DAYLEE PICTURE: Palouse grasslands in rural Washington State. From the Daily Mail of the UK.
"Frustrated with his Afghan counterpart, President Barack Obama is ordering the Pentagon to accelerate planning for a full U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of this year. But Obama is also holding out hope that Afghanistan's next president may eventually sign a stalled security agreement that could prevent the U.S. from having to take that step."
Russia Denounces Ukraine 'Terrorists' and West over Yanukovich Ousting from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The Russian foreign ministry statement pressed all the buttons that will have the west and Kiev alarmed about ethnic and religious strife fracturing the country in two."
Ukraine’s Parliament May have Just Saved the Country from its Crisis (Max Fisher) from the Washington Post
"... what’s happening right now in Kiev is being driven by procedural, by-the-letter votes in the country’s own parliament. In many ways, it’s a victory not just for but by democracy and the rule of law."
Why Putin Hates Fracking (Christopher Dickey) from the Daily Beast
"Hint: It’s not about the environment. Vladimir Putin just hates fracking—at least, he hates it when other countries do it. As the Russian president told an economic conference last year, in places where companies are fracking to extract natural gas, they turn on the faucet and “black stuff comes out of the tap.” Consider the environment, he begged his audience. While you’re at it, consider the many European countries that depend on Russia for their natural gas or might compete with it as suppliers. Think of Bulgaria, Romania, Poland; and think, especially, of Ukraine."
Obama Should End America’s Stupidest Foreign Policy: Isolating Cuba (Robert Shrum) from the Daily Beast
"What rational basis is there for punishing the Castro regime when the U.S. will trade with China, talk to Iran, or deal with Vietnam? It’s time to end the cold war that outlasted the Cold War."
I completely agree with Shrum on this -- and I believe it is high on Obama's to-do list before he leaves office. It's only a suspicion -- but I think he's waiting until after this year's elections and/or for his own favorability numbers to move up before making a substantive move here.
The Winners and Losers of Next Year's Defense Budget: What was Cut and What was Spared in Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's Budget-Request Preview from the National Journal
"The blade hasn't fallen yet, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel raised the ax Monday when he offered a sneak peek of the Pentagon's planned budget for next year. The Pentagon is asking Congress for $496 billion, $45 billion less than it originally expected. Tucked inside that budget trimming are a host of winners—programs and priorities that the department kept safe from cuts—and losers who will not be spared."
Funding the Future With Fracking: North Dakota is Socking Away Billions from its Shale-Oil Boom from National Journal
"At less than 3 percent, unemployment is lower in North Dakota than anywhere else in the nation. But the state has been on a miniature version of this ride before, and its officials know that the boom-and-bust nature of energy development makes it a fickle economic mainstay."
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index from Gallup
"State of American Well-Being: 2013 State Rankings and Analysis” "The full “State of American Well-Being: 2013 State, Community and Congressional District Analysis,” as well as state-level reports, will be available online in April. Look for the “State of Global Well-Being” reports this summer."
Pro-Medicaid GOP Governors Well Placed for Reelection from Politico
"Conservative activists threatened revenge for Republican governors who boosted Obamacare. Now it looks like they were mostly blowing smoke. Around the country, Republicans who defied the base and embraced Obamacare’s massive expansion of Medicaid are better positioned for reelection than those who did not. None has garnered a serious primary challenge so far, and even Democrats have struggled to field strong contenders to take them on."
Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade from the New York Times
"Federal health authorities on Tuesday reported a 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children over the past decade, the first broad decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles with weight and higher risks for cancer, heart disease and stroke."
Nine Out of 10 'Most Miserable' States are Red, Surprising No One (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"Mississippi is thrilled that it didn't top this list. West Virginia topped it by just being absolutely despondent about their future. And really, can't say I blame them when water in Mexico is safer than the stuff coming out of their own tap."
The Cost-Benefit Guide to Choosing a College Major: The Lone Star State Wants You to Know Just How Much that Anthropology Degree Will be Worth from the National Journal
"The picture can be unsettling. For example, anthropology majors who graduated in 2002 make an average of only $46,000 after 10 years on the job. Economics majors from 2002, by contrast, earn about $100,000, according to Texas CREWS, a state-run Web tool that uses the data set to provide information to the public."
Democrats Try to Build on Technology Lead from the Wall Street Journal
"President Barack Obama‘s re-election effort revolutionized how campaigns locate and persuade likely supporters. The Democratic National Committee now wants to offer those tools to candidates much lower down the ballot."
The 15 Governorships Most Likely to Flip from the National Journal
"1-Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Corbett (R) SEEKING REELECTION -- Corbett is the most unpopular governor in the country. Education cuts, slow job growth, and Corbett’s handling of the Penn State-Jerry Sandusky scandal are among the issues contributing to his sagging first-term poll numbers. His weak approval ratings have spurred an array of eager Democrats to jump into the race, and Corbett trails even the least well-known of them in the polls. "
Weak Tea (David Weigel) from Slate
"In Texas, the Tea Party doesn’t have much beyond Sen. Ted Cruz’s name and a long shot for Congress."
GOV-PA: Wolf Tops Corbett By 19 Points In Pennsylvania Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Gov Gets Low Grades On Top Priority - Economy/Jobs from Quinnipiac University
"Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has a negative 36 - 52 percent approval rating, nearly matching his worst net score ever, and trails several possible Democratic challengers, especially York County businessman Tom Wolf, who tops the Republican incumbent 52 - 33 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. "
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