Stories to Watch: 6/17/11

I'm giving serious thought to taking next week off of blogging. Haven't decided yet, but it's been a while since I've had a vacation from it. Now here's the news...


Jimmy Carter calls for an end on the War on Drugs. Not the worst idea ever, considering that filling our prisons with nonviolent offenders is both mindbogglingly expensive and obviously not effective.


Bill O'Reilly scores one for conservative consistency; calls for David Vitter to resign in the aftermath of the Weiner resignation. Of course, it's never going to happen in a million years, but it's a nice gesture.


Polling shows a majority agree with the statement, "Government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people."


US considers war crimes charges for Syria.


An Alabama Republican state senator and a horrible, horrible racist? Wow. I'm paralyzed with shock.


Russ Feingold's right; this does not seem like a step in the direction of overriding the Citizen's United ruling.


Finally, Andy Brietbart makes an ass of himself again. It's what being a media troll is all about.

Related articles

• Russ Feingold Lets Scott Walker Have It With Both Barrels (crooksandliars.com)
• Whither Vitter? (americablog.com)
• Russ Feingold: 'The Democratic Party Is In Danger Of Losing Its Identity' (huffingtonpost.com)
• Netroots Nation: Marcy Wheeler Introduces Guest of Honor Russell Feingold (emptywheel.firedoglake.com)

Stories to Watch: 1/31/11

Snow. Apparently for days. Snow, then snow, followed by snow. Send dogs. Now here's the news...


In an act of judicial activism, a federal judge in Florida has ruled that the entire healthcare reform law is unconstitutional. Steve Benen notes that the decision doesn't seem to make any constitutional sense, that both judges who've ruled against the law were Republican appointees, and that the foes of the law haven't actually been very successful, with 2 courts ruling for the law, 2 against, and about 12 courts refusing to hear the cases at all.


Brian Beutler calls the judges decision "extreme activism."


It seems to me that telling everyone in the world that Hosni Mubarak is above reproach isn't really the smartest thing Israel has ever done.


The right is wetting their pants over the Muslim Brotherhood. Too bad they ain't squat.


Jimmy Carter says that Mubarak will have to leave office. The White House is already preparing for a post-Mubarak world.


Finally, Republicans believe that China is way more important than Americans.