News Nuggets 1262

DAYLEE PICTURE: A bald eagle to celebrate Independence Day.  From National Geographic.

FOURTH-OF-JULY NUGGET!!
American Frustrations: Today’s Echoes of the 19th Century (Brenda Wineapple) from the Daily Beast
"In the midst of tumult over Snowden and the NSA, DOMA, and congressional dithering, let’s all take a deep breath and remember the 19th century when things were every bit as complicated and exasperating. Brenda Wineapple, author of the forthcoming Ecstatic Nation, celebrates America’s
never-ending debate—and progress."

Are You Smart Enough to Be a Citizen? Take Our Quiz  (Eric Liu) from the Atlantic
"What if citizenship were not, in fact, guaranteed by birth? What if everyone had to earn it upon turning 18, and renew it every 10 years, by taking an exam? What might that exam look like?"

E Pluribus Unum (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Is America in 2013, in any meaningful sense, the same country that declared independence in 1776? The answer, I’d suggest, is yes. "

The Muslim Brotherhood's Dramatic Fall in Egypt (Michael Hirsh) from National Journal
"On the eve of July 4, Arab secularists get a sort of Independence Day. But the real question is whether the Islamists ever learn to join the modern world."

Russia Increasingly Impatient Over Snowden's Airport Stay from Reuters 
"Edward Snowden should find another country to seek refuge in, a Russian official said on Thursday, signaling Moscow's growing impatience over the former U.S. spy agency contractor's stay at a Moscow airport."

Seeking Snowden in Sheremetyevo from the Washington Post
"Somehow he has made himself lost for nearly 12 days in a mile-long transit corridor dotted with six VIP lounges, a 66-room capsule hotel, assorted coffee shops, a Burger King and about 20 Duty Free shops selling Jack Daniels, Cuban Rum, shelves of Russian vodka and red caviar that costs four times as much as it does in the city."

Red, Divided and Blue Fly This Independence Day (Ronald Brownstein) from National Journal
"... congressional Republicans, preponderantly representing the minority that voted against Obama, have conceded almost nothing to his majority—leaving the two sides at a stalemate. Meanwhile, beyond the Beltway, states that lean Democratic and those that lean Republican are separating at a frenetic pace."

Even Without Evidence of a Scandal, Republicans Press on with IRS Controversy (Jamelle Bouie) from the Washington Post
"Between the ongoing debate over the National Security Agency’s internet surveillance program, the decisions at the Supreme Court and events abroad, the trio of “scandals” that struck the administration two months ago have fallen to the wayside. "

GOP Lawmakers Say IRS Scrutiny Likely Not Politically Motivated from Talking Points Memo
"A pair of Republican lawmakers told The New York Times in a story published Thursday that the Internal Revenue Service scandal that rocked the agency may not have been politically motivated as previously thought."

This is Why Wendy Davis Will be the Next Texas Governor and Maybe More (Egberto Willies) from Daily Kos
"If one doubts the fear Wendy Davis and the new emboldened progressives have placed in the power structure within Texas, one just need to take a look at the local coverage. National coverage was much greater than the few minutes it received on the local broadcast news and their respective websites. There is a change coming to Texas and it will be led by Texas women."

Rupert Murdoch Caught on Tape Talking About Phone Hacking Scandal (Peter Jukes) from the Daily Beast
"His journalists were ‘picked on.’ The police were ‘incompetent.’ ‘We will’ hit back. That’s what Rupert Murdoch told senior staff in March, according to a just-published recording. Peter Jukes reports."