News Nuggets 936

DAYLEE PICTURE: The Tecopa region of the Mojave desert.  From National Geographic.

George Zimmerman to be Charged in Trayvon Martin Shooting, Official Says from the Washington Post
"Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey plans to announce as early as Wednesday afternoon that she is charging neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, according to a law enforcement official close to the investigation."

Severe Charge, With a Minimum Term of 25 Years from the New York Times 
"By choosing to charge George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, Angela B. Corey, the special prosecutor appointed to the case in Florida, selected the toughest possible charge involving a killing short of first-degree murder, which requires a finding of premeditation and carries the death penalty as a possible punishment."
Based on this, I suspect Corey has some as-yet-undisclosed evidence, something probably relating to Zimmerman's past, maybe things he's said when he's out "on patrol."

Phone-Hacking Scandal Comes to the U.S. (Mike Giglio) from the Daily Beast 
"In an exclusive interview, a London lawyer reveals his plans to take on Murdoch on behalf of clients who believe their phones were hacked in America."

Florida: Pro-Palestinian Group 'Evicts' Jewish Students from YNet News [of Israel in English]
"Some 200 Jewish students attending Atlantic University receive fake eviction notice sent by pro-Palestinian activists. ... Rayna Exelbierd, a 20-year-old sophomore from Memphis, Tennessee, said "We're taking it very seriously. We're considering it a hate crime. The flier promotes hate; it doesn't promote peace. People were scared by it. People felt threatened by it.""
What a dumb move on the part of the Palestinian students.  Anti-harassment regs on campuses these days are VERY STRICT and this looks pretty blatant to me.  

Man Held in Threats on Pitt Professors from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"In the first email, Mr. Krangle said he planned to come to Pittsburgh "for as long as it takes to get his story covered by the local and national press," according to the criminal complaint. In the second email, he told the recipients, "If you guys do not show me supportiveness in every possible way that your meager little academic fantasy world lives can muster, your graves will be defiled by enraged citizens in the future after your die (I hope natural deaths)," according to the complaint."
No evidence that this guy is the bomb-threats person -- the bomb threats have continued today.

If Obamacare Is Struck Down, These Americans Are in Trouble (Adam Serwer) from Mother Jones Magazine
"Millions could be hurt if the Supreme Court scraps health care reform. Here are their stories."

Joe Muto Caught: 'Fox News Mole' Suspended By Network from the Huffington Post
"Less than 48 hours after setting the blogosphere on fire, the "Fox Mole," who began publishing scathing items about Fox News Channel on the website Gawker on Tuesday, has apparently been caught and suspended."
The "mole's" chats can be found HERE.

Obama Leads Mitt Romney by Landslide Numbers from Daily Kos
"Using TPM's aggregation of the latest poll numbers, here is the current state of the electoral battleground. I'm even keeping in Rasmussen polls to give the GOP an unwarranted bump in their numbers."

When Is a Flip Not a Flop? (Bill Keller) from the New York Times
The four Republicans who broke with their party on New York’s gay-marriage law were supposedly marked for electoral death. But that’s not how it is working out."

Mitt Romney 2012 = John Kerry 2004? (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"We’ve spent a lot — and we mean, a lot — of time thinking about what election the 2012 race reminds us most of and can now definitively say that it’s the 2004 contest between President George W. Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry."

Bruising Primary Has Put Romney In "Historically Weak" Position from BuzzFeed
"Polling gives Democrats a reason to be confident."

How Santorum boxed in Romney (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post 
"Rick Santorum’s departure from the presidential race could not come soon enough for Mitt Romney. In proving himself more tenacious than anyone predicted, Santorum dramatized one of Romney’s major problems, created another and forced the now-inevitable Republican nominee into a strategic dilemma."

What Rick Santorum Wrought (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"The former senator has suspended his campaign, but he has left a deep, indelible impression on the Republican party and the electoral prospects of Mitt Romney."

GOP Congressman: We Can’t Impeach Obama Because We Don’t Have The Votes Yet from Talking Points Memo
"Why hasn’t Congress impeached President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder? Rep. Todd Akin says it’s simply a lack of votes. But he says that may change eventually."
Isn't there something in the constitution about "high crimes and misdemeanors"!?  I guess just being a Democratic president is enough of a crime for this crowd.  This certainly presents a scary prospect if Obama wins reelection and the Dems lose the Senate and the House.

Allen West: 'I Hold in my Hand' a List of 80 Communist Party Members in the Democratic Caucus from Daily Kos
"REP. ALLEN WEST (R-FL): I believe there's about 70, 80 to 81 members of the  Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party [in the House of Representatives]."

Lee Siegel hits the nail in response to West:
Soviet Communism’s Collapse Left America’s Far Right Without a Real Foe (Lee Siegel) from the Daily Beast
"Florida congressman Allen West said he’s heard that there are 80
communists in Congress, which Lee Siegel says is just further proof that America’s archest conservatives have no one left to fight with."

SUPREME COURT NUGGET!!
Women Supreme Court Justices Celebrate 30 Years Since Court's First Female from the Huffington Post
"The only four women to serve as Supreme Court justices gathered Wednesday night to celebrate Sandra Day O'Connor's pathbreaking arrival on the bench three decades ago."

E-BOOK NUGGET!!
Why E-books Cost So Much (Nathan Bransford) from C-Net
"Book publishers are being sued by the Justice Department for allegedly colluding to raise e-book prices. This isn't a case of simple greed."

BIG DOG NUGGET!!

It's a Dog's Life: Owner of George, the Seven Foot Great Dane, Lifts the Lid on Life with the World's Largest Mutt from the Daily Mail [of the UK] 

"'Giant George: Life with the World's Biggest Dog' charts the gigantic allowances that the 230 pound Great Dane needs daily to get by. Standing almost four-foot-tall at the shoulder and seven-foot three-inches on his hind legs, George consumes 180 pounds of food a month and sleeps on a queen sized mattress."