News Nuggets 1273

DAYLEE PICTURE: A male lion on the Serengeti in Africa.  From National Geographic.

ECONOMICS NUGGETS!!
Inequality in America: The Data Is Sobering (Eduardo Porter) from the New York TImes
"Despite its riches, in many areas the United States looks depressingly backward. Addressing that will take more than the president’s words."
Republican Solution: for people to shut up about what it's like in other countries and for Americans not to travel outside the U.S.  Problem solved.

U.S. Economy Grew by 1.7% in 2nd Quarter, Faster Than Expected from the New York Times
"The resilience in the economy came despite automatic spending cuts imposed by Congress earlier this year."

The Steady Decline of Homeownership, for Everyone, Everywhere (Emily Badger) from the Atlantic
"America's homeownership rate has been declining for several years, and for multiple reasons, some tied directly to the housing collapse. For one class of would-be homeowners, it's simply harder today to qualify for a mortgage than it was at the height of the housing boom. For another, the allure of homeownership itself has declined."

Manning and Snowden (Bill Keller) from the New York Times
"What the Bradley Manning verdict could mean for Edward Snowden."

Obama Can Best Weaken the GOP by Courting Its Traditional Business Backers (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"The more the president drives a wedge between the GOP and its traditional backers, the better for him and for his party down the road."

New War Begins: Beating Voting Rights Bigots (Joan Walsh) from Salon  
"Eric Holder found a way to use the Voting Rights Act to fight Texas voter restrictions. Now other states await."

With Deficit Negotiations at an Impasse, Obama Offers Republicans a ‘Grand Bargain’ on Jobs from the Washington Post
"President Barack Obama is extending a new proposal to Republicans that he hopes will break the political gridlock on budget negotiations, offering to cut corporate tax rates in exchange for job investments."

The Senate votes, and the National Labor Relations Board Will Function Again (Joan McCarter) from Daily Kos
"For the first time in a decade, the board will have five fully confirmed members, and will avoid having to close up shop next month."

The GOP’s Shutdown Showdown (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post 
"Republicans try to put the brakes on Obamacare, again."

Conservatives Concede Defeat In Obamacare Shutdown Fight from Talking Points Memo
"Multiple conservatives leading the charge to shut down the government if Obamacare isn’t defunded have begun to admit it’s a lost cause as senior Republicans put the kibosh on the plan."

The Destructive Rise of the No-Government Conservatives (Jon Favreau) from the Daily Beast
"The Republican Party is divided—and the small-government conservatives, who want to reduce government’s size but preserve its institutions, are losing. Jon Favreau on the ruinous ideology that’s ascendant."

A Bet on Clinton: If They Network, She Will Run from the New York Times
"A new group dedicated to paving the way for a Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 has already recruited dozens of the Democratic Party’s elite donors and bundlers, effectively kicking off the presidential money hunt more than three years before Election Day."

GOP's Obamacare Obsession is Starting to Look like Political Suicide (Jules Whitcover) from the Baltimore Sun
"Many present-day Republicans seem bent on making "Backward, Christian Soldiers" their marching song in their relentless determination to "repeal and replace Obamacare," even to the point of repeating their lemming-like plunge over the cliff of another government shutdown."

Doubling McDonald's Salaries Would Cause Your Big Mac To Cost Just 68¢ More: Study from the Huffington Post
"Morelix's research comes as fast-food workers across the country strike for a $15 per hour minimum wage. Workers are also protesting for the right to unionize without fear of retaliation. Protesters are holding strikes in seven cities over a four-day period, according to Salon."

Rush Limbaugh To Greta Van Susteren: 'Republican Party Wants A New Base' (VIDEO) from the Huffington Post
""The Republican Party wants a new base. The Republican leadership isn't conservative. They're not particularly crazy about conservatives," Limbaugh said. "I'm a fairly prominent media conservative, I get more grief than the Taliban gets. I get more grief than Al Qaeda gets. All conservatives do because we constitute a threat to the way Washington views the country.""
Let's face it: Rush wants a different America than the one we have right now.  

Rush Limbaugh is Finished (Alex Pareene) from Salon
"With or without Cumulus, his political power is much diminished. But the radio king can still do some damage."

Obama vs. Bush (Jonathan Bernstein) from the Washington Post
"Will 44 finally be more popular than 43?"

CAR NUGGET!!
The Ultimate Electric Driving Machine: Official Launch of BMW's Futuristic Super-mini that Takes Three Hours to Charge and Reaches 93mph from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The BMW i3 'super-mini' launched officially in London, New York and Beijing Pictures of futuristic car leaked on the internet a week early Vehicle will cost £25,680, with a £5,000 'green' subsidy from Government."

ACT OF NATURE PHOTO NUGGET!!
Stunning Scene of FOUR Waterspouts Off Greece Coast is Captured in Awe-inspiring Photographs from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Italian Roberto Giudici captured images while sailing off Greek island.  Taken in 1999 but have only been unveiled after appearing on NASA website. Seeing one waterspout is considered to be once-in-a-lifetime event."