Today's edition of quick hits:
* As you may have heard, a jury today found John Edwards not guilty on one count, and was deadlocked on the remaining five charges.
* There was a congenial gathering at the White House today, where President Obama welcomed former President George W. Bush and his family for the unveiling of Bush's official portrait.
* A heartbreaking story of a Syrian boy who played dead to survive: "When the gunmen began to slaughter his family, 11-year-old Ali el-Sayed says he fell to the floor of his home, soaking his clothes with his brother's blood to fool the killers into thinking he was already dead."
* While the Greek government is "missing key deadlines for making economic reforms that were promised in return for its international bailout," the president of the European Central Bank said the structure of the euro currency union has become "unsustainable."
* The U.S. economy grew at a slower pace than previously estimated, but the news wasn't all bad.
* Even Wal-Mart has suspended its membership in the American Legislative Council (ALEC).
* Komen for the Cure's public-relations nightmare isn't even close to being finished.
* Politico is a frequent source of disappointment. Take today, for example.
* The Fox News producer who created the anti-Obama attack ad that aired yesterday was supposed to jump to CNN. As of today, CNN is no longer interested in his services.
* And as a native of Miami, Florida, I heartily endorse this headline and story: "'Miami Zombie' is just another story that could only happen in Miami."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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BREAKING: Federal Judge Blocks Florida Voter Suppression Law
By Scott Keyes
A federal judge blocked much of Florida’s year-old voter suppression law today as an unconstitutional infringement on speech and voting rights.
Last year, the Republican-held Florida legislature passed HB 1355, which imposed harsh new restrictions on third-party voter registration groups, requiring them to turn in completed registration forms 48 hours — to the minute — after completion, or face fines. Outside groups often register hundreds of people at a time and, before this law, had used a quality-control process that took days to ensure the accuracy of submitted forms. With the onerous restrictions now in place, some groups like the League of Women Voters were ultimately forced to cease registration drives in the Sunshine State.
In blocking the new law, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle wrote:
Though state judges and the Department of Justice have already taken steps to prevent voter disenfranchisement, Hinkle’s decision is the first time a federal court has blocked one of the most recent round of state voter suppression laws.
Voters have already begun to experience the effects of new anti-voting laws. Minority voter registration is down significantly from the 2008 election. Among Latinos nationwide, voter registration has dropped five percent; for blacks, registration rates are down seven percent.
New York University’s Brennan Center, which studies voting rights issues, hailed the decision. “Florida’s law and others approved in the past year represent the most significant cutback in voting rights in decades,” said director Wendy Weiser. “Today’s decision will help turn the tide.”
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/05/31/493367/breaking-justice-department-demands-florida-stop-voter-purge/ Looks like Florida is getting cockblocked all over.
"When the gunmen began to slaughter his family, 11-year-old Ali el-Sayed says he fell to the floor of his home, soaking his clothes with his brother's blood to fool the killers into thinking he was already dead."
When will this senseless killing end??
When the oil is all gone.
Syrians aren't killing each other over oil; they're killing each other because Assad is a murdering tyrant.
Is there a term for the frustration one feels when one's favorite news story of the day gets pushed out of the way by some breaking development? I mean, something more specific than, say, "poor sportsmanship"?
That's how I feel about the Edwards story's probabilty of overshadowing the Dolan story.
grumble, grumble, ratzenfratzen ....
(I supported Edwards in early 2008, because he talked like he would confront Wall Street. As you might guess, my estimate of him has gone downward ever since.)
I don't know why CNN rescinded the job offer, they're just as useful as Fox and freaks for news and entertainment, he would fit right in!
Oh man, hearing Bush talk was hard. We don't know how good we have it now.
This post is so interesting to me. I've made the analogy before about a referee's call at a basketball game that causes one side to yell "bad call" while the other side (seeing the same thing) says "its about time." In a moment, the reverse happens. Who is right?
It is amazing how two large groups of people can see the same thing and have different reactions and interpretations.
It seems the left looks at the Bushes and see two inept men who got to be President through little effort of their own and who only identify with the rich and big business.
The right see the same two gentlemen and see two capable caring men who feel honored having the privilege to serve a great nation.
The left see President Obama and Clinton and see two men who understand the poor and disenfranchised. Two men who want to do the right thing and help everyone.
The right see the same two men and see two individuals who are opportunist and who want to make the government bigger. One has a marriage of convenience (although by both accounts has done a great job raising their daughter) and the other who is stiff and calculating, not warm and endearing.
Both sides believe their assessments are correct. Interesting, huh?
How dare Politico violate progressive theology - Never speak badly of another progressive
It is time for a new program, CSI Romney, Imagine if the evidence about all of his lies was a prime time program. Amen to the judge in the Fla. voter law injunction. It is about time the constitution is defended.
Re the WI recall segment with E.J. Dionne: While the issue eludes the attention of the media, it will be interesting to see how a certain factor plays out. The poor in WI (at least, out here in rural WI) were largely planning to vote for Tom Barrett. Then, within a matter of hours, he had an ad stating that he will stand specifically with the middle class (at least, those who are still in the middle class, in a state that saw its farms and factory jobs disappear under a few decades of Republican rule), and THEN embraced Bill ("Kill the New Deal and Give Us NAFTA") Clinton. Not much to say about that.
Anyone know what type of medication Laura Bush is on?
I've been around a lot of f'ed up people in my time but I've never seen anyone as zonked out as she.
The trial of John Edwards is over. Great. So when does the trial of Rielle Hunter (formerly known as Lisa Jo Druck) start? She should be interrogated. She should be questioned under oath. Her actions need to be evaluated and her motivations revealed. Her "expensive tastes" need to be explained. Her phone records need to be combed through. Her associates need to be found and put under a spotlight.
Look, I'll lay it out for you: After all the sexual smear attacks that have damaged or ended the political careers of so many politicians, including John Edwards, Herman Cain, Anthony Weiner, Eliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton, etc, I'm SICK of this @!$%# and I demand answers as to whose agenda is being served.
I say waterboard Rielle Hunter in a Turkish prison. Let's find out who and what she knows.
The simple answer is: men's obsession with sex and "scratching the itch" has always and will always sabotage them. If they don't take care to control themselves and prevent the "lower head" from talking them into dubious behavior and out of the fact that they should know they're doing something stupid, they will end up in similar places, be they the mighty of the world or the salt of the earth. Stupidity knows no race, politics, or tax bracket; it is universal.
We must do everything we can to prevent this election from being hijacked. Please look at this petition.
https://www.change.org/petitions/u-n-supervise-the-2012-presidential-election#
I read the story of the Syrian boy this morning and just couldn't function for a while after. Truly devastating. The boy is now an orphan and an only child. It's things like this that make me feel so hopeless in this world. Like there is nothing I can do to help or make this better... I just.. don't think there's anything..
I don't want to live on this planet any more.
If Komen wants to rehabilitate its reputation, it might consider stepping in places like Texas where women's services have been severely curtailed for political reasons.