New York Times: “The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, who emerged from the backwoods of Louisiana to become a television evangelist with global reach, preaching about an eternal struggle between good and evil and warning of the temptations of the flesh, a theme that played out in his own life in a sex scandal, died on July 1. He was 90.” ~~~
~~~ For another sort of obituary, see Akhilleus' commentary near the end of yesterday's thread.
To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.
Link Code: <a href="URL">text</a>
OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.
OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.
Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.
Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.
Marie: Sorry, my countdown clock was unreliable; then it became completely unreliable. I can't keep up with it. Maybe I'll try another one later.
Commencement ceremonies are joyous occasions, and Steve Carell made sure that was true this past weekend (mid-June) at Northwestern's commencement:
~~~ Carell's entire commencement speech was hilarious. The audio and video here isn't great, but I laughed till I cried.
CNN did a live telecast Saturday night (June 7) of the Broadway play "Good Night, and Good Luck," written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, about legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow's effort to hold to account Sen. Joe McCarthy, "the junior senator from Wisconsin." Clooney plays Murrow. Here's Murrow himself with his famous take on McCarthy & McCarthyism, brief remarks that especially resonate today: ~~~
~~~ This article lists ways you still can watch the play.
New York Times: “The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The multiyear agreement 'will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,' the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement encompasses material from NYT Cooking, The Times’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports. This is The Times’s first licensing arrangement with a focus on generative A.I. technology. In 2023, The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without any kind of compensation. OpenAI and Microsoft have rejected those accusations.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: I have no idea what this means for "the Amazon customer experience." Does it mean that if I don't have a NYT subscription but do have Amazon Prime I can read NYT content? And where, exactly, would I find that content? I don't know. I don't know.
Washington Post reporters asked three AI image generators what a beautiful woman looks like. "The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a 'beautiful woman,' all three tools generated thin women, without exception.... Her body looks like Barbie — slim hips, impossible waist, round breasts.... Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging. More than a third of the images had medium skin tones. But only nine percent had dark skin tones. Asked to show 'normal women,' the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin.... However bias originates, The Post’s analysis found that popular image tools struggle to render realistic images of women outside the Western ideal." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The reporters seem to think they are calling out the AI programs for being unrealistic. But there's a lot about the "beautiful women" images they miss. I find these omissions remarkably sexist. For one thing, the reporters seem to think AI is a magical "thing" that self-generates. It isn't. It's programmed. It's programmed by boys, many of them incels who have little or no experience or insights beyond comic books and Internet porn of how to gauge female "beauty." As a result, the AI-generated women look like cartoons; that is, a lot like an air-brushed photo of Kristi Noem: globs of every kind of dark eye makeup, Scandinavian nose, Botox lips, slathered-on skin concealer/toner/etc. makeup, long dark hair and the aforementioned impossible Barbie body shape, including huge, round plastic breasts.
New York Times: “George Clooney’s Broadway debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' has been one of the sensations of the 2024-25 theater season, breaking box office records and drawing packed houses of audiences eager to see the popular movie star in a timely drama about the importance of an independent press. Now the play will become much more widely available: CNN is planning a live broadcast of the penultimate performance, on June 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The performance will be preceded and followed by coverage of, and discussion about, the show and the state of journalism.”
No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. -- Magna Carta ~~~
~~~ New York Times: “Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties. It is one of just seven such documents from that date still in existence.... A 710-year-old version of Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.... First issued in 1215, it put into writing a set of concessions won by rebellious barons from a recalcitrant King John of England — or Bad King John, as he became known in folklore. He later revoked the charter, but his son, Henry III, issued amended versions, the last one in 1225, and Henry’s son, Edward I, in turn confirmed the 1225 version in 1297 and again in 1300.”
NPR lists all of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners. Poynter lists the prizes awarded in journalism as well as the finalists in these categories.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. — Anonymous
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. — Edward R. Murrow
Publisher & Editor: Marie Burns
I have a Bluesky account now. The URL ishttps://bsky.app/profile/marie-burns.bsky.social . When Reality Chex goes down, check my Bluesky page for whatever info I am able to report on the status of Reality Chex. If you can't access the URL, I found that I could Google Bluesky and ask for Marie Burns. Google will include links to accounts for people whose names are, at least in part, Maria Burns, so you'll have to tell Google you looking only for Marie.
Charles Blow has a pretty good column on Republican policy: "... the modern doctrine of a compassion-free conservatism that’s using the fog of the fiscal crisis to push a program of perverse wealth inequality as sound economic policy: The only way to jump-start the economy is to slash taxes on the wealthy and on companies; the only way to compensate for the deficits that those tax cuts exacerbate is to slash benefits to the poor and vulnerable. It would be comical if it weren’t so callous."
Binyamin Appelbaum & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Almost 25 million Americans could not find full-time work during May, but their plight has not spurred Washington into a collaborative response.... Neither party has suggested that the issue deserves the kind of urgent response that might require ideological compromises. The Federal Reserve, charged with minimizing unemployment, has indicated that it intends to stand back.... The central bank is immobilized by the same political forces as Congress, with conservative members of the Fed board and outside critics demanding that it withdraw the money it has pumped into the economy, and liberals arguing for additional aid."
I meant to post this yesterday, but better late than never:
... In fact, it was Donald Trump who reminded me:
Representative [Eric] Cantor, who I like, said we don't want to give money to the tornado victims. And yet in Afghanistan we're spending $10 billion a month. But we don't want to help the people that got devastated by tornadoes? Wiped out, killed, maimed, injured -- we don't have money for them but we're spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan? -- Donald Trump
Paul Krugman writes a short & sweet comparison of Obamacare & Ryancare. I should make that "Ryan-'care.' There's not much "care" in Ryancare.
Mitt Romney Gets Real. Ross Krasny of Reuters: "Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney broke with Republican orthodoxy on Friday by saying he believes that humans are responsible, at least to some extent, for climate change." Jerk. He probably thinks Lexington & Concord are in Massachusetts, too, & has no idea Paul Revere clanged some bells to warn the British that Americans had the right to bear arms.
"Paul Ryan for President? Forget It." Jonathan Bernstein in the Washington Post: "Nominating Ryan would make the election an argument over the GOP’s least popular policy proposal, instead of a referendum on the economy, which would be the GOP’s best chance of winning."
CW: sorry for all the Palin stories. I don't like to cover Palin because I think she's a sideshow, but when she's dominating the news, I must. A reader called her a moron the other day, and I thought that was a little harsh. Now that I've had to read a bunch of stories about her, I think the reader's comment was an insult to morons everywhere.
** "Hubris & Humility: Dana Milbank: "... Robert Gates, defense secretary to presidents George W. Bush and Obama..., set off on a tour of Asia and Europe, where he is receiving the gratitude of soldiers and the acclaim of allies.... The week’s dueling tours of Gates and Palin show the best and worst in American public life. Both call themselves Republicans, but he comes from the best tradition of service while she is a study in selfishness. He’s self-effacing; she’s self-aggrandizing. He harmonized American foreign policy; she put bull’s-eyes on Democratic congressional districts and then howled about 'blood libel.'” ...
... William Browning, writing a Yahoo! News commentary, makes an interesting point: "Sarah Palin must be running for president.... Her 'One Nation' bus tour ... is funded by Sarah Palin's political action committee. Political action committees are regulated by the Federal Election Commission.... Palin has to use this money to do either one of two things. She has to contribute all of her fundraising efforts to candidates in federal elections or run for a federal position herself."
Right Wing World *
Glenn Kessler, the WashPo fact-checker, fact-checks an interviewSarah Palin gave to Greta van Susteren while on her "One Nation I Know Nothing About" tour. Kessler writes, "Much of the interview consisted of fluffy stuff, but every so often van Susteren diverted into asking about policy issues." Kessler calls her answers "absolute whoppers." This of course has nothing to do with Palin's complete rewrite of Paul Revere's ride. See yesterday's Commentariat for that not-to-be missed history lesson from Right Wing World; using Kessler's standards, Palin could have got at least 16 Pinocchios out of a single paragraph (not to suggest Palin speaks in paragraphs; she doesn't even speak in sentences).
* Where facts never intrude.
News Ledes
AP: "British Apache and French attack helicopters struck targets for the first time in NATO's campaign in Libya, hitting Moammar Gadhafi's troops early Saturday near a key coastal oil city, the alliance said."
New York Times: "Alabama has passed a sweeping bill to crack down on illegal immigrants that both supporters and opponents call the toughest of its kind in the country, going well beyond a law Arizona passed last year that caused a furor there."
"The Mistake of 2010." Paul Krugman: "A look at some recent dismal economic data shows the results of a pivot away from jobs to other concerns," repeating the “'mistake of 1937,' the premature fiscal and monetary pullback that aborted an ongoing economic recovery and prolonged the Great Depression." ...
... I've added a comments page for Krugman on Off Times Square, but you can comment on other stuff, if you like.
The great corporations which we have grown to speak of rather loosely as trusts are the creatures of the State, and the State not only has the right to control them wherever need of such control is shown but it is in duty bound to control them. -- Teddy Roosevelt ...
... Ted Rall in Yahoo News: "No president since Nixon has followed TR's advice. The result of unbridled corporate corruption is disparity of wealth worse than much of the Third World, and 20 percent unemployment."
"When States Punish Women."New York Times Editors: "The Obama administration has rightly decided to reject a mean-spirited and dangerous Indiana law banning the use of Medicaid funds at Planned Parenthood clinics, which provide vital health services to low-income women.... Many ... fresh attacks on reproductive rights, not surprisingly, have come in states where the midterm elections left Republicans in charge of both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s mansion."
New York Times Editors: "... a week ago, Judge James Cacheris of Eastern Virginia’s Federal District Court struck down a century-old ban on direct corporate contributions to political candidates." But after legal blogger Richard Hasen wrote that the DOJ failed to include an important precedent (FEC v. Beaumont) in its brief -- and the judge therefore did not consider it -- Cacheris has asked for new briefs & has scheduled a do-over.
Right Wing World *
Whirly-Gig: Why would anybody want this guy to be President? Just listen to him:
... Beth DeFalco of the AP: "After a firestorm of criticism, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie changed his mind Thursday and decided that he and the Republican Party would reimburse the state for his personal use of a state police helicopter, which includes two trips to watch his oldest son's baseball games.... A spokeswoman for Christie said the governor paid the state a total of $2,151 to cover the cost of two trips in which he flew from Trenton to see his son's baseball games...." ...
... New York Times Editors: It took Christie two days to decide to pay what appears to be a partial reimbursement to the state. "What makes the governor’s helicopter excursions especially galling is that he has spent the last year and a half demanding sacrifices from everybody else in his state."
Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn of the AP fact-check Romney's announcement of his presidential candidacy: "In rhetorical excesses marking his entry in the presidential campaign, Mitt Romney said the economy worsened under President Barack Obama, when it actually improved, and criticized the president for issuing apologies to the world that were never made." CW: the AP doesn't actually have a Pants-on-Fire designation ...
... BUT PolitiFact does. It fact-checks this from Romney's announcement:
We are only inches away from ceasing to be a free-market economy. -- Mitt Romney
... and gave him the old Pants-on-Fire award for that whopper. They're planning to fact-check other remarks from his speech. CW: Republicans have bupkus. They can't win unless they lie. So they do.
Krugman adds, "Romney is not a stupid man; nor is he, as best one can tell, temperamentally an extremist. So he has to know that he’s talking total nonsense.... But Romney is willing to pretend to be an ignorant extremist to have any chance of getting the Republican nomination. So this ends up being a character issue: do you want a man that cynical in the White House?"
CNN's Brooke Baldwin reports on Sarah Palin's "history lesson," OR How to Make Michele Bachmann sound like a History Professor:
Paul Revere Warns the British: He who warned, uh, the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms uh by ringing those bells and making sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free and we were going to be armed. -- Sarah Palin
... As Mediaite's Frances Martelwrites, "... Revere didn’t warn the British were out to take anyone’s arms, as he didn’t yell out 'the British are coming!', as the myth goes. He had to be quiet to not let the British know that he knew (sorry, but no bells either) they were coming – to seize weapons stores, actually – and history notes that his warning was likely something ... like “the Regulars are coming.” CW: ironically, Palin inadvertently was partially right about the Brits' taking Americans' arms. One of my forebears, Benjamin Wellington, is considered to be the first armed American captured in the Revolution. British Regulars stopped him as he was walking to Lexington Common to confront the British troops. Wellington told the Brits he was going hunting. Uh-huh. The encounter took place in the country, & the soldiers had no way to hold Wellington, so they took away his gun and let him go. He continued on to Lexington, got another gun & participated at Lexington Common. ...
... Tim Murphy of Mother Jones is insired to rewrite Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride":
Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. If the story doesn't sound like what you read on Wikipedia, You know who to blame: the elite liberal media.
... Read Murphy's whole post for a recap of Republican presidential candidate's interesting reimagining of early American history.
* Where Republicans are big-spending emperors and Democrats are "jokes" and "hacks."
Local News
Jason Seher of MSNBC: "In a news release, the [Wisconsin] state Democratic Party accused the petition circulators [for recall of Democratic state senators] of perpetrating fraud. More specifically, Wisconsin state Democratic officials have told NBC News that Republican petitioners falsely identified themselves as state officials and lied to residents on the Menominee Indian reservation...."
News Ledes
New York Times: "The House of Representatives voted Friday to rebuke President Obama for continuing to maintain an American role in NATO operations in Libya without the express consent of Congress, and directed the administration to provide detailed information about the cost and objectives of the American role in the conflict." Forty-five Democrats supported the resolution.
President Obama spoke to workers at a Chrysler parts factory in Toledo, Ohio, this afternoon. New York TimesUpdate: "If the 2012 election is about the economy, as most people think, then President Obama’s visit on Friday to this struggling manufacturing city on the Ohio-Michigan border captured as well as any day could the complicated campaign he is likely to face — playing both offense and defense, taking credit and deflecting blame."
New York Times: "The computer phishing attack that Google says originated in China was directed, somewhat indiscriminately, at an unknown number of White House staff officials, setting off the Federal Bureau of Investigation inquiry that began this week...."
Washington Post: "Former vice presidential nominee John Edwardswas indicted Friday on federal campaign finance charges for allegedly using campaign donations to conceal an extramarital affair while he was running for president in 2008." The Raleigh News & Observer story is here. New York Times story here.
Washington Post: "Jack Kevorkian, the zealous, straight-talking American doctor known as 'Dr. Death' for his lifelong crusade to legalize physician-assisted suicide died on Friday at a Detroit area hospital, the Associated Press reported. He was 83 years old." New York Times obituary here.
New York Times: "After several months of strong job growth, hiring slowed sharply in May.... The Labor Department reported on Friday that the United States added 54,000 nonfarm payroll jobs last month, following an increase of 232,000 jobs in April. May’s job gain was about a third of what economists had been forecasting. The unemployment rate ticked up to 9.1 percent from 9.0 percent in April." Bloomberg story here.
Wall Street Journal: "People who work at the White House were among those targeted by the China-based hackers who broke into Google Inc.'s Gmail accounts, according to one U.S. official. The hackers likely were hoping the officials were conducting administration business on their private emails, according to lawmakers and security experts."
New York Times: "Moody’s Investors Service warned Thursday that it might downgrade the United States government’s sterling credit rating if Congress did not increase the nation’s debt limit “in coming weeks,” putting a spur to the sputtering talks between party leaders and the White House on a plan to restore fiscal stability. The warning, from one of the agencies whose assessments of creditworthiness help determine interest rates, amounted to a stern reminder from Wall Street to Washington that global financial markets are watching the budget battle closely and that a standoff or brinkmanship could have economic consequences."
New York Times: "The House will vote Friday on two measures that are strongly critical of President Obama’s decision to maintain an American role in NATO operations in Libya, reflecting increasing disenchantment among elements of both parties about the United States’ involvement in the conflict." Speaker Boehner decided to write a Republican resolution out of fear that the resolution written by Dennis Kucinich would pass with bipartisan support.
New York Times: "Syria’s military forces continued pressing to crush a three-month-old popular uprising on Thursday, shelling a string of southern and central towns even as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned President Bashar al-Assad that his legitimacy had 'nearly run out.'”
Reuters: "Former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic faced the U.N. war crimes tribunal on Friday as a defiant general who never lost a battle, denying the charges against him as 'obnoxious' and 'monstrous.'"
Washington Post: "The bacterium that has killed more than a dozen Europeans, sickened nearly 2,000 more and raised international alarms would be legal if it were found on meat or poultry in the United States."
I've posted an Open Thread for today's Off Times Square, and added my comment to Linda Greenhouse's post, linked below. Update: Marvin Schwalb has added a not-to-be-missed comment on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. ...
... Linda Greenhouse has quite an interesting column about the background of Brown v. Plata, the California prison overcrowding case that the Supremes just decided in favor of the defendants in a 5-4 split, with Justice Anthony Kennedy writing the majority opinion. You can read the opinion & dissents here (pdf). ...
NEW. New York Times Editors: "No matter how they tried to spin it, 318 House members actually voted against paying the country’s bills and keeping the promise made to federal bondholders.... The games that now pass for governing in an increasingly embarrassing 112th Congress are menacing the nation’s future.... What Republicans seem unwilling to acknowledge is that the debt-limit debate is not about future spending. It is about paying for a deficit already incurred because of two wars and tax cuts approved by both Republicans and Democrats at the behest of a Republican president." ...
... Karen Garcia commented on the editorial & received 100 or more reader recommendations. Then, in their wisdom, the Times moderators removed her comment. You can read the "disappeared" comment on Garcia's website Sardonicky. ...
... Update: I've added a comment on today's Off Times Square on the Times' removal of Garcia's comment. I think my OTS comment is sort of funny, but then I've never stopped being somewhat sophomoric. Okay, 8th-graderish.
With all the noise about the Ryan/Republican Tea Party's budget's "ending Medicare as we know it," you wouldn't think this next story would be news. But it is. People concerned about Medicare are a huge voting bloc; those who receive Medicaid, not so much. So -- the story -- Sam Baker of The Hill: "Cuts to Medicaid are no more palatable than cuts to Medicare, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) told reporters Wednesday. Medicaid advocates and some congressional Democrats are worried that Medicaid could become a more ripe target for funding cuts amid the political firestorm over proposed changes to Medicare. But House Republicans’ proposal to convert federal Medicaid funding into block grants for the states 'is not, in my mind, a plan that will find currency in our caucus,' Menendez said." CW: That's good news. ...
Dr. Aaron Carroll, writing in the Washington Post graphically dispels the Republican meme that tort reform will substantially reduce medical costs. He provides some pretty impressive proofs. ...
... Evan McMorris-Santoro of TPM: "Among conservatives, 54% are opposed [to the Ryan/Republican Tea Party Medicare plan]. Among current seniors -- who would not be affected by the changes in the Ryan Medicare plan -- a full 74% are opposed, even after they're told that Ryan's plan affects Americans 55 years of age and younger. Even Republicans break against Ryan's plan, though only slightly. Fifty percent oppose the plan, while 48% support it." ...
... I'm the death-panel-supporting, socialist, may-not-have-been-born-here President. -- Barack Obama, to House Republicans when they complained about Democrats' "Mediscare demagoguery" ...
Here's Poor Pitiful Paul Ryan, whining after the House Republicans' meeting with President Obama. AFP photo.Kate Pickert of Time: "In a closed door meeting between Obama and Republican House members on Wednesday, GOP Whip Eric Cantor 'pressed' the president to "stop the demagoguery," according to Politico. A GOP aide familiar with the discussion said Ryan himself accused Obama of adopting a Medicare strategy solely focused on being re-elected in 2012." Pickert is not impressed with Republicans' Mediscare charges. ...
... Here's the Politico report by Glenn Thrush & Abby Phillip.
Another Sorry-Assed Victim of Bush Fatigue? Matt Bai of the New York Times: "What the country would probably see [in Rick Perry] is another Texas governor with the same Texan talk and Texan swagger, someone who once schemed with Karl Rove and who, as a social conservative, is so reliably dogmatic that he signed a bill that made it explicitly illegal for the state to confiscate your gun in the event of martial law or some kind of federal takeover, or maybe if the British decided to invade again."
Christie Gives New Jersey the Bird. Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, "took a State Police helicopter to see his son play high school baseball on Tuesday. And whether that is important or trivial, it surely did not help the image of a conservative Republican who has won national notice for preaching belt-tightening and berating those who resist.... Throughout Wednesday, Blogrunner, the Web site that tracks online commentary, rated the helicopter story ... as one of the five most influential in the blogosphere." CW: sorry; as long as this story has legs, I'll keep running it. I find it much more interesting than Weiner's wiener, tho Weiner is doing his best to give his story legs by refusing to detail the facts (see Infotainment for the now-foot-long Weiner story). ...
... Here's the original Star-Ledger story, which I have not linked before. Not only did Christie use a helicopter purchased for Homeland Security & patient transfer purposes, he had a car waiting to drive him 100 yards from the bird to the field. Then he left half-way through his son's big game to go meet with Iowans who want him to run for President. ...
... The Blue Texan of Firedoglake: "So Christie, who nixed a rail project that would’ve created 6,000 jobs and declared war on New Jersey’s teachers because he claimed the state was broke — blew through nearly $3 grand of the taxpayers’ money to watch half a high school baseball game." ...
I got a note from blogger Carolyn Jackson today, which reminded me to take a look at her blog. Her most recent post is a Memorial Day reflection, but it is good for any day. Jackson doesn't post often, but everything she writes is worth the wait.
Peter Hamby of CNN has a Palin story that actually has a little substance: Sarah Palinmet with Fox "News" officials for more than an hour yesterday. If Palin is seriously contemplating a run for president, Fox would likely suspend or cancel her contract as it did with Newt Gingrich's & Rick Santorum's contracts.
News Ledes
President Obama met with the House Democratic caucus this afternoon. Politico Update: "House Democrats pressed President Barack Obama on Thursday to keep his word and stand firm on Medicare as negotiations with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling heat up."
Los Angeles Times: "As Mitt Romney formally announced his presidential bid Thursday, two larger-than-life political personalities [Sarah Palin & Rudy Giuliani] crashed into New Hampshire, stealing the nominal frontrunner's thunder and underscoring that the GOP field is far from settled." ...
... L.A. Times: "The White House and President Obama's reelection campaign have long been treating Mitt Romney as the Republican frontrunner in 2012. And as the former Massachusetts governor was kicking off his campaign in New Hampshire, press secretary Jay Carneywas ready with a response to his charge that the president had 'failed America' and prolonged the recession. His answer ... alternately pointed the finger at the Bush administration for driving the nation into recession and defended steps Obama took to reverse it." Story includes text of Carney's full response.
ABC News: "House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is throwing what one Republican calls 'a legal and political hot potato at the President.' In a resolution to be voted on in the House tomorrow, Boehner is giving the president two weeks – until the Pentagon Appropriations bill comes up – to either: a) Ask for authorization for the military intervention in Libya, or b) Figure out how to disengage the US from the NATO operation in Libya.
Politico: "Criminal charges are expected to be filed Friday against two-time Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, the result of an investigation into campaign cash allegedly funneled to the woman he had an out-of-wedlock child with."
Boston Globe: "Tornadoes tore through Western and Central Massachusetts yesterday, killing at least four people, injuring an untold number, and reducing schools, churches, and homes to splinters along its destructive path. Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency throughout Massachusetts and ordered up to 1,000 troops from the National Guard to help with rescue efforts. He said at least 19 communities had reported damage and he asked officials in those towns and cities to close schools and keep nonemergency personnel home today to allow work crews to clear streets."
Al Jazeera: "Fighting has continued in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, between forces loyal to the president and those allied to an opposition tribal group." AND, an earlier report from Al Jazeera: "At least 41 people have been killed overnight in ongoing street fighting between government forces and opposition tribal fighters in Yemen's capital." Both reports include video. Also, Al Jazeera is running a liveblog here.
** AP: "The Health and Human Services Department rejected changes in Indiana's Medicaid plan Wednesday, saying it illegally bans funding for Planned Parenthood, and sought to make clear that a similar fate awaits other states that pass legislation barring any qualified health care provider. State officials signaled they would not accept HHS' decision. In a letter sent to Indiana's Medicaid director, Medicaid Administrator Donald M. Berwick said Indiana's plan will improperly bar beneficiaries from receiving services. Federal law requires Medicaid beneficiaries to be able to obtain services from any qualified provider." CW: another reason to love Dr. Berwick. His is serving under a recess appointment because Republican Senators have blocked his confirmation.
New York Times: "Google said Wednesday that hundreds of users of Gmail, its e-mail service, had been the targets of clandestine attacks apparently originating in China that were aimed at stealing their passwords and monitoring their e-mail. In a blog post, the company said the victims included senior government officials in the United States, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries, military personnel and journalists."
Glenn Kessler, the WashPo fact-checker, fact-checks an interview Sarah Palin gave to Greta van Susteren while on her "One Nation I Know Nothing About" tour. Kessler writes, "Much of the interview consisted of fluffy stuff, but every so often van Susteren diverted into asking about policy issues." Kessler calls her answers "absolute whoppers." This of course has nothing to do with Palin's complete rewrite of Paul Revere's ride. See yesterday's Commentariat for that not-to-be missed history lesson from Right Wing World; using Kessler's standards, Palin could have got at least 16 Pinocchios out of a single paragraph (not to suggest Palin speaks in paragraphs; she doesn't even speak in sentences).
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