Morning Reads: We've Militarized the Police -- Are Our Schools Next?

Good morning! On this date in 1987, the international community finalized the Montreal Protocol, which phased out the use of a number of ozone-depleting substances. Last week, The Washington Post reported that “stratospheric ozone depletion, an environmental crisis in the 1980s, can now be considered an environmental triumph thanks to global cooperation in combating it.” Scientists expect the “ozone hole” to close completely by the year 2050.

Stat of the day: 71 percent — the share of likely Iowa voters who say they’re “less likely to support a candidate if he or she was being bankrolled by the Koch brothers.”

Politics –> As diplomats gather in Paris to come up with a plan to combat the Islamic State, Iranian officials rejected the possibility of joining the coalition, saying that they had already refused US overtures to participate. But it’s been widely reported that Iran is already battling ISIS in both Iraq and Syria, directly and through its proxies (AP). AND: Josh Rogin reports for The Daily Beast that the Syrian opposition is denying a report by Agence France Presse (which we linked to yesterday) that the Free Syrian Army had forged a non-aggression pact with the Islamic State. ALSO: The AP has an interesting story about parents in ISIS-occupied Mosul refusing to send their children to city schools now being run by the militant group.

Human habitat comes cheap –> A new report finds that addressing global warming won’t cost much, and when you factor in the “the secondary benefits of greener policies — like lower fuel costs, fewer premature deaths from air pollution and reduced medical bills” — it may actually save money. Justin Gillis has more details at the NYT.

Taxation without representation –> At a Senate hearing on Monday, lawmakers and the mayor of Washington, DC, called for making the nation’s capitol the 51st state — “New Columbia.” Lauren Gambino reports for The Guardian that it was “the first time Congress has dealt with the issue in more than two decades.”

Militarized assistant principals next? –> Dylan Scott reports for TPM that “more than 20 school districts in the United States have been equipped with military-grade equipment through the federal program that provides such gear to local and state authorities free of charge.” Los Angeles Unified School District has grenade launchers!

Climate and food –> At ThinkProgress, Emily Atkin looks at eight big food companies that are disclosing to their investors that global warming “poses a threat to their products and bottom lines.” AND: In happier news, Atkin’s colleague, Ari Phillips, reports that Burlington, Vermont — the largest city in the Green Mountain State — now gets all of its energy from wind, hydroelectric and biomass.

Senate secrets –> For the first time ever, “a secret book of rules that governs everything from how many sheets of paper and potted plants each Senate office is allotted to when Senators can use taxpayer money to charter planes or boats” is being made public by USA Today.

Moocher –> At Gawker, J.K. Trotter reports that Fox News honcho Roger Ailes, who can afford his own security, is being provided with costly 24-hour protection from local police at his home in Cresskill, NJ. The department must be stretched thin – there are only 15 patrol officers.

Findings “appear to contradict investigators’ account” –> Police in Sarasota Springs, Utah, say police officers shot and killed a young black man, saying he “lunged” at them with a sword. Witnesses said the man was running away, and Matt Pearce reports for the LAT that an independent autopsy sought by the victim’s family found that the man “had been shot ‘numerous times,’ none from the front.” An attorney for the family said, “It would appear difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile these facts with the story released by the Utah County Attorney’s Office.”

Strategies –> Jonathan Martin reports for the NYT that “after a generation of campaigns in which Republicans exploited wedge issues to win close elections, Democrats are now on the offensive in the culture wars.”

Memo: the Cold War is over –> At Bloomberg View, Barry Ritholtz writes that “US policies toward Cuba are anachronistic and perplexing,” and calls for ending the 50-year-old embargo.

Just the facts –> TNR’s Danny Vinik writes that Americans want their state and local taxes to be as progressive as the federal tax system is. They aren’t — they’re highly regressive — and most people just aren’t aware of that fact.

WWGKWD? –> Here’s Groundskeeper Willie from The Simpsons weighing in on the prospect of Scottish independence…