Japan's New Threat: Radioactive Groundwater
The Guardian reports : Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant face new threats to their health after radiation exceeding safety levels was found to have seeped into groundwater near the facility. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), was the target of …
GOProud Chairman: Trump's Birther Stance is "Common Sense"
Ben Smith reports : Trump, incidentally, isn't just overshadowing the candidates. He's dragging other bits of the party down the birther rabbit-hole with him. For instance, I asked Chris Barron, the trump booster who heads the gay conservative group GOProud, whether he thinks Trump's …
Unemployment Rate Drops to 8.8%
The Washington Post reports : WASHINGTON — The unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent in March and companies added workers at the fastest two-month pace since before the recession began. The Labor Department says the economy added 216, 000 new jobs last month, …
Ohio Gov Signs Bill To Limit Collective Bargaining
Columbus Business First reports : Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Thursday evening signed the controversial Senate Bill 5 that curbs collective bargaining rights and bans strikes affecting about 360, 000 public workers, Reuters reports. Kasich signed the bill a day after lawmakers passed it …
GOP Targets AARP
Politico reports : If strong> Republicans spending gridlock Planned Parenthood NPR AARP
Brown: GOP Cuts Are "Irresponsible"
Politico reports : While some Senate Republicans are tacking right on the budget, Sen. Scott Brown is attacking proposed cuts coming from members of his own party as “irresponsible” and urging both sides of the aisle to come together on a bipartisan deal. In a strong> Thursday floor …
Tripoli In Crisis After Defections
The New York Times reports: TRIPOLI, Libya — Anxiety seized the Qaddafi government on Thursday over the second defection in two days of a senior official close to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi , stirring talk of others to follow and a crackdown to stop them. And, on Friday British news …
6 US Soldiers Killed In Afghan Op
The New York Times reports : KABUL, Afghanistan — Six American soldiers have been killed in a single operation in eastern Afghanistan over the past two days, a spokesman for the international coalition said on Friday. “I can confirm that six coalition soldiers have been identified as …
US Unwilling To Arm Libyan Rebels
The New York Times reports: WASHINGTON — President Obama ’s top two national security officials signaled on Thursday that the United States was unlikely to arm the Libyan rebels, raising the possibility that the French alone among the Western allies would provide weapons and training for …
AZ Considers Medicaid Fat Fee
The Wall Street Journal reports: Arizona's governor on Thursday proposed levying a $50 fee on some enrollees in the state's cash-starved Medicaid program, including obese people who don't follow a doctor-supervised slimming regimen and smokers. The plan, if approved by the Republican-domin…
Ivory Coast Battle In "Final Hours"
BBC News reports: Troops supporting the UN-recognised president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, appear poised for a final push to oust his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to give up the presidency. In main city, Abidjan, pro-Ouattara forces have launched an assault on the fortified …
Traffic Deaths Lowest Since 1949
The Washington Post reports: Surrounded by air bags, buckled in place and fearful of drunk driving, Americans are less likely to die on the highway today than at any time since the middle of the Truman administration. The number of people killed in accidents dropped to 32,788 in 2010, …
Syria Moves To End Emergency Rule
The Washington Post reports: CAIRO — The Syrian government, in a gesture to protesters who have shaken the country for the past 13 days , announced Thursday that it will draw up new anti-terrorism legislation as a first step toward lifting the country’s 48-year-old emergency rule. The …
Fed Workers Fret Over Shutdown
The Washington Post reports: Just before 7 a.m. most weekdays, Michael Kane sits at a table in the cafeteria of the Energy Department headquarters on Independence Avenue SW and tries valiantly to quell the anxiety of the people who work there. The government could shut down in a week …
Hirsch: Why Moneyball Doesn't Always Work
The Bleacher Report reports: Co-author Alan Hirsch was kind enough to answer and respond to questions and criticisms of his new book, em> The Beauty of Short Hops :
Qaddafi Envoy in UK for Talks
The Guardian reports : Colonel Gaddafi's regime has sent one of its most trusted envoys to London for confidential talks with British officials, the Guardian can reveal. Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, visited London in recent days, British government …
Tokyo Faces Summer of Rolling Blackouts
CNN reports : The loss of two nuclear power plants means the Tokyo region will face the summer peak demand with a loss of about 20% of capacity, the plant's owner said Thursday. Other utilities can supply only a limited amount of additional electricity to the Tokyo Electric Power Co. grid …
Poll: Millennials Still Back Obama
ABC News reports : President Obama’s job approval rating among an important voting bloc -- 18-29 year-olds -- rose to 55 percent, a six percentage point uptick since last October, according to a poll released Thursday by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. Among students on …
Cain: Media Afraid 'Real Black Man' Might Run
CNN reports : Potential 2012 presidential candidate Herman Cain said the media is afraid "a real black man might run against Barack Obama." At a Wednesday appearance in Florida, Cain said if he were elected president "you get a chance to be batting .500" with black presidents. "If you …