Stories to Watch: 3/16/11

In yet another sign that the Japanese government is soft-peddling the severity of their nuclear incident, the New York Times reports that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's head "gave a significantly bleaker appraisal of the threat posed by Japan's nuclear crisis than the Japanese government" in congressional testimony. All evidence leads nuclear experts to conclude that "all the water in the spent fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station had boiled dry, leaving fuel rods stored there exposed and bleeding radiation." This is as bad a bit of news as it sounds.


Wikileaked documents show that the IAEA warned Japan that the plants wouldn't stand up to a strong earthquake.


Bad news for the GOP: polling shows that voters aren't extremely thrilled with President Obama, but we still believe he beats all the alternatives. In head-to-head matchups with any prospective GOP candidate, Obama comes out ahead.


When China backs off approving new nuke plants, you really ought to do some slowing down of your own.


The DEA seizes Georgia's supply of the drug they use to perform lethal injections. Turns out that the state was so desperate to knock off inmates that they may have smuggled the drug into the country.


I screwed up an item yesterday. I said that Wisconsin Republican state Senator Dan Kapanke was shacking up with a mistress here in Madison, but it's actually Sen. Randy Hopper. It's a shame, because "Hanky-Kapanke" is such an awesome nickname, it's a pity to see it go to waste.


Finally, Steve King -- the most consistently buffoonish Republican this side of Louis Gohmert -- still thinks it's a good idea to cut funding for tsunami preparedness. Of course, he's from Iowa, so what the hell does he care? Don't see him coming out against tornado tracking, do you?