News Nuggets 380

Yes -- Pet Photo Friday has arrived!! Here are two more fun images from Americablog.

Obama More Popular Abroad Than at Home, Global Image of the US Continues to Benefit from the Pew Global Attitudes Project

"In most countries, especially in wealthier nations, President Barack Obama gets an enthusiastic thumbs up for the way he has handled the world economic crisis. The notable exception is the United States itself."

EU Approves New Sanctions on Iran from the Associated Press via Salon

"Latest restrictions go beyond U.N. measures, target nuclear technologies. ... The restrictions, which come on top of sanctions already imposed by the U.N. Security Council, were approved during a summit focused primarily on economic issues, spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said."

US Targets Iranian Banks from Politico

"The Obama administration announced Wednesday the addition of almost two dozen more Iranian entities and individuals to the U.S. sanctions list, taking advantage of a new U.N. resolution in a bid to persuade Congress to give the White House more flexibility in the final version of Iran sanctions legislation."

BP Will Pay for Its Costly Disaster (Thomas Noyes) from the Guardian [of the UK]

"Following Obama's meeting with BP bosses we should expect to see the firm leak billions long after the flow of oil is staunched."

In the same vein:

BP's US Future Teeters After CEO, Lawmakers Clash from the Bloomberg News Service

"BP Plc Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward’s failure to set safety standards to prevent the Gulf of Mexico oil spill may cost the company control over U.S. oil fields, refineries and pipelines that account for more than one- third of its sales, lawmakers and analysts said."

If this analysis is for-real, this could be quite a big deal! My take: what happened yesterday was a lot of empty bluster and posing for the cameras. There is something to be said for Joe Barton's candor -- BP owns him and he's appropriately apologizing for the inconvenience they're putting BP through. I'm usually not such an anti-Wall Street reductionist -- but the degree of undisguised raw power BP has been demonstrating so far in this crisis leads me to dismiss any notion that they will pay the kind of price suggested in this article. But then, Bloomberg is supposed to have good sources on Wall Street. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Divert the Mississippi to Fight Oil Spill, Experts Say from National Geographic Daily News

"Artificially boosted, strong river currents would keep oil out of Louisiana marshes."

It's my understanding that this approach is very much being considered.

Gulf Oil Spill Puts Industry-Friendly Republicans in Tight Spot (Karen Tumulty) from the Washington Post

"Although Barton later retracted his suggestion that BP was the victim of a White House "shakedown" -- after House GOP leaders threatened to take away his position as ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee -- the episode showed the uncomfortable spot in which some Republicans find themselves. This is not the moment to be seen as coddling Big Oil."

Good to see Karen Tumulty back on the nuggets page again since leaving Time Magazine.

Why Are Pundits More Disappointed Than Environmentalists by Obama's Oil Speech? (Ben Adler) from Newsweek

"As a cap on carbon emissions dies a slow death in the Senate, environmentalists—not known for their optimism—are surprisingly sanguine."

GM to Keep US Plants Open During Summer, Cites Demand from CNBC

"Most General Motors' U.S. plants will forego traditional summer shutdowns to help meet buyer demand for popular models, the automaker said Thursday. GM says nine of its 11 assembly plants will continue to operate during the traditional shutdown period from June 28 to July 9. Most of GM's U.S. stamping and powertrain plants will also work to support assembly operations."

This is excellent news!!

The Power of Education is the Real Gold in Afghanistan (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post

"The [mineral] deposits are real enough, but the question remains: Can a country without mining infrastructure and populated by people who've never known prosperity ... put its resources to constructive use? Although the potential is "stunning," according to Gen. David Petraeus, the sidebars and footnotes to this heartening story are full of caveats and "yes, buts.""

On the Way to the U.S., Illegal Migrants Face Treacherous Journey Through Mexico from the Washington Post

"As the Mexican government condemns a new immigration law in Arizona as cruel and xenophobic, illegal migrants passing through Mexico are routinely robbed, raped and kidnapped by organized criminal gangs that often work alongside corrupt police, according to human rights advocates. Mexico's strict laws to protect the rights of illegal migrants are often ignored and undocumented migrants from Central America face a brutal passage through Mexico, say immigration experts and Catholic priests who shelter the travelers."

The Run of Democratic House Retirements That Wasn't -- and What It Means (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post

"While Democrats' open seat problems are not insignificant but compared with the "rats fleeing the sinking ship" sentiment that pervaded that Democratic House caucus just a few months ago, the party is on stronger footing than many people thought they would be this far along in the cycle. ... What does the open seat situation mean for the battle for the House majority this November?"

Tea Party Readies for Harsh Scrutiny from Politico

"Now the institutions in charge of history’s second draft — big-time publishing houses, documentary filmmakers and academia — are promising to make sense of it all in a series of books, conferences and documentaries in the months just before and after the critical 2010 midterm elections. "

Many sound quite intriguing -- and funny!

Pollster Scott Rasmussen's Numbers are Firing Up Republicans and Democrats (Jason Horowitz) from the Washington Post

"Here is a fun fact for those in the political polling orthodoxy who liken Scott Rasmussen to a conjurer of Republican-friendly numbers: He works above a paranormal bookstore crowded with Ouija boards and psychics on the Jersey Shore."

A subtle "fix" seems to be in with the polls Rasmussen produces. Polling already skews our politics enough -- we don't need jokers like these folks.

SC-Gov: S.C. GOP Breaks ranks on Haley from Politico

"While national Republicans are busy advancing state Rep. Nikki Haley’s bid for governor of South Carolina, much of the state GOP establishment is working furiously to torpedo her chances in the June 22 runoff. "

Do I hear the faint echo of more skeletons in Ms. Haley's closet? The state GOP folks should know by now. Two key questions: What else is out there? Haley seems to have emerged from the multiple affairs controversy surprisingly unscathed -- I suspect the state folks know something the rest of us don't. And second, what will these same state folks do if/when she wins that primary? Full steam ahead ... off a cliff? Boy, between this and Alvin Green in NC, you have to be wondering what they're doing in those old confederate states! Put your money down now: There are two really implausible made-for-TV movies coming out of these scandals!

CO-Sen: Is Colorado's Ken Buck the Next Sharron Angle? (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post

"Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck's (R) recent wave of momentum has positioned him as the next grassroots outsider who could potentially win in a Republican primary -- following in the footsteps of Nevada Senate nominee Sharron Angle (R) and Kentucky Senate nominee Rand Paul (R)."

OBSCURE WWII HISTORY/MOVIE NUGGET!!

Revealed: Unseen Cartoons from POW Camp Immortalized in The Great Escape from the Daily Mail

"These previously unseen cartoons form an amazing day-to-day diary of life in the Prisoner of War camp immortalised in the Hollywood classic The Great Escape. They were drawn in 1944 by an American air force serviceman being held in Germany's 'escape proof' Stalag Luft III."