News Nuggets 1346

DAYLEE PICTURE: Lake Carezza in Italy.  From National Geographic.

French 'Front National' Is Extreme & Right-Wing (Aurelien Mondon) from The Conversation [of the UK]
"I recently participated in debates where it was argued that the Front National should no longer be classified as extreme right, and that it has become harder to claim that it is even right-wing. A non-specialist on the questions even declared, without irony, that the Front National was today more a mix of nationalism and socialism, and therefore neither left nor right, ...."
Astonishing how little attention these and similar political shifts in Europe are getting in the US.  Sad, myopic, and deeply disturbing. 

Silicon Savannah: Africa's Transformative Digital Revolution (Jan Puhl) from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"In the space of 10 years, mobile phones and the Internet have changed African nations more significantly than any development since their independence from colonial powers. Now a growing group of entrepreneurs want to take things further."

Kim Jong Un Purges No. 2, Jang Song Thaek (Gordon G. Chang) from the Daily Beast
"The demotion of the North Korean leader’s second in command is a sign of deep turmoil in Pyongyang’s snake pit."

Republicans Grossly Out Of Touch With The Public On Iran (Jason Sattler) from the National Memo
"... the hawks discredited by a decade of wars that only empowered Iran as it freely developed its nuclear program are drowning out the public opposition to any military action. And some Democrats in the Senate seem poised to enable those hawks to possibly even destroy any hope of a permanent deal."

Stolen Cobalt-60 Found in Mexico; Curious Thieves Likely Doomed from the Washington Post
"The carjackers, who set off international alarm bells by absconding with the material, most likely had no idea what they were stealing and will probably die soon from exposure, Mexican authorities said at the end of a brief national scare."

The Best Speech Obama Has Given on the Economy (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post
"The speech President Obama delivered this morning at THEARC in D.C. is perhaps the single best economic speech of his presidency. That's in part because it exists for no other reason than to lay out Obama's view of the economy."

Here is the whole speech:

GOP Hits Pathetic New Low: “47 Percent” Thinking Creeps Even Deeper (Brian Beutler) from Salon
"A GOP leader proves that sensitivity training won't stop the party's gaffes. Ideology, not civility, is the problem."

Remember All Those Obamacare Horror Stories? Not Looking So Bad Now (Ana Marie Cox) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"As one researcher put it: "It's a lack of information coupled with these fears that tends to give rise to new legends. When demand exceeds supply, people will fill in the gaps with their own information … they'll just make it up." I can't think of a better description of the conservative media ecosystem at the moment."

Slowly, the Political-Media Narrative on Obamacare Turns (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"It’s now clear that news organizations are beginning to take seriously the idea that Democrats are not uniformly on the defensive over Obamacare. Stories are beginning to note the nuances in Dem messaging, reporting that Dem candidates are sticking to a “keep and fix” message on the law ..."

Democrats’ Latest Campaign for Health Care Law Begins from the New York Times
"As part of that political counteroffensive, which began this week, Democratic congresswomen challenged Republicans to present an alternative that would provide free preventive health services for the 105 million Americans who have already received them under the law."

Republican Candidates Shift their Messages on Obama Healthcare Law (Alexandra Jaffe) from The Hill
"In a significant development, GOP candidates have embraced a concept that was unthinkable a year ago: fixing President Obama’s landmark law. Others, meanwhile, have offered replacement healthcare plans."

How States Stand to Gain or Lose Federal Funds by Opting In or Out of the Medicaid Expansion from the Commonwealth Fund
"So red state residents are paying the federal taxes that help support Medicaid expansion everywhere but at home. More than that, they're losing the community hospitals that they rely on for timely medical care, especially in emergencies."

Some analysis of this report is here:
States Not Expanding Medicaid Set to Lose Billions (Joan McCarter) from Daily Kos
"States refusing to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will lose more than $35 billion collectively in federal funds by 2022, and cost their taxpaying citizens more. ... So red state residents are paying the federal taxes that help support Medicaid expansion everywhere but at home. More than that, they're losing the community hospitals that they rely on for timely medical care, especially in emergencies."

California Poll Shows Young and Healthy More Likely to Seek Medical Insurance (Tracy Seipel) from the San Jose Mercury News
"They've been dubbed the "young invincibles," people in their 20s and 30s who must sign up for medical insurance in droves to ensure the success of the new health care law. But a new California poll indicates that perhaps they should be called the "young convincibles." The startling finding by the Public Policy Institute of California says that young and healthy people are overwhelmingly more likely to seek health insurance than older and sicker people."
The deafening noise you hear is another endlessly-repeated media meme exploding!

Even Without Expansion, S.C. Will See 16% Jump In Medicaid Enrollment from the Kaiser Health News
"South Carolina officials say publicity for the Affordable Care Act and its requirement that most people get insurance will attract tens of thousands of people who are currently eligible for Medicaid but have not enrolled. "The awareness component is huge," said Tony Keck, South Carolina's Medicaid director."

Why Millennials Will Come Around on Obamacare (Ryan Cooper) from the Washington Post
" take it from me, your Senior Plum Line Reckless and Irresponsible Youth Correspondent: young people will eventually come around on Obamacare. Here are six reasons why. ..."

In Defense of Partisan Hack Pundits (Jonathan Bernstein) from Washington Monthly
"...one also might seek out political commentators in order to hear the best, good-faith arguments for and against something that’s in the news. For that, I want someone who reliably supports one side of the partisan divide (or perhaps one ideological strain). I still don’t want phony arguments; that’s why I didn’t title this “In Defense of Krauthammer,” because I generally don’t think he supplies strong, honest arguments. There’s still a requirement for serious intellectual integrity, even for partisan arguments."

DAVID VS. GOLIATH NUGGET!!
Company that Fined Couple for Writing Negative Online Review Hit with Lawsuit from the Daily Dot
"The couple facing a $3,500 fine for leaving a negative review of an online retailer is finally fighting back. A nonprofit legal group has offered the store an ultimatum on the couple's behalf: Walk away and pay $75,000, or we'll sue."

ODD CHINESE CULTURE NUGGET!!
Mysterious Plans to Build Upstate NY ‘China City of America’ from the New York Post
"A Long Island businesswoman wants to build a massive “Chinese Disneyland” in the Catskills — which would include an amusement park, huge mansions and a “Forbidden City” laid out according to the principles of Feng Shui. The China City of America scheme could bring thousands of wealthy Chinese immigrants to the tiny Sullivan County town of Thompson, under a federal program that lets foreigners get visas by investing $500,000 in the US."