News Nuggets 610

The Nyiragongo Lava Lake near Goma in the Congo.  From National Geographic.

Libyan Rebels Reclaim Misurata City Center, Credit NATO Airstrikes from the Washington Post
"Libyan rebels claimed Friday that they have recaptured the center of the besieged western city of Misurata, partly thanks to weeks of NATO airstrikes, and said they hoped deployment of U.S. armed Predator drones could help them drive Moammar Gaddafi’s forces out of the city completely."

The Coming Arab Renaissance (Parag Khanna) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Forget Gamal Abdel Nasser. The time for Arab unity is now."

Can NATO Save Misrata? from the Economist [of London]
"It is vital for Muammar Qaddafi’s foes that they hold on to Misrata."

Syriana: After Bashar al-Assad, the Deluge (Robert Kaplan) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The unrest in Syria brings the Middle East perhaps to a precipice. Peaceful or not, the future of the region will be one of weakened central authority."

Is BRICS a Real Bloc? (Richard Weitz) from The Diplomat
"Tensions and diverging interests between China and Russia loomed large over the group’s latest meeting. Will BRICS ever find a unified voice?"

The US Government's Deficit, Explained (David Case) from the Global Post
"America's debt is its biggest national security challenge, according to top Pentagon brass. Here's why."

Obama vs. Ryan: Who's Winning the Deficit Debate? (Ari Berman) from the Nation
"The disconnect between deficit-crazed Washington and the concerns of the American public—high unemployment, rising gas prices—appears to be increasing. Poll after poll shows that the country favors job creation over deficit reduction, but neither party seems to be listening."

GOP Struggles to Dent the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from the Nation
"Republicans brought these indirect assaults into the recent government shutdown standoff, requesting many of these funding reductions and structural changes. But none of them were accepted in the final appropriations bill signed by President Obama last week."

Blacks’ Migration to Suburbs Will Have Big Impact on Congressional Redistricting from the Washington Post
"As lawmakers across the nation begin the once-a-decade process of redrawing their congressional boundaries, a significant migration of blacks from cities to suburbs is having a widespread political impact"

One Undocumented Teen's Tale (Kristina Rizga) from Mother Jones Magazine
"Rejected by his parents, accepted by 13 colleges, a Mission High wrestling star defies deportation."

The Danger of Donald Trump (Timothy Egan) from the New York Times
"But the more you watch Trump crash around the land, leaving shards of fabrication for the rest of us to sweep up, the more you realize who he’s really like: Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister who has served longer than any leader of his country since Mussolini goose-stepped over bell’Italia."

Trumping Romney (David Corn) from Mother Jones Magazine
"Donald Trump may be a presidential punchline—but for Mitt Romney he's no laughing matter."

OUTER SPACE NUGGET!!
Pluto's Atmosphere Found Poisonous and Surprisingly High from Space.com
"Poisonous carbon monoxide gas has been discovered in the atmosphere of the dwarf planet Pluto, after a worldwide search that lasted nearly two decades, according to a new study that also detected the planet's atmosphere extending much higher above the surface than previously thought."