News Nuggets 1255

DAYLEE PICTURE: The Palouse region of Washington state. From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT BIG-PICTURE FOREIGN POLICY NUGGET!!
America Can Take a Breather. And It Should (Richard Haas) from the New York Times
"Today, there are threats, but they tend to be regional, years away or limited in scale. None rises to the level of being global, immediate and existential. The United States faces no great-power rival. And this is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The biggest strategic question facing America is how to extend this respite rather than squander it."

The Revolt of the Global Middle Class (David Rohde) from the Atlantic 
"Here's what protests in Turkey and Brazil have in common."

The Scary Reality of China’s Debt Crisis (Gwynn Guilford) from Quartz 
"China’s massive stimulus from 2009 to 2011 sunk money into projects that are generating little or no returns. The continuing gush of credit allowed companies to paper over these losses by covering their bad debt with new loans. That combined with the fact that in the last two years, much of those loans haven’t appeared on bank balance sheets, and have instead been issued through shadow lending, has obscured the scale of China’s indebtedness."

How Obama Learned to Deal with the Taliban from National Journal
"The militants' willingness to talk signals weakness—and is the most hopeful sign for the U.S. in Afghanistan in years."

U.S. Charges Snowden with Espionage from the Washington Post
"Snowden was charged with theft, “unauthorized communication of national defense information” and “willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person,” according to the complaint. The last two charges were brought under the 1917 Espionage Act."

Edward Snowden Leaves Hong Kong: Plane Believed To Be Carrying Leaker Lands In Moscow from the Huffington Post
"An Aeroflot flight from Hong Kong believed to be carrying Edward Snowden landed in Moscow. Russia's state ITAR-Tass news agency cited an unnamed Aeroflot airline official as saying Snowden was on Flight SU213, which landed on Sunday afternoon in Moscow. The report said he intended to fly to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela."
Ah, from one great respecter of civil liberties to another!  I guess Hong Kong wasn't quite the human rights mecca Snowden thought it was.  And what, prey, was the price for the tickets for this dictatorship world tour one might ask?  At each stop, perhaps a rigorous debrief in the airport executive lounge over an extended round of martinis?  Once the authorities in Venezuela are done with him, where next for the intrepid Mr. Snowden?  Shall we finish the tour with Iran and North Korea?  Why not?  Oh, I forgot.  This was all about how threatened our civil liberties are (which they are!) -- it has nothing to do with national security.  My mistake.

Obama to Take Sweeping Action on Climate (Juliet Eilperin) from the Washington Post
"President Obama will announce his intention to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, increase appliance efficiency standards and promote renewable energy development on public lands in a speech Tuesday outlining his plan to use executive powers to address climate change."

Supreme Court Decisions: 3 Blockbusters Among Last Cases from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"The Supreme Court has 11 cases, including the term's highest profile matters, to resolve before the justices take off for summer vacations, teaching assignments and international travel.  The court is meeting Monday for its last scheduled session, but will add days until all the cases are disposed of.  A look at some of the cases:..."

Young and Isolated from the New York Times
"Young working-class men and women like Diana are trying to figure out what it means to be an adult in a world of disappearing jobs, soaring education costs and shrinking social support networks. Today, only 20 percent of men and women between 18 and 29 are married. They live at home longer, spend more years in college, change jobs more frequently and start families later."

The Decline and Fall of the English Major (Verlyn Klinkenborg) from the New York Times
"The teaching of the humanities has fallen on hard times. So says a new report on the state of the humanities by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and so says the experience of nearly everyone who teaches at a college or university. ,,, Writing well used to be a fundamental principle of the humanities, as essential as the knowledge of mathematics and statistics in the sciences. But writing well isn’t merely a utilitarian skill. It is about developing a rational grace and energy in your
conversation with the world around you. No one has found a way to put a dollar sign on this kind of literacy ..."

The counterpoint to Klinkenborg's piece:
8 College Degrees with the Worst Return on Investment from Salaries.com 
"These Careers Might Make You Happy, But Fail the Tuition ROI (Return on Investment) Test
Amazing.  History is not on the list!

Conservatives Pledge To Defy Any Marriage Equality Ruling The Supreme Court Reaches from the Huffington Post
"In a letter released Thursday, more than 200 conservative activists -- ranging from the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue to Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R) -- vowed to ignore any ruling in favor of same-sex couples. The group of endorsers, signing under the moniker of Freedom Federation, is composed of anti-LGBT Christian conservatives, many of whom have fallen from prominence in recent years."

Republicans Face a Choice: Expand or Expire (Charlie Cook) from National Journal
"Conservatives who think their party can prosper by opposing immigration reform are kidding themselves. ... Implicit in both arguments is the notion that Republicans will remain a competitive party nationally and stay dominant in certain states if they can prevent Hispanic immigrants from becoming citizens and gaining voting rights. But that position ignores the fact that the 45.5 million Hispanics already in this country legally are registering to vote and are seeing the Republican Party as distinctly hostile"

Border Surge Meets Bluster Surge (Charles Blow) from the New York Times 
"McCain is hinting at something that I’ll say outright: opposition to a path to citizenship among many Republicans isn’t about border security; it’s about complexions and elections. Many see a pathway to citizenship as a poison pill for the party. No amount of “surging” can sugarcoat it."

The GOP’s Kamikazes Are Back (Eleanor Clift) from the Daily Beast
"The House GOP rump is once again running the show, leaving John Boehner scrambling and donors increasingly exasperated. Eleanor Clift on how the far right is derailing Republican reform efforts."

The House GOP Revolts: John Boehner Officially has No Control Over his Caucus The Speaker Suffers Another Embarrassing Defeat at the Hands of his Own Party (Jon Terbush) from The Week
"The embarrassing defeat for Boehner comes one year after he opted to not even bring the massive, $940 billion measure to the floor for a vote because of Republican objections. ... Many pundits pointed to the defeat as further evidence that Boehner is a singularly ineffective speaker who cannot control the far right wing of his caucus."

For John Boehner, it’s Job Security vs. Legacy (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"In all instances, Boehner faces a choice: his job or his legacy. He can enact landmark compromises but lose his job in a conservative coup. Or he can keep his job but get nothing much done. With a few exceptions — the “fiscal cliff” deal, Hurricane Sandy aid — Boehner has chosen job security over achievement. ... Boehner’s stance blocking an immigration compromise may preserve his speakership, but it would keep his party on what Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) calls a “demographic death spiral” as Latino voters shun the GOP."

Who had the Worst Week in Washington? House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy. (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"Coming on the heels of a quixotic vote forced by social conservatives who want to ban abortion after 20 weeks, the problem is obvious: Republican leaders are leaders in name only. They lack the ability to lead their fractious conference anywhere."

2016 Election: GOP Basic Strategy Looks Deeply Unsettled (Charles Babington) from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"The Republican Party's road map for winning presidential elections looks hazier than ever as GOP lawmakers and others reject what many considered obvious lessons from Mitt Romney's loss last year. House Republicans are rebelling against the key recommendation of a party-sanctioned post-mortem: embrace "comprehensive immigration reform" or suffer crippling losses among Hispanic voters in 2016 and beyond."

Demographic Winter? Republicans Ensuring their Own Demise (Dante Atkins) from Daily Kos
"It was expected that at some point in the next 10 years, the baby boomers whose generational progress has shaped our nation's concerns and culture would pass away in numbers too great for the existing birthrate to replace them. What was future, however, is now present. ... And while the
sociocultural consequences of America's continuing color shift are certainly up for debate, the political consequences are far less so."

Can Democrats Win Back the Deep South? (Molly Ball) from the Atlantic 
"It may be less far-fetched than you think, at least according to a new crop of activists who are trying to turn back the Republican tide in America's reddest region."

AMUSEMENT PARK NUGGET!!
When the Fun Stops: Inside the Scores of Abandoned Theme Parks Across America from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Amusement parks are supposed to be the scene of some your happiest memories: whether it be the speed of the roller-coasters or the serenity of a Ferris wheel, there really is 'fun for all the family' at many of these attractions around the world. But when the people don't come and these fantasy lands are left to fall into rack and ruin, they appear to take an other-worldliness unto themselves."

BIG RODENT NUGGET!!
'It's No Different to Having a Dog or Cat': The Texas Couple who Share their Home with an EIGHT-STONE Capybara Named Gary... and Even Let Him Sleep in their Bed from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Melanie Typaldos, 57, shares her home with a giant rodent named Gary.  Pet capybara sleeps in her bed and enjoys dips in backyard pool.  Eight-stone creature, similar to a giant guinea pig, is 'part of the family'."
This reminds me of the Bill Peet classic from the 1960s, Cappy Boppy -- with a happier ending!

POVERTY PHOTO NUGGET!!
The Faces of Homelessness, Beyond Stereotypes (David Rosenberg) from Slate 
"Dutch photographer Jan Banning’s interest in social and political subjects and his skill as a portrait photographer seemed the perfect fit for a story on the American South’s homeless population. In 2010, Banning was invited to be an artist-in-residence at the 701 Center for
Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C., where they suggested he focus on homelessness for a photography series."