Good morning! Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Chinese government’s crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. And on this date in 1956, the city of Santa Clara, California, banned rock and roll because of those crazy kids. Fortunately, it turned out to be just a passing fad.
Stat of the day: 42 percent — the share of Americans who believe that God created humanity in its present form, according to Gallup. Another 31 percent believe that humans evolved with God’s guidance.
Leading the way –> Seattle passed a measure that will boost its minimum wage to $15 per hour, the highest in the nation, and then index it to inflation going forward. Maria La Ganga has the details at the LAT.
Reporter faces jail time –> On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge by veteran NYT national security reporter James Risen, who faces possible jail time for refusing to disclose his source for a chapter in his 2006 book on the Bush administration’s “war on terror.” It’s unclear whether the government will push the issue. Adam Liptak reports for The Times.
Who is Bowe Bergdahl? –> In 2012, the late journalist Michael Hastings wrote an in-depth profile of Bowe Bergdahl, the American POW released over the weekend in a prisoner swap with the Taliban. Rolling Stone offers 13 things you need to know about the young man, excerpted from Hastings’ report. ALSO: The Daily Beast’s Mike Tomasky explains why Berghdahl’s negotiated release is becoming a new BENGHAZI! for the American right.
Hall of Famer –> Dan Marino, the legendary former NFL quarterback, is joining several other players in a lawsuit against the league. The LAT’s Nathan Fenno reports that “the complaint alleges the NFL concealed information about football-related brain injuries and misled players.”
When spin goes wrong –> At TPM, Josh Marshall writes that while dishonest talking points aren’t always a liability in politics, getting caught up in one that makes you the subject of mockery can be deeply damaging. And that may be what’s happening to Mitch McConnell with his claim that Kentucky’s Obamacare exchange would be fine if Obamacare is repealed.
Civics lessons –> A new study finds that regular viewers of The Colbert Report, which had a running gag about Colbert’s super PAC, “Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow,” were better informed about campaign finance laws in the Citizens United era than viewers of traditional television news outlets.
Long-term damage –> TNR’s Danny Vinik looks at a new study examining the lasting effects of the Great Recession.
Political climate change –> At Vox, Ezra Klein explains that the EPA’s new power plant regulations, which have ignited a firestorm of resistance, “are less ambitious than what Republicans were proposing in 2008.”
Times change –> Grace Livingstone reports for Le Monde Diplo that “across Latin America, the rightwing parties that dominated in the 1990s are in disarray, struggling to develop a coherent electoral alternative to popular leftwing governments.” Meanwhile, businesses are learning to work with the region’s leftist governments. (Via: Portside.)
Sketchy character –> A guy named Scott Fistler got tired of losing elections running as a Republican, so he changed his name to Cesar Chavez and is now running for Congress as a Democrat in a heavily Latino Arizona district. Evan Wyloge reports for the AZ Capitol Times.
