News Nuggets 693

A caiman meeting up with some turtles in Guatemala.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT 'SAVING ONE WHALE' VIDEO NUGGET!!
Video: Humpback Whale Saved From Fishing Nets, Puts on Show from the Great Whale Conservancy
"Michael Fishbach narrates his encounter with a humpback whale entangled in a fishing net."
Very inspiring!

The Rise of Moderate Islam (Bobby Ghosh) from Time Magazine
"As the Arab Spring turns to blazing summer, Islamist movements have quickly formed political parties and mobilized national campaigns designed to unveil their new image before elections in the fall and winter. Paranoid rhetoric about threats to Muslim identity have given way to political messaging that could have been lifted from the party platforms of any Western democracy: It's all about jobs, investments, inclusiveness. A new broom to sweep clean decades of corruption. A new dawn of can-do Islamism."

In Gadhafi's Tripoli, Libyans Cautiously Voice Dissent (Cory Flintoff) from NPR's Morning Edition
"The dissidents say opposition to the government is widespread, despite a state security crackdown that keeps them in a constant state of fear and distrust."

Assad Takes Hezbollah Down with Him (Thanassis Cambanis) from the National Interest
"Propping up dictators in a region gripped by democracy fever. A Hezbollah implosion approaches."

Phone Hacking: the Questions Key Players Need to Answer from the Guardian [of the UK]
"What the inquiry should ask James Murdoch, Rebekah Brooks, Tom Crone, Andy Coulson and other NI executives."

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Under FBI Investigation Over Alleged 9/11 Victims Hacking Scandal from the Associated Press
"A law enforcement official says the FBI has opened an investigation into allegations media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. sought to hack into the phones of Sept. 11 victims."

Arrested ex-News of the World Executive Neil Wallis Worked for the London Police from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Wallis advised Yard on communications at time police decided there was no need to re-open phone-hacking case."

News International Chief Brooks Quits from the BBC
"Her departure follows days of growing pressure to step down as the phone hacking crisis grew. In a statement, she said she felt a "deep responsibility for the people we have hurt"."
More on this from the New York Times HERE.

News Corp 'Gave $1million to Business Lobby' that Campaigned Against U.S. Laws that Would Punish it for Bribery in Britain from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Critics say News Corp 'using its power to change laws which don't suit them'."

Phone-hacking Scandal Highlights the Differences in British, U.S. Media from the Washington Post
"Long before British journalists allegedly began prying into the phone accounts of hundreds of people, some of them were employing other eyebrow-raising methods to produce their stories. Like adopting disguises to trick celebrities into headline-grabbing behavior. Or offering cash payments for gossip and news. And entrapping politicians and others with elaborate “sting” operations."

Over More Than Three Decades, No One Dared Question the Perversion of Politics by and for Rupert Murdoch (Henry Porter) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"After last week's events, things can never be the same again for the corrosive Murdoch media empire."

Getting to Crazy (Paul Krugmen) from the New York Times
A number of commentators seem shocked at how unreasonable Republicans are being. “Has the G.O.P. gone insane?” they ask. Why, yes, it has. But this isn’t something that just happened, it’s the culmination of a process that has been going on for decades. Anyone surprised by the extremism and irresponsibility now on display either hasn’t been paying attention, or has been deliberately turning a blind eye."

Anarchists and Tasseled Loafers (Timothy Egan) from the New York Times
"At the height of what became known as The Battle of Seattle [in 1999], I bumped into an otherwise mild-mannered, libertarian-leaning friend on the streets, gasping at the bitter taste of tear gas. He was ecstatic. “Isn’t it great?” he shouted. “The established order is coming down!” Turns out, only Nike Town, the Gap and a few other outposts of global capitalism were coming down, and just for a day or so. But the nihilistic spirit of those window-smashers, whose goal was to bring chaos to a city of passive refinements, seems to have found a home: in the Republican Party."

More on Rep. Cantor as Least Valuable Player (James Fallows) from the Atlantic
"Boehner and McConnell are more worried about the country than their colleague is."

Obama Isn’t Out of Danger in Debt-ceiling Debate (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"Obama thought that solving a big problem would outweigh any political difficulties his deal with Boehner might cause him. But Cantor saved Obama a lot of trouble. He protected him from a bitter intra-party fight and made crystal-clear that preserving low taxes for the wealthy and for corporations is the GOP’s driving objective. Even the most resolutely centrist and cautious have been forced to concede this essential truth of American politics."

Dems’ New Strategy: Isolate Eric Cantor as Face of GOP Intransigence (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"As Reid’s remarks suggest, Dems now seem to be seizing on this episode to elevate and isolate Cantor — who by many accounts is more adamantly opposed to revenue increases than even Boehner is — as the primary obstacle to compromise."