News Nuggets 1261

DAYLEE PICTURE: A river view of Moscow.  From National Geographic.

Off-the-Books Loans Rattle Confidence in Chinese Banking from the New York Times
"China’s regulators worry that banks are using lightly regulated products to repackage loans and prop up firms that might not otherwise be able to borrow."

Plugging the leaks in the Edward Snowden case from the Editorial Board of the Washington Post
"The best solution for both Mr. Snowden and the Obama administration would be his surrender to U.S. authorities, followed by a plea negotiation. It’s hard to believe that the results would leave the 30-year-old contractor worse off than living in permanent exile in an unfree country. Sadly, the supposed friends of this naive hacker are likely advising him otherwise."

Here Are The Countries Where Edward Snowden Has Requested Asylum from the Business Insider
"The new requests include what are sure to be some controversial possible destinations — including Venezuela, China, and Cuba. Here are the 19 countries: ..."

Is Edward Snowden Bound for Bolivia? Evo Morales Sure Seems to Hope So (Eli Lake) from the Daily Beast
"The Bolivian president says he’d be pleased to give the NSA leaker asylum. And since he’s in Moscow, he could even give him a lift."

Bolivian leader's plane diverted over 'Snowden' suspicions from Agence France Presse
"Austrian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Schallenberg confirmed to AFP that Morales' plane had landed at Vienna and that Snowden was not on board."

Fugitive Snowden's options narrow as asylum requests spurned from Reuters 
"Countries in Latin America, Asia and Europe spurned asylum requests by Edward Snowden on Tuesday, despite a call by Venezuela for the world to protect the former U.S. spy agency contractor wanted by Washington for espionage."

To Russia With Love (Anna Nemtsova) from the Daily Beast
"Snowden’s request for political asylum was greeted warmly by everyone—except by Putin."

Edward Snowden jumps the shark in Moscow (Jonathan Capehart) from the Washington Post
"Would that Snowden had the courage of his convictions to stay in the United States to be held accountable for his actions rather than flee to nations that would love to have the sensitive information he has (and to embarrass the United States in the process)."

Edward Snowden Risks Sharing Fate of Kim Philby, Guy Burgess & More (Malcolm Jones) from the Daily Beast
"What kind of future does the NSA leaker face if he gets asylum in Russia or another country? If the experience of past defectors—alcoholism, suicide attempts, mental illness—is any guide, it looks grim."

Snowden’s Worst-Case Scenario: What if No Countries Take Him? (Andrew Katz and Noah Rayman) from Time Magazine
"As the you’re-not-welcomes stack up, here’s his worst-case scenario. “The Russian Federation could expel him since he is currently in the transit area without a valid travel document. They could expel him back to the country that he came from,”"

What explains the Republican Party’s intransigence? (Jamelle Bouie) from the Washington Post
"What’s missing in the Republican Party is that willingness to compromise for anything, even if it benefits the particular interests of individual lawmakers or the interests of the party writ large. And this seems to stem from an attitude that emerged during the 1994 elections and has only grown since—the idea that conservatives aren’t just opposed to liberals but that they’re at war with liberalism."

Voting Rights Act Puts GOP in Pickle (Matt Fuller) from Roll Call
"Lawmakers in any affected states would be almost certain to protest a rewrite, while Democrats have an incentive to insist on the broadest possible bill. Even with the difficult politics, Republicans seem willing to try."

Dysfunctional Congress, continued (Jonathan Bernstein) from the Washington Post
"It’s pretty simple: most Republicans are either hostile to the entire idea of finding compromises with Democrats or are terrified of other conservatives who hate compromise; and, at the same time Republicans aren’t unified enough to be able to pass very much in the House on their own."

Conservative groups struggling to recruit candidates in key 2014 races from The Hill
"Despite pledging to wage fights against establishment Republicans deemed guilty of ideological impurity, conservatives have had a rocky cycle so far, failing to front candidates in a number of top races."

What if Hillary Clinton passes on 2016? from Politico
"She has said she has yet to make up her mind, but few in the party believe that. The Clintons’ ambition and the chance to make history as the first female president, they figure, will overpower any reticence about another grueling campaign or spending her golden years carrying the burdens of the world’s weightiest job."

Why, Against Long Odds, Pro-Choice Protesters Continue To Fight In Texas (Scott Keyes) from Think Progress
"ThinkProgress spoke with many of the individuals who showed up at the rally to ask what’s motivating them to keep protesting, even if their chances of stopping Republican lawmakers from passing new abortion restrictions are slim. Some held out hope to defeat the legislation, others took a long-term approach, and still others said it was important to set an example for the next generation. ..."