Good morning — and happy Friday! Here are some of the stories we’re reading as we head into the final lap before the weekend…
Stat of the day: 29 percent — the share of American adults under age 35 who live with their parents, according to Gallup.
Deal? –> Negotiators have reached a deal to end the crisis in the Ukraine. WaPo’s Will Englund has the details. ALSO: Yuras Karmanau, a veteran reporter for the AP, gives a harrowing first-person account of the carnage surrounding him in Kiev.
Free Internet –> At The National Journal, Laura Ryan reports that Republicans will try to kill new Net neutrality rules.
Should have remained silent –> Public Citizen’s Eyes on Trade blog fact-checks Obama’s trade representative’s claims about the TPP, and the results aren’t pretty.
The green brings in the green –> Kristen Wyatt reports for the AP that Colorado is bringing in “way more” marijuana tax revenue than expected. ALSO: At AlterNet, CJ Werleman argues that marijuana may be an effective wedge issue for Democrats in the next couple of election cycles.
Bring on the dystopia –> Idaho lawmaker introduces bill to nullify all EPA regulations in the Gem State. Katie Valentine reports for ThinkProgress.
Budget –> Obama stripped controversial Social Security cuts out of his budget proposal, and Mary Bottari writes at The Nation that the austerians have lost the deficit debate. ALSO: Salon’s Brian Beutler argues that Republicans blew a great opportunity for “entitlement reform” when they refused to negotiate with the White House.
Another contender down? –> At The Daily Beast, Ben Jacobs samples some eye-opening tidbits from the 28,000 pages of documents released in the investigation of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Gun nuttery –> Del Quentin Wilber at Bloomberg: “Record US Gun Production as Obama ‘Demonized’ on Issue.”
On the eighth day… –> Disgraced former Speaker Tom Delay told a radio host that “Americans have forgotten that God wrote the Constitution.” Via: Right Wing Watch.
Drama –> Current Speaker John Boehner said, “I’d rather kill myself than raise the minimum wage,” according to The Hill’s Molly Hooper and Bob Cusack.
Brrrrrr –> Salon’s Lindsay Abrams reports that the polar vortex is coming back with a vengeance next week — about two-thirds of the country can expect temps up to 35 degrees below normal for this time of year.
Science of selfies –> We’re not sure why anyone would undertake a “rigorous analysis” of selfies taken around the world, but someone did and Ariel Bogle wrote up the results for Slate.
Why Pam Geller is building a spaceship –> Tom Kludt at TPM: “Clerics Issue Fatwa: Muslims Can’t Live On Mars.”
