Good morning — and a happy 76th to Madeline Albright. Here are some of the stories we’re reading this a.m….
Climate change deemed growing national security threat –> Coral Davenport reports for The New York Timesthat a study out this week conducted by “a leading government-funded military research organization” concluded that “the accelerating rate of climate change poses a severe risk to national security and acts as a catalyst for global political conflict.” ALSO: At Mother Jones, James West argues that Fox and CNN “blew it on the Antarctic climate disaster.”
They’re already slowing down your Internet –> So says David Auerbach at Slate, who adds that a non-neutral Internet will look very much like the deregulation of California utilities which led to the Enron fiasco. ALSO: Sen. Bernie Sanders sent the FCC nearly 19,000 comments protesting its “fast lane” proposal. The FCC is voting on a “notice for proposed rulemaking” today that advocates worry could jeopardize Net neutrality.
The fight for fair pay –> Fast food workers across the country and around the world walked off the job today in a call for higher wages and the right to form a union. In America, where some restaurants were forced to close, workers are looking for $15 an hour. Bruce Horovitz, Yamiche Alcindor, Calum MacLeod and Kim Hjelmgaard report for USA Today.
What almost never was –> In an excerpt from his new book, No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the US Security State, Glenn Greenwald explains that he at first ignored Edward Snowden’s attempts to get in touch, describing “how close I came to blowing off one of the largest and most consequential national security leaks in US history.”
Getting nervous –> Eli Lake writes at The Daily Beast that some GOP strategists are worried that John Boehner’s BENGHAZI!! committee may backfire if Republicans “let this investigation get into conspiracy theories.”
Drones –> The US has deployed unarmed drones over Nigeria to hunt for those kidnapped girls, reports Dan Kedmey for TIME.
Deficit scam –> The New Republic’s Alec MacGillis looks at the “hypocritical, bipartisan fearmongering” of Pete Peterson’s annual “Fiscal Summit” in Washington, DC.
Above the law –> Ben Sasse, who is all but guaranteed to win a senate seat representing Nebraska this fall, appears to believe that “religious liberty” should trump all laws. Ian Millhiser and Josh Israel report for ThinkProgress.
Turmoil at The New York Times –> The New York Times says it fired Executive Editor Jill Abramson for being “polarizing and mercurial,” but Ken Auletta reports for The New Yorker that tensions arose when Abramson discovered she was being paid less than her male predecessor, as well as a male editor below her on the totem pole.
“This man made millions suffer” –> At Salon, David Dayan says “Tim Geithner’s record on housing will forever live in infamy.”
Does “sentiment” translate into votes? –> Gallup: “Ahead of Midterms, Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Strong in US.” Wall Street Journal: “In 2014 Primaries So Far, Good News for Incumbents.”
Blame game –> Obama nominated Michael Boggs to become a federal judge despite a history of “maintaining Confederate symbols on the state flag, placing restrictions on abortion providers, and enacting a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.” Harry Reid announced that he wouldn’t vote to confirm Boggs, and the whole thing has become a mess. But Washington Monthly’s Ed Kilgore explains why Sen. Pat Leahy bears a good deal of responsibility for the nomination.
Huh? –> Burgess Everett at Politico: “Marco Rubio cites abortion to defend climate comments.”
The airlines’ war on the 99 percent –> At The American Prospect, Harold Meyerson points out that airlines are increasingly sacrificing the comfort of passengers flying coach in order to compete for first class fares.
Gone fishin’ –> An Ohio teen caught a three-foot carp. The twist is that this occurred in the street in front of his home during a flash flood. ABC News reports that he then moved the fish to a nearby pond.
