Happy Friday morning! Your weekend is fast approaching. Here are some of the stories we’re reading as the media start to slow for the holidays…
Love wins –> New Mexico becomes the 17th state to allow gay people to marry. Chris Geidner has the details at Buzzfeed.
Unraveling –> Greg Miller and Ellen Nakashima report for the WaPo that the government’s various defenses of NSA surveillance are falling apart under heightened public scrutiny.
You better know your place –> Study of major population centers finds that the Southern “Bible Belt” offers the least opportunity for upward mobility in the country. Eric Zuesse reports for AlterNet.
Job creator –> a $10.10 per hour minimum wage would not only lift millions of workers out of poverty, it would also boost the economy and create new jobs, according to an EPI study written up by HuffPo’s Jillian Berman.
Support the troops? –> LAT’s Alexandra Zavis reports that wounded warriors returning from far-flung battlefields still face huge amounts of red tape in the VA system.
Getting up to speed –> Tony Pugh and Lesley Clark report for McClatchy that about a half million Americans are losing their coverage as a result of cancellations from the ACA, not the millions that some critics have claimed. ALSO: Ezra Klein reports that the administration is suspending the individual mandate for that group. AND: At The Daily Beast, David Freedlander writes that Democrats will go on the offensive against the idea of repealing the law and returning to the status quo ante.
Wind –> Warren Buffett makes the biggest order for on-shore wind turbines ever, saying that wind power is now highly competitive with dirtier energy sources. Giles Parkinson reports for Reneweconomy.
What makes an atheist? –>MoJo’s Chris Mooney interviews Ara Norenzayan, a pioneering researcher in the psychology of religion.
What happens in Moscow doesn’t stay in Moscow –> US nuclear forces general sacked after an official visit to the Russian capital turns into an epic four-day drinking binge. Elliot Hannon has the story for Slate.
What else is happening out there?
