather reports are educated guesses, of course, culled from measurements of the apparent mass, infrared output, chemical makeup, and position of each exoplanet." Erik Sofge at Mental Floss.
Miscellaneous
The world's oldest words. "In research published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Mark Pagel, Quentin D. Atkinson, Andreea S. Calude, and Andrew Meade attempt to identify words shared between Eurasia's major language families -- implying that they may be relics of an older common tongue ... Using a database of hypothesized ancestor words, the authors looked for words related by sound within the language groups ... They found '188 word-meanings for which one or more proto-words had been reconstructued for at least three language families'." Joshua Keating at War of Ideas.
