The Commentariat -- Nov. 26, 2012

Brought forward from yesterday's Commentariat: My column for the New York Times eXaminer is elegantly titled "Pat Some Butts, Barry -- Maureen Dowd." Clearly, this is My Week of Going Classy. ...

... A Lesson for Maureen Dowd: Here Was a Hero. U.S. Airman Reis Leming, who saved Britons during a storm & flood in 1953, died November 4 at age 81.

Michael Shear of the New York Times: President "Obama's aides are trying to harness the passions that returned him to the White House, hoping to pressure Republicans in Congress to accept tax increases on the wealthy. The president's strategists are turning first to the millions of e-mail addresses assembled by the campaign and the White House."

John Schriffen of ABC News: Today is "Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year. Shoppers are expected to spend more than $1.5 billion today, up 20 percent from last year.... It has already been a big holiday weekend with a record $59.1 billion spent at U.S. stores and websites.... Online sales on Thanksgiving Day, traditionally not a popular day for online shopping, rose 32 percent from last year to $633 million.... And online sales on Black Friday were up 26 percent from the same day last year, to $1.042 billion. It was the first time online sales on Black Friday surpassed $1 billion."

Welcome to Your Newer, Friendlier GOP

Oink, Oink. In an appearance on Fox "News" yesterday, perpetual Sunday talkshow guest Sen. John McCain [R-Az.] hinted he would back off his attacks on U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, Ian Millhiser of Think Progress reports. CW: it occurs to me that what really ticked off McCain was the fact that Rice appeared on all five major Sunday shows, probably pushing him out of his usual seat at a few of the network shows. He isn't a racist, sexist pig; he's a camera hog. ...

... Writing before McCain "softened his stance" on Rice, John Heilemann of New York predicted that President Obama would nominate Rice for Secretary of State & the Senate would confirm her. Heilemann listed five reason for his prediction. Reason 4. "Because McCain is being a jackass -- and Obama is sick of it." ...

... For the good of the country, it's time to fetch a butterfly net for McCain.... It's a measure of the fallen state of the GOP that this bitter, ever-more-incoherent hothead is now the party's only elected official with a voice on foreign affairs -- unless you count his boot-licking Sancho Panza, Lindsey Graham. -- Frank Rich

... Oh, and here's McCain urging his party to STFU on women's health issues: "There is no doubt whatsoever that the demographics are not on our side and we are going to have to give a much more positive agenda. [...] And as far as young women are concerned, absolutely. I don't think anybody like me, I can state my position on abortion, but, to -- other than that, leave the issue alone." Igor Volsky of Think Progress has the story. Volsky notes that Romney adviser Dan Senor conceded last week "that the GOP's focus on women's health hurt them in the election and criticized Republicans who pulled the party into 'a really idiotic debate' about contraception." CW: You'd almost think that all that crap high-minded talk about religious freedom was not really a principled stand but was rather an excuse to accuse President Obama of being a serial baby-killer. ...

... Anne Flaherty of the AP: "The White House could finally have its chance to close the books on its Benghazi public relations disaster, as key Republicans signal they might not stand in the way of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to become the next secretary of state.... One senior GOP Senate aide said Sunday that Republicans hadn't united against Rice and were not convinced she was worth going after." ...

... AND here we have Sen. Sancho Panza Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) suggesting "that he could conceivably abandon the [Grover Norquist] pledge as part of a deal to avoid going over the so-called 'fiscal cliff.'" Now, remember, this is all a ploy Republicans are using to gut the social safety net. Via Travis Waldron of Think Progress. ...

... So thanks, Dick, for falling into the trap. George Stephanopoulos of ABC News: "Sen. Dick Durbin said today that his Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate should be willing to address entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid in deficit reduction negotiations." ...

... So let's see what Paul Krugman says about the "fiscal cliff": "Now yet another organization, Fix the Debt, is campaigning for cuts to Social Security and Medicare, even while making lower tax rates a 'core principle.' That last part makes no sense in terms of the group's ostensible mission, but makes perfect sense if you look at the array of big corporations, from Goldman Sachs to the UnitedHealth Group, that are involved in the effort and would benefit from tax cuts. Hey, sacrifice is for the little people.... But if the U.S. government prints money to pay its bills, won't that lead to inflation? No, not if the economy is still depressed." ...

... Apropos of Krugman's column, contributor Calyban links to the overview of a report by the Institute for Policy Studies: "The Fix the Debt campaign has raised $60 million and recruited more than 80 CEOs of America's most powerful corporations to lobby for a debt deal that would reduce corporate taxes and shift costs onto the poor and elderly. This report focuses on the Fix the Debt campaign's corporate tax agenda and in particular the windfalls the campaign's member corporations would reap from a territorial tax system. We also analyze the savings the Fix the Debt campaign's CEOs have derived from the Bush tax cuts and how many of them received more in compensation last year than their corporations paid in federal income taxes." Download the report at the linked page. ...

... Criminal Journalists Practice Economics without a License & without a Clue. The geniuses at ABC "News" do not read Krugman. Digby digs up this graphic, which ABC "News" went to some expense to compile. They must have rooms-full of Very Serious Elves over there at the Owned & Operated by the Fantasyland Division of the Walt Disney Company ABC "News" who whiz around copying down what billionaire deficit hawk Pete Peterson says. Here's the top and the bottom of the chart,

     ... The whole scary graphic is worth a look. You're ruined! Here's what Digby has to say about it. Digby liberally borrows from ...

... Economist James Galbraith who explains to dummies -- who, needless to say, include the VSEs at the WDC's O&O ABC -- why "the fiscal cliff is a scam ... a mechanism for rolling back Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid." ...

... Robert Kuttner of American Prospect, writing in the Huff Post, has another good piece explaining conservatives' fiscal cliff ruse: "... so much the better for the Republicans if they can trick the Democrats into sharing responsibility for [cuts to popular social safety net programs]. A further piece of mischief is the premise that we somehow need a 10-year budget deal that reduces the projected deficit by something like $4 to $5 trillion. We don't.... If we get a recovery with something close to full employment, the deficit naturally comes down.... President Obama holds a very strong hand.... If the president is too determined to get a deal to appreciate what a strong hand he has, then it is up Democrats in Congress and the progressive community ... to make sure that Obama doesn't follow Republicans off their cliff."

... Fortunately for Pete Peterson, the New York Times and the White House are giving him a boost. The Times now has a special livebloggish thing titled "Debt Reckoning -- The Fiscal Deadline in Washington." In a scary entry by Peter Baker (at 6:11 am, Nov. 26) we learn "Americans could spend nearly $200 billion less next year on cars, clothes, furniture and other consumer products than they would otherwise if automatic tax increases take effect as currently scheduled, the White House warned in a report issued Monday morning.... The White House released it as part of an effort to turn up the pressure on Congress, which has barely a month to reach an agreement with President Obama on how to avoid the tax and spending changes or risk sending the nation back into recession." ...

     ... NEW. Robert Reich: "This kind of fear-mongering [by the White House] plays into Republican hands." ...

... There are billionaires & billionaires. Warren Buffett in a New York Times op-ed: "I support President Obama's proposal to eliminate the Bush tax cuts for high-income taxpayers. However, I prefer a cutoff point somewhat above $250,000 -- maybe $500,000 or so. Additionally, we need Congress, right now, to enact a minimum tax on high incomes."

... BTW, Krugman backs up "Adam Davidson for some much-needed mythbusting about the supposed skills shortage holding the US economy back." CW: As I noted the other day, Davidson doesn't seem to get macroeconomics, but he does understand that if businesses won't pay highly-skilled workers decent wages, they should quit complaining that they can't find highly-skilled workers. ...

... And in pretty easy-to-understand terms, Krugman explains to us non-economists how economic modeling works -- or is supposed to work if the model isn't designed "to support a predetermined political or policy position." ...

... Just as a reminder that your Newer, Friendlier GOP is composed of the same old pre-election throwbacks, Republican Senators are so fit to be tied over tweaks to the filibuster rules by which they effectively shut down the Senate during much of Obama's first term that they're threatening to shut down the Senate over any changes to filibuster rules. Obstruction is what they do.

Astronomer Neil deGrasse discusses the End of the World on December 21, 2012 & people who didn't take enough science in school. Via Digby:

New York Times Editors: "There are now 166 men held at Guantánamo, 76 fewer prisoners than when Mr. Obama took office. Only a handful of those remaining have been charged with any crime or legal violation.... Civil liberties, human rights and religious groups are now urging Mr. Obama to veto the military authorization bill for the 2013 fiscal year if it contains any language that denies the executive branch the authority to transfer Guantánamo detainees for repatriation or settlement in foreign countries or for prosecution in a federal criminal court. They make a powerful case...."

Serge Kovaleski & Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: how a small-time crook & congenital liar made the film "Innocence of Muslims" that sparked riots in Islamic countries.

Rick Hertzberg is a bit late to the game with his commentary on the election, but reading Hertzberg is always a pleasure. Plus, I learned something I didn't know: that gerrymandering doesn't account for all of the Republicans' advantage in the House. And his report on the Wall Street Journal's takes on the elections of 2004 & 2012 is just precious.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Mary L. Schapiro, who overhauled the Securities and Exchange Commission after the financial crisis, announced Monday that she was stepping down as chairwoman of the agency.... Ms. Schapiro will also relinquish her position as one of the five members of the agency's commission.... The White House announced on Monday that President Obama was naming Elisse B. Walter, a commissioner at the S.E.C., as the new chairwoman.... Ms. Walter's appointment does not require Congressional approval because the Senate previously confirmed her as a commissioner."

The Never-Ending Story. Politico: "The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to examine the constitutionality of the health reform law's employer requirements and mandatory coverage of contraceptives without a co-pay. The move could open the door for President Barack Obama's health law to be back in front of the Supreme Court late next year."

New York Times: "Cracks appeared on Sunday in the government of President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt, as he faces mounting pressure over his sweeping decree seeking to elevate his edicts above the reach of any court until a new constitution is approved. Mr. Morsi's justice minister began arguing publicly for a retreat. At least three other senior advisers resigned over the measure. And it has prompted widening street protests and cries from opponents that Mr. Morsi, who already governs without a legislature, was moving toward a new autocracy in Egypt...." ...

     ... The Guardian has a liveblog. Morsi will meet with judges to try to work out a compromise.

New York Times: "Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Monday that he would soon 'leave political life,' after a half-century career in the military and government that included two years as prime minister. Coming days after the end of a weeklong air blitz on the Gaza Strip and eight weeks before Israelis head to the polls, Mr. Barak's move is the latest to show the disarray in Israel's center-left bloc."

Guardian: "UBS has been fined £30m [$47.5 million] by the UK's Financial Services Authority -- and could see its investment banking activities hampered by the Swiss regulator -- after the former trader Kweku Adoboli was jailed for fraud. Adoboli, a relatively junior City trader who almost destroyed UBS through increasingly reckless illicit deals, was jailed last week for seven years after being convicted of what police describe as the biggest fraud in UK history."

Al Jazeera: "The 18th United Nations climate change conference (COP18) has opened in the Qatari capital."

AP: "A natural gas explosion that injured more than 20 people and damaged 42 buildings in Springfield, [Massachusetts]'s entertainment district was blamed on a utility worker who accidentally punctured a high-pressure pipeline while looking for a leak. The president of the gas company involved says the employee followed proper procedure and protocol."

The Commentariat -- Nov. 25, 2012

My column for the New York Times eXaminer is elegantly titled "Pat Some Butts, Barry -- Maureen Dowd." Clearly, this is My Week of Going Classy.

Scott Shane of the New York Times: "Facing the possibility that President Obama might not win a second term, his administration accelerated work in the weeks before the election to develop explicit rules for the targeted killing of terrorists by unmanned drones, so that a new president would inherit clear standards and procedures.... The Defense Department and the C.I.A. continue to press for greater latitude to carry out strikes; Justice Department and State Department officials, and the president's counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, have argued for restraint, officials involved in the discussions say. More broadly, the administration's legal reasoning has not persuaded many other countries that the strikes are acceptable under international law."

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to examine the constitutionality of the health reform law's employer requirements and mandatory coverage of contraceptives without a co-pay.

The move could open the door for President Barack Obama's health law to be back in front of the Supreme Court late next year.

Peter Whoriskey of the Washington Post: "Arguably the most prestigious medical journal in the world, the New England Journal of Medicine regularly features articles over which pharmaceutical companies and their employees can exert significant influence.... Over the past decade corporate interference has repeatedly muddled the nation's drug science, sometimes with potentially lethal consequences."

Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "The Senate -- the legislative body that was designed as the saucer to cool the House's tempestuous teacup -- has become a deep freeze, where even once-routine matters have become hopelessly stuck and a supermajority is needed to pass almost anything.... Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, says he will move on the first day of the 113th Congress to diminish the power of Republicans to obstruct legislation." ...

... Jonathan Bernstein in Salon: it will be difficult & complicated to fix the filibuster, but one part that should be relatively easy: confirmation of executive branch nominees. Both parties more or less agree that a President should get staff s/he wants. CW: another idea: the President is required under the Constitution to obtain the advice & consent of the Senate for a number of positions, including ambassadors, Cabinet members & Supreme Court justices. But there is no reason the Senate should be vetting lower-level appointees except perhaps judges to lower courts because they're lifetime appointments (which is a mistake, too) & a few security-related positions like NSA, CIA & FBI directors.

Steve Rattner, in a New York Times op-ed, proposes several sensible ways to raise taxes on the wealthy. He appears to be advocating for pretty much doing them all.

Adam Davidson of the New York Times: "The secret behind this skills gap [which both Obama & Romney complained about during the presidential campaign] is that it's not a skills gap at all." Manufacturers are just not willing to pay for the skills they require. CW: I don't usually link to Davidson's posts because he so often screws up the economics. ...

... But economist Dean Baker backs up Davidson on this one: "News stories have been filled with reports of managers of manufacturing companies insisting that they have jobs open that they can't fill because there are no qualified workers.... The real problem is that the managers don't seem to be interested in paying for the high level of skills that they claim they need."

Zaid Jilani writing for Bold Progressives: "Many progressives have been celebrating [Sen. Saxby] Chambliss's [R-Ga.] rebuke of [Grover "No-New-Taxes"] Norquist.... [But] the senator is not breaking from Norquist because he wants to raise taxes on the wealthy or big corporations.... Chambliss is willing to deal with closing small loopholes in the tax code in order to get to the wider goals of the Bowles-Simpson plan: cutting Social Security benefits by raising the retirement age, cutting Medicare benefits by capping overall spending, and dramatically lowering corporate tax rates." ...

... How Government Works. Digby: "Chambliss said nothing he hasn't said before. They set all this up so that we would have a number of arbitrary deadlines coming to a head at the same time. It's how we govern these days --- a bipartisan plutocratic centrist and conservative coalition comes together to do the bidding of the moneyed interests and betray their own constituents under a phony sense of crisis in a lame duck session. The details vary only slightly depending on who allegedly 'won' the recent election, but basically, this stuff is all baked in the cake long before any of us have a chance to vote." CW: There's a reason you can find the word SCAM in Saxby ChAMbliss." Let's just abbreviate to "SCAMbliss." ...

... CW: well, at least SCAMbliss has Grover's fat-boy (sorry) shorts in a knot:

Senator Chambliss promised the people of Georgia he would go to Washington and reform government rather than raise taxes to pay for bigger government. He made that commitment in writing to the people of Georgia. If he plans to vote for higher taxes to pay for Obama-sized government he should address the people of Georgia and let them know that he plans to break his promise to them. The Senator's reference to me is odd. His promise is to the people of Georgia. -- Grover Norquist

David Patterson, in a New York Times op-ed, on the confusing November 6 Puerto Rican ballot issue that appears to demonstrate that Puerto Ricans favor statehood, though because of the way the questions were presented, is not definitive. "The people ... deserve another, clearer, definitive ballot -- and soon."

Rick Pearson & John Byrne of the Chicago Tribune: "Cook County Democratic leaders plan to recommend a replacement for former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in an effort to winnow a growing field of hopefuls looking to take over the congressional district stretching from the South Side to Kankakee. Gov. Pat Quinn was expected to decide by Monday on the early 2013 dates for the special primary and general elections, but already a swarm of has-been and wannabe political players are considering the rare opportunity to run in the suddenly open, solidly Democratic, black-majority 2nd Congressional District."

Lauren Neergaard of the AP: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists, says birth control pills should be sold over the counter, like condoms."

"The Blue-Footed Booby." George Colt, in a New York Times op-ed: sibling rivalry, especially at the dinner table, is a Freudian thing.

CW: Just so I can foster my Petraeus Affair fix (see yesterday's Commentariat), Seth Meyers assesses the winners & losers in said five-way (the sketch news analysis is at least a week old, but that doesn't make it less funny):

Local News -- Right Wing World Edition

Laura Gottesdeiner in AlterNet: "In Kentucky, a homeland security law requires the state's citizens to acknowledge the security provided by the Almighty God -- or risk 12 months in prison. The law and its sponsor, state representative Tom Riner, have been the subject of controversy since the law first surfaced in 2006, yet the Kentucky state Supreme Court has refused to review its constitutionality, despite clearly violating the First Amendment's separation of church and state."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Syrian rebels seized a military airport and an air defense base about 10 miles east of Damascus on Sunday morning and drove off with a tank and other weapons, according to opposition activists and video posted online, demonstrating their ability to advance in areas around the capital despite facing withering aerial attacks."

ABC News: "A man suspected of shoplifting two DVD players from a Lithonia, Ga., Walmart today died after an altercation with two store employees and a contract security guard, prompting a police investigation."

Reuters: "Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi faced a rebellion from judges who accused him on Saturday of expanding his powers at their expense, deepening a crisis that has triggered violence in the street and exposed the country's deep divisions. The Judges' Club, a body representing judges across Egypt, called for a strike during a meeting interrupted with chants demanding the 'downfall of the regime' - the rallying cry in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year." ...

... Al Jazeera: "Share prices on Egypt's stock exchange have plunged almost 9.5 per cent, days after President Mohamed Morsi assumed sweeping powers that sparked clashes and polarised the country's politics."

New York Times: "More than 100 people died Saturday and Sunday in a fire at a garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, in one of the worst industrial tragedies in that country."

AP: "Lawrence Guyot, a civil rights leader who survived jailhouse beatings in the Deep South in the 1960s and went on to encourage generations to get involved, has died. He was 73."

Al Jazeera: "China has successfully landed a fighter jet on its first aircraft carrier, which entered service two months ago, the country's official news agency confirmed."

Guardian: "Police in Bangkok have fired teargas at thousands of anti-government protestors calling for the overthrow of the Thai government. At least 9,000 people attended the rally, organised by activists who believe the current prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is the puppet of her brother, the deposed former PM Thaksin Shinawatra."

Reuters: The Rolling Stones take to the stage later on Sunday after a five-year hiatus to celebrate the golden jubilee of one of the most successful and enduring bands in rock and roll history. Now in their mid-60s to early 70s, lead singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts will perform five concerts - two at the O2 Arena in London on November 25 and 29 and three in the United States next month."

The Commentariat -- Nov. 24, 2012

Josh Eidelson of the Nation has a rundown of what happened at the Wal-Mart demonstrations around the country. ...

... Pema Levy & Tom Kludt of TPM round up the worst incidences of Black Friday mayhem. ...

     ... Libby Spencer of No More Mister Nice Blog: "I especially loved the guy in Texas who pulled a gun on a line cutter. He wasn't arrested because he had a concealed carry permit. Assume threatening to kill someone for trying to get between you and your new flat screen teevee is justifiable under the castle doctrine. Or something. Are state's rights great or what?"

If it looks like Grandpa's old gray bathrobe and costs $500, it's in Neiman's Christmas Book:

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO GO TO THE CATALOG. (Turn the pages of the catalog at the lower corners.)

Charles Blow: "The Internet has been lit up with the incongruity of the party of Lincoln’s becoming the party of secessionists.... We are moving toward two Americas with two contrasting -- and increasingly codified -- concepts of liberty. Can such a nation long endure?"

Kevin Drum: in their efforts to make both parties look like winners (see yesterday's link to a NYT article by Jonathan Weisman), legislators are proposing at least one truly "crazy idea" -- eliminating marginal tax brackets for the rich; i.e., if you earn more than $X, you pay the highest rate on all your earnings. This would work a severe hardship on the upper middle class & have very little effect on the super-rich. CW: I told ya so.

CW: Before the Petraeus Affair hit the fan, I never gave David Petraeus a second glance. But now I'm thinking he looks really sexy. Since he is reportedly an egomaniac, he probably is not actually very sexy. Acknowledging there is no accounting for taste, I welcome second opinions.

Patty Murray -- My Kind of Hero. Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "In a town consumed by talk of the apocalyptic consequences of failing to resolve the budgeting crisis, Murray [D-Washington] has been arguing that missing the [fiscal cliff] deadline for a deal -- going over the cliff -- could actually make getting a deal easier.... As chair of her party's Senate campaign arm, the architect of surprising Democratic gains and the incoming chair of the powerful Senate Budget Committee, Murray now occupies a place of special influence in the Senate."

Manuel Roig-Franzia of the Washington Post: "The biggest scoop of his [reporter Ed Kennedy's] career -- Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender ... ruined his career. And a determined group of prominent journalists wants ... Kennedy to be posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize, a recognition of a singular moment of courage when a star correspondent defied political and military censorship to file one of the biggest stories of the century."

Right Wing World

Derangement. Even though President Obama mentioned God in this year's Thanksgiving address, it wasn't good enough for the lunatic leaders of Right Wing World, who ginned up plenty of outrage over "Obama's Godless Thanksgiving." Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs rounds up the raunch.

Jonathan Chait of New York has a lovely takedown of "right-wing intellectual" and Commentary editor John Podhoretz. Chait doesn't do much work; he just cites Podhoretz's hilariously contradictory Commentary commentary from before & after the election.

Manny Fernandez of the New York Times: "Secession fever has struck parts of Texas, which Mitt Romney won by nearly 1.3 million votes. Sales of bumper stickers reading 'Secede' -- one for $2, or three for $5 -- have increased at TexasSecede.com. In East Texas, a Republican official sent out an e-mail newsletter saying it was time for Texas and Vermont to each 'go her own way in peace' and sign a free-trade agreement among the states. A petition calling for secession that was filed by a Texas man on a White House Web site has received tens of thousands of signatures, and the Obama administration must now issue a response."

News Ledes

Reuters: "President Barack Obama, in a bid to show support for small businesses, took his daughters on an early Christmas shopping trip on Saturday as the U.S. retail sector swings into high gear this holiday season. Promoting 'Small Business Saturday,' the third annual event that encourages consumers to support independently-owned local shops, Obama took his daughters Sasha and Malia to 'One More Page Books' in Arlington, Virginia...."

Politico: "The State Department's Washington D.C. headquarters caught fire Saturday morning, a department spokeswoman announced." A spokesperson said the fire, caused during routine maintenance work, was quickly extinguished.

New York Times: "Hector Camacho, a boxer known for his lightning-quick hands and flamboyant personality who emerged from a delinquent childhood in New York's Spanish Harlem to become a world champion in three weight classes, died on Saturday in San Juan, P.R., after being shot while sitting in a parked car. He was 50."

New York Times: "The official sales numbers [For Black Thursday/Friday] will not be reported for a few days, but analysts are expecting a strong sales day, with results comparable with last year's gain of about 3 percent, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, which is a metric for total American retail sales across all payment forms, including cash and check. The earlier hours from a few select chains seem unlikely to increase the size of the spending pie, but they may reapportion it."

Reuters: "Angry youths hurled rocks at security forces and burned a police truck as thousands gathered in central Cairo to protest at Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's decision to grab sweeping new powers. Police fired tear gas near Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak at the height of the Arab Spring. Thousands demanded that Mursi should quit and accused him of launching a 'coup'."

AP: "House Republicans still smarting from their poor showing among Hispanics in the presidential election are planning a vote next week on immigration legislation that would both expand visas for foreign science and technology students and make it easier for those with green cards to bring their immediate families to the U.S."

New York Times: "Larry Hagman, whose portrayal of one of television's most beloved villains, J.R. Ewing, led the CBS series 'Dallas' to enormous world popularity, died Friday in Dallas, where Mr. Hagman had been filming the sequel to his famous show. He was 81."