Good morning! (Sorry it’s Monday.) Here are some of the stories we’re reading as we get up to speed for the new week…
The Big Story –> John Zarocostas, Jonathan Landay and Anita Kumar run down the details of the nuclear deal Western powers struck with Iran over the weekend for McClatchy. The Nation’s Bob Dreyfuss calls it “historic”; says it’s a first step toward peace. BUT: Michael Gordon reports for the NYT that the negotiations face a number of challenges. AND: A big one may be congressional hawks on both sides of the aisle, reports Bernie Becker for The Hill.
Tale of two states –> In WaPo, Stephanie McCrummen reports that the uninsured are lining up to get covered in Kentucky, which successfully rolled out its own exchanges. Meanwhile, Toluse Olorunnipa reports for Bloomberg that hospitals are being shut down in states that refused the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, forcing some rural patients to travel long distances for care.
The status quo –> The Atlantic’s Matthew O’Brien with one chart that shows how inefficient US health care really is.
Another tale of two states –> U of M political scientist Lawrence Jacobs writes in the NYT about how our ideological divide is playing out in the real world in Wisconsin and Minnesota — two neighboring states that have developed very different priorities.
So much for “dependency” –> Study shows that generous unemployment public benefits don’t make people less eager to find a job. Via: Smithsonian Mag.
Hey, Canada could invade Podunk –> Those big, hulking MRAP armored vehicles that are so popular in Iraq and Iran will be making an appearance at a local sheriff’s office near you, reports Michael Vertanen for the AP. Many will end up in sparsely populated rural communities.
New gold rush –> TNR’s Noreen Malone writes that gobs of tech money are driving working people out of San Francisco, and causing a lot of resentment along the way.
“There are people out there who will not comply and submit to authority” –> At the Des Moines Register, Jason Clayworth looks at the widespread use of Tasers after two fatalities in the state over the past four months.
Winners and losers –> The environment may prove to be the big winner from last week’s filibuster reform, reports Laura Barron-Lopez for The Hill. Her colleague, Elise Viebeck, says HHS chief Kathleen Sebelius may be the biggest loser.
Unions make us competitive –> So says VW, which is taking heat for working with the UAW in Tennessee, a right-to-work-for-less state, according to an editorial in The Memphis Flyer.
Former rep goes into medical pot biz –> Bill Delahunt, a former Democratic rep from MA, is seeking to open three medical marijuana dispensaries, according to John Chesto in the Boston Business Journal.
Louis C.K. joke validated –> Children have a natural “bias towards equality,” reflecting one of the comedian’s famous jokes about kids and toys, writes Paul Bloom in Salon.
What else is going on? Tell us in the comments!
