Trayvon Martin
From a legal standpoint, the verdict makes sense. "What the verdict says ... is that you can go looking for trouble in Florida, with a gun and a great deal of racial bias, and you can find that trouble, and you can act upon that trouble in a way that leaves a young man dead, and none of it guarantees that you will be convicted of a crime ... This verdict ... might not even have occurred in any other state ... Don't like it? Lobby to change Florida's laws. If we understand and accept these legal limitations ... the result here makes sense. Purely as a matter of law ... it makes perfect sense. Florida's material, admissible, relevant proof against Zimmerman was not strong enough to overcome the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt." Andrew Cohen at the Atlantic.
Morally guilty and legally guilty are not the same thing. "There’s one thing we haven’t seen: a compelling, factual rebuttal to Zimmerman’s account of what happened the night Trayvon Martin was killed ... None of the prosecution’s witnesses came close to ... refuting his story. That’s a problem for the state. To convict Zimmerman, the prosecutors have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. That hasn’t happened ... A legally satisfying verdict cannot always be ... a morally satisfying verdict. It would be unjust if Zimmerman were convicted based not on the strength of the evidence against him, but rather on the public sentiment against him." Justin Peters at Slate.
Federal hate crimes charges against Zimmerman are unlikely to materialize. "Convicting Zimmerman on federal hate crimes charges would likely be even more difficult than trying to convict him of second-degree murder, because it requires proving beyond a reasonable doubt that when Zimmerman shot and killed Martin ... because of race ... It’s unlikely that federal prosecutors would be able to prove Zimmerman acted out of racism, barring any new, previously undisclosed evidence. 'Based on what I’ve seen, I think it would be difficult to envision proving racial intent beyond a reasonable doubt here,' said Samuel Bagenstos, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the civil rights division." Adam Serwer at MSNBC.
The verdict and gun culture. "But it is important not to lose sight of ... the inadequacy of the law ... to deal with America's gun culture. Carrying a deadly weapon in public should carry ... responsibilities. In most cases someone with a gun should not be able to escape culpability if he initiates a conflict with someone unarmed and the other party ends up getting shot and killed ... In many states, people threatened by armed people have few good options, because fighting back might create a license to kill ... And ... no matter how self-defense laws are structured the extremely unusual American practice of allowing large number of citizens to carry concealed weapons leads to many unecessary deaths." Scott Lemieux at the American Prospect.
The takeaway - guns are the problem. "Here's the one thing we can say with some certainty about what happened that night: if the state of Florida didn't give George Zimmerman legal permission to carry a concealed weapon, Trayvon Martin would almost certainly be alive today. For all the focus on the racial and class-based inequities in the criminal justice system ... or the legal perversion of stand-your-ground laws (that dangerously lower the criteria for use of deadly force in self-defense) or the mistakes of the prosecution ... it is the presence of a loaded firearm that changed what might have been an unpleasant confrontation into a deadly encounter." Michael Cohen at the Guardian.
Shattering the myth of 'black on black' crime. "But there’s a huge problem with attempt to shift the conversation: There’s no such thing as 'black-on-black' crime. Yes, from 1976 to 2005, 94 percent of black victims were killed by black offenders, but that racial exclusivity was also true for white victims of violent crime—86 percent were killed by white offenders. Indeed, for the large majority of crimes, you’ll find that victims and offenders share a racial identity, or have some prior relationship ... It’s driven byopportunism and proximity; If African-Americans are more likely to be robbed, or injured, or killed by other African-Americans, it’s because they tend to live in the same neighborhoods." Jamelle Bouie at the Daily Beast.
7 startling statistics on African-Americans and the criminal justice system. Judd Legum at Think Progress.
Elections
The Overview
Hey GOP, the "missing white voters" aren't riding to your (demographic) rescue. Tough luck. "GOP phone home! Your missing white voters have been found, and it turns out they weren’t really missing. They were simply sitting out a relatively low turnout election along with a large number of their minority counterparts. They may be back next time if it’s a higher turnout election — but then again so will a lot of minority voters. Bottom line: your demographic dilemma remains the same. The mix of voters is changing fast to your disadvantage and there is no cavalry of white voters waiting in the wings to rescue you." Ruy Teixeira and Alan Abramowitz at Think Progress.
The GOP might not be boosted everywhere by immigration reform, but Florida is a definite exception. "Republicans probably can’t return to Bush’s performance among Hispanics, now that there are so many more Democratic-leaning Hispanics in Florida. But immigration reform would probably help ... 39 percent of Florida Hispanics would be more likely to support a Republican who voted for immigration reform ... But even if the GOP would only make slight gains among Florida Hispanics, the pace of demographic change is so great that Republicans just can’t afford to forfeit opportunities to improve ... The stakes are too high. Florida is all but a must-win state for Republicans." Nate Cohn at the New Republic.
2014
The Democrats will probably hold the Senate in 2014, but the GOP's prospects are improving. "Now that Montana leans GOP, Republicans wouldn’t need both North Carolina and Alaska. And although the GOP isn’t favored in either race, it’s conceivable that they could win one of those seats if Republicans nominate a strong candidate. Democrats are still favorites to hold the Senate ... If Republicans had to win both North Carolina and Alaska, that would be getting pretty close to implausible. And that’s why Schweitzer’s decision not to run in Montana is a huge break for Republicans. A GOP Senate is starting to look plausible, even if it remains unlikely." Nate Cohn at the New Republic.
2014 - South Dakota
Mike Rounds is still the favorite in South Dakota, despite his new primary opponent. "State Sen. Larry Rhoden’s formal entry into the South Dakota GOP Senate race doesn’t fundamentally change the Republican contest. Former Gov. Mike Rounds remains the party’s favorite for the nomination and for the general election ... Rhoden ... isn’t seen as a 'movement conservative.' And while Rhoden served as state Senate majority whip, he isn’t regarded as Rounds’ political equal. The likely Democratic nominee, Rick Weiland, so far has not caught fire and appears to be a clear underdog in the 2014 contest." Stuart Rothenberg at the Rothenberg Political Report.
2016
If immigration reform is a strike for the GOP base, Rubio's presidential prospects are in trouble. "Rubio’s role in the Gang of Eight was unmistakably central, and aligned him not only with Obama and Senate Democrats, but with the rump faction of RINOs led by John McCain and Lindsey Graham ... Yes, other potential ‘16ers ... embraced this or that feature of the bill. But in the end, Rand Paul voted against it; Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry denounced it; and Chris Christie and Scott Walker and Paul Ryan won’t ever have to vote for it ... So while Rubio doesn’t exactly stand alone on this issue, he is uniquely identified with the 'wrong' position from the perspective of 'the base.'" Ed Kilgore at the Washington Monthly.
Rick Perry, 2016? "As he exited the presidential race last year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry uttered a memorable assessment of his performance: 'It was the weakest Republican field in history, and they kicked my butt.' Yet, he might be coming back for more in 2016. Perry’s campaign is best remembered for ... one-word ... 'Oops.' ... Perry announced last week that he would not seek a fourth full gubernatorial term in 2014. That surprised almost no one in Texas. He has served longer than any governor in Texas history. What does surprise many here and around the country is that his early exit from the 2012 race served only to whet his appetite for another presidential campaign." Dan Balz at the Washington Post.
No, Rick Perry is not the answer to the GOP's Hispanic problem. "The Weekly Standard ... wrote ... about Texas Governor Rick Perry's secret formula for appealing to Hispanics: showing up to events with Hispanics, embracing a conservative and populist economic message, running advertisements in Spanish ... The problem, of course, is that Rick Perry didn't do well among Hispanics ... How did The Weekly Standard get tricked ...? They saw that he did better in 2010 than he did in 2006. The catch? Perry only recieved a total of 39 percent of the vote in 2006, because it was a four way race. Obviously he managed to increase his share of the Hispanic vote after getting rid of half the field." Nate Cohn at the New Republic.
Middle East
Afghanistan
Possible candidates for the Afghanistan presidency. Jeff Guo at the New Republic.
Bad news for women's political representation in Afghanistan. "Bad news about women’s rights in Afghanistan — as if we needed any more of it — arrived this summer. The lower house of parliament passed a draft law eliminating quotas that set aside 25 percent of the seats in the country’s provincial and district councils for women. Although the upper house of parliament has not approved the changes, conversation about which protections for women’s representation the new electoral law should contain remains ongoing amidst other troubling conversations about gender issues." Sarah Bush at Political Violence at a Glance.
Egypt
Meeting Egypt's new leadership. "As Egypt's new government takes shape, the appointments to key positions are providing the most revealing look yet at its priorities. A picture is emerging of a team focused on assuring the international community about Egypt's fate and improving the economic situation to lessen the chances of the sort of massive unrest that helped destabilize the country's former government." David Kenner at Foreign Policy.
Egyptian liberals embrace the military takeover. "Demonstrators now carry posters hailing as a national hero the general who ousted the country’s first elected president, Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood ... A hypernationalist euphoria unleashed in Egypt by the toppling of Mr. Morsi has swept up even liberals and leftists who spent years struggling against the country’s previous military-backed governments. An unpopular few among them have begun to raise alarms about what they are calling signs of 'fascism' ... But the vast majority of liberals, leftists and intellectuals in Egypt have joined in the jubilation at the defeat of the Muslim Brotherhood, laying into any dissenters." David Kirkpatrick at the New York Times.
Iran
Iran's new economic policy - honesty. "Appearing before parliament on Sunday, July 14, Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani did something that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rarely did in his eight years in office and told the truth about the extent of Iran’s economic crisis ... Inflation, for example, is 42% — the highest in the region 'and perhaps even in the whole world,' he said, and 10 points higher than the current administration has acknowledged. The anemic Iranian economy has created only 14,000 jobs a year on average since 2005 and for the first time since the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, Rouhani said, 'Our economic growth has been negative for two consecutive years.'" Barbara Slavin at Al-Monitor.
Turkey
Turkey revises its constitution to protect against military coups. "The Turkish Parliament ... amended an army regulation that had paved the way for military intervention ... to rein in the power of an army once prone to staging coups. The country’s generals had often cited an article of the regulation, about safeguarding the republic, as the legal backing for overthrowing governments ... As rewritten, the article, No. 35, restricts the army to 'defending the Turkish nation against external threats and dangers,; ... The change is ... a formality, since ... Erdogan has already succeeded in ... pushing the army back ... with ... structural changes, such as the elevation of civilian authority in the ... National Council." Sebnem Arsu at the New York Times.
Politics
Abortion
California
California Supreme Court refused to block same-sex marriages. "The California Supreme Court refused Monday to order the state to immediately stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples ... Without comment, the court denied a request made Friday by backers of the ban for an emergency order that would have required the state to keep enforcing Proposition 8 while they pursue a last-ditch legal effort to preserve it." Lisa Leff at the Associated Press.
The California prison system is one huge mess. "Gov. Jerry Brown is facing dire predictions about the future of the state’s prison system ... A widespread inmate hunger strike in protest of California’s policy of solitary confinement was approaching its second week on Sunday. The federal courts have demanded the release of nearly 10,000 inmates ... who are at risk of contracting a deadly disease in the state’s overcrowded prisons. State lawmakers have called for an investigation into a new report that nearly 150 women behind bars were coerced into being sterilized over the last decade. And last week, a federal judge ruled that prisoners were not receiving adequate medical care." Jennifer Medina at the New York Times.
Congress
Average ideology of the House of Representatives and the Senate: 1947-2012. Brookings.
Majority governance in the House, ruling and rolling. "Since January, talk of the 'Hastert rule' has gradually spilled over ... into mainstream political commentary. Shorthand for the norm that only bills with support from a majority of the majority should reach the House floor for a vote, the 'rule' has generated interest insofar as it has been violated – three times during the current Congress so far. That may make a trend, but how common are such violations over the longer term? ... Majority rolls of this kind have been occurring regularly ... throughout a variety of different political contexts, despite any distinctive features of the current dynamic in Congress." Andrew Guess at the Monkey Cage.
Congress and acronyms: 1973-2013. Noah Veltman.
Majority governance in the House, ruling and rolling. "Since January, talk of the 'Hastert rule' has gradually spilled over ... into mainstream political commentary. Shorthand for the norm that only bills with support from a majority of the majority should reach the House floor for a vote, the 'rule' has generated interest insofar as it has been violated – three times during the current Congress so far. That may make a trend, but how common are such violations over the longer term? ... Majority rolls of this kind have been occurring regularly ... throughout a variety of different political contexts, despite any distinctive features of the current dynamic in Congress." Andrew Guess at the Monkey Cage.
Congress and acronyms: 1973-2013. Noah Veltman.
Department of Homeland Security
Janet Napolitano to step down. "Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, announced Friday that she was stepping down, setting off a search to fill one of the most challenging positions in government ... Ms. Napolitano, a former Arizona governor who for four and a half years shaped the administration’s response to hurricanes, terrorist attacks, illegal immigration and a catastrophic oil spill, will leave in September to become president of the University of California system. Ms. Napolitano had her eye on becoming the next attorney general, but now is taking herself out of the Washington arena." Peter Baker and Tamar Lewin at the New York Times.
Possible nominees for running the DHS. Josh Hicks at the Federal Eye.
The Economy
No, anti-poverty programs really are not the main cause poverty. "Too often, the 'war on poverty' is discussed as a war between programs to help lift the poor out of poverty and the behavior of the poor themselves. In this frame-up, the programs may provide some anti-poverty benefits, but they also create poverty-inducing incentives, like to work less or form families outside of wedlock. However, those incentives have been found to be small ... while economic factors including rising inequality, globalization, de-unionization, the decline in the real minimum wage, and the absence of full employment have been solidly associated with sharply declining earnings and job opportunities." Jared Bernstein at On the Economy.
And, despite the claims of conservatives, they tend to be pretty effective. "Sadly, we should expect to hear a drumbeat of attacks claiming that ... we fought a war on poverty and 'poverty won.' ... The truth is very different. A number of anti-poverty programs ... have an impressive record of achievement. Together, programs such as food stamps ... the Earned Income Tax Credit ... Medicaid, college financial assistance and broader based programs such as Medicare, have reduced poverty and ... opened doors of opportunity for millions of people ... Poverty remains a serious problem ... But, a bumper sticker analysis of ... today’s safety net that implies that 'poverty won' misses the mark." Arloc Sherman at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
Energy and the Environment
The best places to put solar and wind power in the United States. Brad Plumer at Wonkblog.
Farm Bill
Helping the needy, no longer. "For decades, farm bills have had two major pieces. One piece offers subsidies to farmers; the other offers nutritional aid to Americans in distress, mainly in the form of food stamps ... Long ago, when subsidies helped many poor farmers, you could defend the whole package as a form of support for those in need. Over the years ... the two pieces diverged. Farm subsidies became a fraud-ridden program that mainly benefits corporations and wealthy individuals. Meanwhile food stamps became a crucial part of the social safety net. So House Republicans voted to maintain farm subsidies ... while completely eliminating food stamps from the bill." Paul Krugman at the New York Times.
Fiscal Fights
Mapping the sequester. The Center for American Progress.
Washington doesn't seem to be able to reverse the sequester - guess who takes the hit for that? "That's especially true of poor people since Congress and the White House failed to reach a deal to undo the cuts in March. Air-traffic controllers and meat inspectors, represented by powerful unions and lobbyists, got reprieves. Agencies such as the Justice and Homeland Security departments found wiggle room in their budgets to stave off furloughs. But programs outside of D.C. for low-income or distressed people -- such as Head Start, Meals on Wheels, or federal unemployment benefits -- have suffered as the cuts kicked in, leading to cancellations, fewer meals, smaller checks, and staff layoffs." Nancy Cook at the Atlantic.
Head Start and the sequester. "The impact of cuts to Head Start, the pre-school program for low-income kids ... First, some kids lose their slots, interrupting not only basic early learning, but also nutritional and medical services ... Second, Head Start staff lose jobs ... Third, working parents in particular lose a vital support system, and if they want to keep their jobs ... immediately start digging for alternatives to care for their kids during work ... Meanwhile ... the deficit has declined from about 10% of GDP in 2009 to an expected 4.4% next year and dropping after that. Moreover, as noted, the $8 billion Head Start program is unquestionably not the source of future fiscal pressures." Jared Bernstein at On the Economy.
Florida
Foreign Policy
Why the US shouldn't cut aid to Egypt. "The United States dealt with a police state for almost 30 years and did next to nothing to promote respect for human rights and serious reform. And now, when Egypt has a real chance to build a better political system ... the United States has finally decided to get tough with the only institution in Egypt that can guarantee some measure of stability during a critical moment? ... Few realities are more enduring in Egypt than the military ... Twelve days after revolution 2.0, the United States has no business undertaking major shifts in its policy. The military isn't going anywhere. And we need to recognize that reality." Aaron David Miller at Foreign Policy.
GOP
A party divided and unlikely to recover, even after a possible third defeat in 2016. "American history has many examples of a party going off the rails ... I see at least five Republican parties out there, with a lot of overlap, but with enough distinct differences that the task is harder than usual. There is a House party, a Senate party, and a presidential party ... But there is also a Southern party and a non-Southern one. The two driving forces dominating today's GOP are the House party and the Southern one -- and they will not be moved or shaped by another presidential loss. If anything, they might double down on their worldviews and strategies." Norm Ornstein at the Atlantic.
If at first, you don't succeed... "To recap, in 2012, Republicans made repealing the Affordable Care Act one of the premiere issues of the election cycle. The strategy failed ... So in 2014, Republican intend to make repealing the Affordable Care Act one of the premiere issues of the election cycle ... With 2013 half over, think about what we've seen from GOP policymakers ... efforts to restrict voting rights, efforts to restrict reproductive rights, votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, votes for Paul Ryan's radical ... budget ... promises of a debt-ceiling crisis, a refusal to compromise on any area of public policy ... Welcome to the Groundhog Day edition of the new, rebranded Republican Party." Steve Benen at Maddowblog.
Guns
As time passes after tragedies, reporting falls off a cliff. Even for Newtown. "The massacre in Newtown ... set off a furious debate, prompting an unprecedented amount of media attention on America’s gun laws. But the press’s declining interest in gun control ... illustrates just how hard it is ... to keep a story alive once Washington stops fighting over it ... Media coverage in the wake of major shootings tends to follow ... the 'issue attention cycle.' Gun control stories spike immediately afterward but fall off the agenda as other events and issues emerge ... Although Newtown appeared to defy that pattern ... it’s now clear that the issue attention cycle simply took longer to assert itself." Danny Hayes at Wonkblog.
Health
Vaccines, scientific nonsense, and the View. "ABC announced that Jenny McCarthy would be ... co-host of The View ... She’s also the single most visible celebrity spokesperson for the discredited ... belief that childhood vaccines can cause autism. On her side is her anecdotal claim ... and a debunked study from 1998. On the other is ... the entire pediatric community. Discussing the news ... comes with responsibility ... Study after study has refuted the claimed link between vaccines and autism. And the fear of vaccines doesn’t just potentially harm the children whose parents forego vaccination, but other kids as well, by threatening the 'herd immunity' that we rely on to protect the larger population." James Poniewozik at Time.
Immigration
The House of Representatives whip count on immigration. Aaron Bycoffe and Elise Foley at the Huffington Post.
Is comprehensive reform a dead bill walking? "Republicans walked away from their 2012 debacle hell-bent on fixing their problems with Hispanics. Now, they appear hell-bent on making them worse. In private conversations, top Republicans on Capitol Hill now predict comprehensive immigration reform will die a slow, months-long death in the House ... Most House Republicans are white conservatives representing mostly white districts ... After holding countless listening sessions, it is clear ... that getting even smaller, popular pieces of reform will be a tough sell. The House plans a piecemeal approach: a border-security bill this month, maybe one or two items a month in the fall." Mike Allen and Jim Vandehei at Politico.
Don't expect the House to pass the Senate bill. "The bottom line was clear: The Republican-controlled House does not plan to take up anything resembling the Senate bill, which many believe is bad policy and smacks of an amnesty strongly opposed by the conservatives who hold sway over much of the rank and file. The House also does not intend to move very quickly, and some Republicans are wary of passing any measure at all that could lead to negotiations with the Senate, talks that could add pressure to the House to consider a broader plan." Ashley Parker and Jonathan Weisman at the New York Times.
Elderly whites like the GOP on immigration. Unfortunately, nobody else does. "A new Gallup poll shows that old white people feel the GOP is representing them well on immigration, but nobody else does ... What we're seeing here is basically that the existence of an immigration debate is not particularly favorable for Republicans. On the other hand, this conservative-leadning cohort of older whites is precisely the group whose relative voting weight surges in midterms ... So while Republicans would be smart on one level to try to get something done here and not be talking about this in the years to come, they're on reasonably solid ground in the short-term if they want to scuttle the Gang of 8 bill." Matthew Yglesias at Slate.
A big round of applause for a job well done. "Domestic violence social workers ... developed a high-risk assessment team that, using statistical methods ... has figured out a way to target the men most likely to kill and ... make it that much harder for them to do so. Kelly Dunne started the Domestic Violence High Risk Team in 2005, and since then, not a single case she's taken on has ended in murder, and the men who have been sentenced to GPS tracking have not committed any future acts of violence." Amanda Marcotte at Slate.
Remember, this guy was a serious contender for vice president in 2012. "Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) approval rating has plummeted ... as he faces ethical and financial scandals, according to a Public Policy Polling survey ... Only 36 percent of Virginians approve of McDonnell's job performance ... His approval rating dropped from 73 percent among Republicans to 62 percent. Among Democrats, his approval rating decreased from 22 percent to 14 percent. Currently, just 31 percent of voters in Virginia consider McDonnell to be an ethical politician ... Virginia will hold elections in 2013 and 31 percent of voters say they'd be less likely to vote for a candidate backed by McDonnell." Perry Stein at Talking Points Memo.
Elderly whites like the GOP on immigration. Unfortunately, nobody else does. "A new Gallup poll shows that old white people feel the GOP is representing them well on immigration, but nobody else does ... What we're seeing here is basically that the existence of an immigration debate is not particularly favorable for Republicans. On the other hand, this conservative-leadning cohort of older whites is precisely the group whose relative voting weight surges in midterms ... So while Republicans would be smart on one level to try to get something done here and not be talking about this in the years to come, they're on reasonably solid ground in the short-term if they want to scuttle the Gang of 8 bill." Matthew Yglesias at Slate.
Massachusetts
A big round of applause for a job well done. "Domestic violence social workers ... developed a high-risk assessment team that, using statistical methods ... has figured out a way to target the men most likely to kill and ... make it that much harder for them to do so. Kelly Dunne started the Domestic Violence High Risk Team in 2005, and since then, not a single case she's taken on has ended in murder, and the men who have been sentenced to GPS tracking have not committed any future acts of violence." Amanda Marcotte at Slate.
Virginia
Remember, this guy was a serious contender for vice president in 2012. "Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) approval rating has plummeted ... as he faces ethical and financial scandals, according to a Public Policy Polling survey ... Only 36 percent of Virginians approve of McDonnell's job performance ... His approval rating dropped from 73 percent among Republicans to 62 percent. Among Democrats, his approval rating decreased from 22 percent to 14 percent. Currently, just 31 percent of voters in Virginia consider McDonnell to be an ethical politician ... Virginia will hold elections in 2013 and 31 percent of voters say they'd be less likely to vote for a candidate backed by McDonnell." Perry Stein at Talking Points Memo.
Voting Rights
Some good news, for a change. "Just 22 days after the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), the Senate is launching a debate on how Congress can revive one of the linchpins of the civil rights agenda ... A close reading of the witness list suggests one good sign for reform. Republican congressman Jim Sensenbrenner is going to testify. That means a few things. First, the Senate and House are proactively coordinating a legislative strategy for the VRA ... Second, at least some insiders want VRA reform to be a bipartisan winner ... And third, there are some reasonable Republicans left in the building." Ari Melber at MSNBC.
International
Global
No UN condemnation of Iranian missile tests - because Russia and China don't mind. "A U.N. Security Council committee is split over whether Iran's missile tests last year violated U.N. sanctions imposed on Tehran because of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Australia's U.N. envoy said on Monday. That division effectively rules out any expansion of sanctions against Tehran over the tests for the time being, U.N. envoys said on condition of anonymity. Diplomats said it was Russia, backed by China, that refused to declare Tehran's missile launches a violation of the U.N. restrictions, as a U.N. Panel of Experts on Iran said was the case." Louis Charbonneau at Reuters.
Africa
Move over, Somalia. Africa has a new hotspot for piracy. "Well-armed pirates are widening their area of operations and using new strategies in a 'worrying surge' of attacks, kidnappings and armed robberies in West Africa's oil-rich Gulf of Guinea ... While piracy is down in the rest of the world, the Gulf of Guinea has overtaken Somalia as the world's new hotspot. Piracy cost the region $2 billion last year ... Some experts are calling for a coalition of naval forces to patrol the strategic area, similar to the one that gets credit for the decreasing number of attacks off the coast of Somalia ... The Gulf of Guinea this year suffered 31 actual and attempted attacks by pirates, including four ships hijacked." Michelle Faul at the Associated Press.
Don't get the wrong idea - Somalia still has problems. Kenyan peacekeepers are only one. "A confidential report by U.N. monitors accuses Kenyan soldiers in the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia of facilitating illegal charcoal exports from the port city of Kismayu, a business that generates millions of dollars a year for Islamic militants seeking to topple the government. The case of the failed ban on Somali charcoal outlined in the report highlights the difficulty of cutting off al Shabaab militants' funding and ensuring compliance with U.N. sanctions when there is little appetite for enforcing them on the ground." Louis Charbonneau at Reuters.
Asia
The power struggle in Burma. "A strange thing is happening ... Fueled by the ambitions of a parliamentary powerbroker ... political bedfellows -- from opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to ruling party members, ethnic rights activists, and military officers -- is posing a growing challenge to executive authority. For the country's president ... escalating friction with the legislature is weighing on an ambitious reform program and putting key ministers under unprecedented pressure. Constitutional law experts say the growing tussle ... highlights Burma's fiendishly opaque power balance, enshrined in a military-authored constitution, and sets the stage for bigger confrontations ahead." Gwen Robinson at Foreign Policy.
In the wake of a factory disaster, Bangladesh strengthens labor laws. "Bangladesh approved on Monday a labor law to boost worker rights, including the freedom to form trade unions, after a factory building collapse in April killed 1,132 garment workers and sparked debate over labor safety and rights. The legislation puts in place provisions including a central fund to improve living standards of workers, a requirement for 5 percent of annual profits to be deposited in employee welfare funds and an assurance that union members will not be transferred to another factory of the same owner after labour unrest." Nandita Bose at Reuters.
China's economy is slowing down. "China slowed to 7.5 per cent growth in the second quarter, putting the economy on track for its weakest year since the late 1990s ... Weighed down by declining exports and faltering investment, it was the second consecutive quarter of weaker growth for the world’s second-largest economy, confirming that a rebound at the end of last year had been shortlived. With the downturn showing little sign of abating, there is a real risk that China will fall below the government’s target of 7.5 per cent growth in 2013. It would be the first time since the Asian financial crisis 15 years ago that the Chinese government has missed its annual growth target." Simon Rabinovitch at the Financial Times.
Europe
Victory for same-sex marriage in the UK. "Britain's gay marriage bill has cleared its last major hurdle, passing through the House of Lords ... The House of Commons ... will review government amendments before it becomes law. That is expected to go without a hitch, as the House of Commons earlier passed the bill 390 to 148. The bill will enable gay couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales, though the Church of England, which is divided on the issue, is barred from offering same-sex ceremonies." Associated Press.
Russia's wargames blitz. "In the seas off the coast of Japan, the wilderness of Siberia, and little towns north of Moscow, the Russian military is currently engaged in a massive training blitz ... Russia has deployed nearly every facet of its armed forces. Its ships and submarines have rumbled with their Chinese counterparts in highly contested East Pacific waters. Its tanks have rolled across the Siberian tundra. Its special forces have retaken a town from a group of imaginary exercises. The message is pretty unmistakable: Don't mess with this Russian bear." Elias Groll at Foreign Policy.
The weird and the wacky. "Russian police have discovered an underground clothing factory in Moscow Region where dozens of immigrants from Vietnam were being held, together with a bear, ostriches and wild boars, the region’s police department said Monday." Ria Novosti.
North America
Major victory for Mexico in the struggle against drug cartels. "The Mexican government said on Monday it captured the brutal leader of the Zetas drug cartel in an early-morning raid, marking the biggest victory for President Enrique Pena Nieto in his fight against gang violence ... The government said Trevino was wanted for a litany of crimes including murder, torture, money laundering and ordering the kidnapping and execution of 265 migrants near the northern town of San Fernando." Dave Graham and Alexandra Alper at Reuters.
Polisci
If you're a dictator, watch out for big cities. "From Cairo to Tehran to Moscow, we've seen plenty of examples of dramatic confrontations between autocratic governments and their people in the world's major metropolises in recent years. But is there a measurable relationship between urbanization and anti-authoritarian politics? Ohio State University's Jeremy Wallace argues that there is ... 'Regimes with capital cities that dominate the urban landscape fail nearly four years sooner and face 60% greater death rates.' Cities are problems for authoritarian control ... because by concentrating large masses of people, they improve communication networks, allowing anti-establishment sentiment to spread." Joshua Keating at War of Ideas.
Science
Space weather, science, energy, and policymaking. Brad Plumer at Wonkblog.
What did giant extinct vampire bats eat? "The Common vampire mostly preys on mammals, and because the fossil species are all members of the genus Desmodus, it’s reasonable to assume that they ... mostly fed on mammals ... A few vampire bat fossils are preserved in association with large mammals. A fossil Common vampire from a Brazilian cave ... was discovered adhering to the underside of a coprolite produced by the sloth Nothrotherium ... and De. stocki fossils from Florida are preserved in the same caves as ground sloths. A skull belonging to De. draculae was preserved ... with a skull of the extinct horse Equus neogeus ... These associations ... are at the very least highly suggestive." Darren Naish at Scientific American.
Sea creatures that look like aliens. "The world beneath the ocean often looks like an alien planet. And these photographs of denizens of the deep make it obvious that aliens are already swimming amongst us." Vincze Miklos at i09.
What did giant extinct vampire bats eat? "The Common vampire mostly preys on mammals, and because the fossil species are all members of the genus Desmodus, it’s reasonable to assume that they ... mostly fed on mammals ... A few vampire bat fossils are preserved in association with large mammals. A fossil Common vampire from a Brazilian cave ... was discovered adhering to the underside of a coprolite produced by the sloth Nothrotherium ... and De. stocki fossils from Florida are preserved in the same caves as ground sloths. A skull belonging to De. draculae was preserved ... with a skull of the extinct horse Equus neogeus ... These associations ... are at the very least highly suggestive." Darren Naish at Scientific American.
Sea creatures that look like aliens. "The world beneath the ocean often looks like an alien planet. And these photographs of denizens of the deep make it obvious that aliens are already swimming amongst us." Vincze Miklos at i09.
Miscellaneous
The Odyssey as metadata. "In the original sense of 'social network,' Homer's epic actually turns out to be a rich source for the study of human interaction. A paper by P.J. Miranda of the Federal Technological University of Paraná in Brazil and several others analyzes the text of the Odyssey to map the relationships of the ... 342 unique characters bounded socially by 1747 relations." Joshua Keating at War of Ideas.
Presidents, broccoli, and public polling. "Most Americans like broccoli and take President Obama on his word that he does too. But perception of past Presidents' like or dislike for the vegetable is more complicated." YouGov.
A conservative defense of the census. "Its pedigree traces to the Constitution’s Framers. These Enlightenment figures ... believed in the possibility of evidence-based improvements ... They mandated the 'enumeration' of the population ... And compliance with the survey was compulsory ... Since 2005, this has been replaced by the American Community Survey (ACS) ... providing demographic, economic and social information pertinent to government and private-sector activities. The government still makes mandatory the mild duty of providing information pertinent to governance. This is why some conservatives oppose continuing the ACS ... But the ACS should not become collateral damage." George Will at the Washington Post.
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