Good morning! Today is No Socks Day, which leads us to wonder which industry’s PR people came up with this one. Was it the powerful foot powder lobby? Big Air Freshener? Anyway, here are some reads…
Free Internet –> Sen. Al Franken is spearheading “a major campaign to save Net neutrality,” reports Brad Reed for BGR. Meanwhile, Brendan Sasso reports for National Journal that the Democratic commissioners on the FCC may block lobbyist-cum-Commissioner Tom Wheeler’s proposal to create a “fast-lane” for companies willing to pay for it after the proposal “unleashed a torrent of public response.”
Those darn facts –> Elise Viebeck reports for The Hill that House Republicans were “visibly exasperated” during a hearing on the Affordable Care Act when “insurers failed to confirm certain claims about ObamaCare.”
The elephant in the room –> In a rare exchange, Sen. Bernie Sanders asked Fed Chair Janet Yellen whether she thought the US had become an oligarchy. John Nichols highlights their discussion at The Nation.
Economists tackle the drug war –> Samuel Oakford reports for IPS News that researchers at the London School of Economics have concluded that the “militarized and enforcement-led global ‘war on drugs’” is a “massive failure, a financial drain on economies and a violation of the basic human rights of citizens.”
He’s being repressed! –> An Ohio public school teacher — a science teacher — who “preached his Christian beliefs to students” was fired for refusing to remove “a Bible, Christian books, and a poster of a president praying” from his classroom. A federal court ruled the school district was within its rights to dismiss him, but he’s now petitioning the Supreme Court to hear his case. Via: Christian Broadcasting Network.
Related –> Esquire’s Charlie Pierce says Clarence Thomas’ opinion in the Supreme Court decision allowing Christian prayers at town hall meetings is “such a radical re-interpretation of the existing law that not even Antonin Scalia was willing to go as far.”
When you’re right, you’re right –> And Jeff Bryant writes for Salon that Louie CK’s criticisms of the Common Core curriculum hit the mark — and, no, that doesn’t make him a tea partier.
Two Americas –> At the NYT’s Upshot, David Leonhardt reports that the American public’s high level of climate change denial makes it an outlier, but adds that the difference is entirely attributable to Republicans’ views — both Democrats and independents accept the science at a rate similar to that of citizens in other countries.
Give us a P! Give us an A! Give us a Y! –> Travis Waldron reports for ThinkProgress that the New York Jets became the fourth NFL team facing a lawsuit from its cheerleaders alleging wage theft.
Judicial activism –> On Tuesday, a conservative judge not only blocked the “John Doe” probe into Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s recall campaign, but also ordered prosecutors to destroy all the evidence they’d gathered. But Patrick Marley, Jason Stein and Daniel Bice report for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that an appeals court stayed the decision yesterday, ruling that the judge had “overstepped his authority.”
Give mom a raise –> A new study by EPI’s Elise Gould and David Cooper finds that raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would boost the incomes of “over one-fifth of all working moms” — 4.7 million people.
Harry’s still a boxer? –> Harry Reid charged the Koch brothers with being one of the “main causes” of climate change, according to Politico’s Burgess Everett.
That’s awkward –> Josh Israel at ThinkProgress: “Women’s History Museum Celebrates Michele Bachmann, She Slams It As A Shrine To ‘Radical Feminists.’”
What we’re watching –> At FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver notes that talk of inequality has skyrocketed on both Fox News and MSNBC, but CNN is too busy with the missing Malaysian airliner to notice. ALSO: Everyone is laughing at CNN’s “ridiculous poll” in which they asked whether respondents believe the plane may have been abducted by extraterrestrial beings. Disturbingly, almost one in ten thought that scenario was either somewhat or very likely. Tom Kludt has the details at TPM.
