The Commentariat -- May 3, 2014

Internal links, graphic removed.

CW: A reminder that the White House Correspondents' dinner is tonight. I'll carry it live here beginning at 8:00 pm.

Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said Friday that there were still significant differences between Germany and the United States over the issue of surveillance, and warned that it was too soon to return to 'business as usual' between the two allies. At a joint news conference at the White House, both Ms. Merkel and President Obama addressed the tensions between the two countries caused by the disclosure last October that the National Security Agency had eavesdropped on Ms. Merkel’s phone calls":

David Sanger of the New York Times: Silicon Valley "was the subject of a new White House report about how technology and the crunching of big data about the lives of Americans -- from which websites they visit to where they drive their newly networked cars -- are enlarging the problem. At their core, the questions about the N.S.A. are strikingly similar to those about how Google, Yahoo, Facebook and thousands of application makers crunch their numbers. The difference is over the question of how far the government will go to restrain the growth of its own post-Sept. 11 capabilities, and whether it will decide the time has come to intrude on what private industry collects, in the name of protecting privacy or preventing new forms of discrimination." ...

... An earlier Times report on the White House paper, by Sanger & Steve Lohr, is here. ...

... Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Obama declared this week's botched execution in Oklahoma 'deeply disturbing' and directed the attorney general on Friday to review how the death penalty is applied in the United States at a time when it has become increasingly debated.... Within hours, the Justice Department outlined a relatively narrow review focused on how executions are carried out rather assessing the entire system. But given Mr. Obama's broader comments, supporters and opponents wondered whether he might be foreshadowing an eventual shift in position by the time he leaves office, much as he dropped his opposition to same-sex marriage in 2012."

Upending Webster's. Benghaaazi! Wesley Lowrey of the Washington Post: "The House Republican leadership will form a select committee, likely to be led by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), to investigate the State Department's handling of the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya." ...

se·lect: adjective \sə-ˈlekt\: of the highest quality -- Merriam-Webster

There is no way the House GOP can put together a 'select committee,' in the standard definition of the word 'select.' So form the git-go, the committee is bogus. -- Constant Weader

... Charles Pierce comments. ...

... Jed Lewison gets you up-to-date on the leadership's "reasons" for replacing Darrell Issa with Trey Gowdy. as Chief Benghazi Prosecutor. One possible motivation: Gowdy's "amazing hair." CW: Gowdy looks like a serial killer to me.

American "Justice," Ctd. Marc Bookman in Mother Jones on a Georgia case in which a mentally-disabled man is likely to be executed because his drunken, criminal, racist, deadbeat, lawyer failed to present mitigating evidence in the sentencing phase. And quite a number of Georgia judges are fine with that.

Hannity Supports Vigilante Double Murderer. Timothy Johnson of Media Matters: "Fox host Sean Hannity dismissed the murder convictions of a Minnesota homeowner[, Byron Smith,] who used excessive force in killing two teenagers who broke into his home, claiming with exasperation, 'They broke into the guy's house.' ... After spotting a neighbor he believed had previously burglarized his house, Smith moved his car to make his home seem unoccupied and then waited in his basement 'with a book, energy bars, a bottle of water and two guns.'" Johnson relates the horrifying details of the executions, which Smith audio-recorded. With video. ...

The guy should get a Medal of Freedom for what he did. -- Bernard McGurk, Imus producer & on-air personality, a Hannity guest for the segment

... CW: For those of you with strong stomachs, the New York Daily News has the audio of the executions here. I won't be listening. ...

... Digby, in Salon: "And to think it was the conservative movement that once fetishized 'law and order.' Of course it was always self-serving.... But it's still startling to see television anchors lauding a man who is clearly a murderous fiend and then sharing a good chuckle over the whole thing. Thanks to Barbarossa for the link. ...

... Nicole Flatow of Think Progress: "Seventeen-year-old Diren Dede lost his life Sunday, while in Missoula, Montana on a high school exchange program from Germany. He was shot dead at the home of Markus Kaarma, after Kaarma set a trap for intruders by intentionally leaving the garage open and placing a purse in clear view. After motion sensors detected someone in the garage, Kaarma shot Dede. And while he has since been charged with first degree murder, he is already invoking a Stand Your Ground-like defense.... Since the shooting Sunday, state lawmaker Ellie Hill (D) has already proposed a bill to repeal some provisions of [Montana's NRA-backed gun] law. More than two years after the shooting of Trayvon [Martin] made these laws famous, not a single state has successfully repealed a provision." ...

... CW: Hannity's producers are likely trying to book Kaarma now. This is what you get with permissive stand-your-ground/castle-doctrine laws: they encourage nuts -- like Hannity -- to believe they have a right to shoot anybody who enters their homes or steps in their yards uninvited. If no prey conveniently appear, just set a trap. The "moral majority" is murderously immoral. ...

     ... Too bad Montana's attractive-nuisance laws didn't get as much press attention as its permissive gun laws. Kaarma not only created an attractive nuisance to lure children to his home, he did so purposely.

... As Digby writes, "Looking for some really fun 21st century style 'hunting'? Set up a deer blind, only for people, and wait for a dumb teenager to wander into it. Then kill him, claiming you're 'standing your ground.' Premeditated murder is now legal in a whole bunch of states."

The Conspirator. James Stewart of the New York Times: Steve Jobs "was the driving force in a conspiracy to prevent competitors from poaching employees.... The anti-poaching pact was hardly Mr. Jobs[s only post-mortem brush with the law. His behavior was at the center of an e-book price-fixing conspiracy with major publishers. After a lengthy trial, a federal judge ruled last summer that 'Apple played a central role in facilitating and executing that conspiracy.' (Apple has appealed the decision. The publishers all settled the case.) ... In an email to James Murdoch, then an executive at News Corporation, which owned the publisher HarperCollins, Mr. Jobs offered what amounted to a classic case in price fixing.... Mr. Jobs also figured prominently in the options backdating scandal that rocked Silicon Valley eight years ago.... Five executives of other companies went to prison for backdating options, but Mr. Jobs was never charged."

A "Wall of Separation" Crumbles. Harold French in the Columbia Journalism Review. For Bloomberg "News," the motto is "All the news that fits our business interests." The business division kills its news division's investigative stories when they displease the Chinese government. Thanks to Safari for the link.

Congressional Race

Rod Meloni, et al., of WDIV Detroit: "Veteran U.S. Congressman John Conyers does not have enough signatures to get on the Aug. 5 primary ballot, according to Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett.... However, she said this is not the final decision on the issue. That will come by May 7, following an investigation into a formal challenge of Conyers' signatures. If he doesn't get on the ballot, Conyers will have to run as a write-in candidate for his 26th term.... At issue are two of Conyers' petition gatherers who apparently were not registered voters, as required by Michigan law, when they canvassed voters for signatures. That means any signatures they collected would be declared invalid...." ...

... CW: That may be Michigan law, but a reasonable judge will consider the intent of the signators & validate their signatures. In fairness, Conyers' staff is incompetent for outsourcing the petition-gathering to unqualified canvassers.

Beyond the Beltway

David Freedlander of the Daily Beast: "Wisconsin Republicans are set to vote on a measure this weekend that would affirm the state's right to secede from the union. Goodbye, U.S. of A., Hello U.S. of Cheese."

The President's Weekly Address

White House: "In this week's address, the President provides an update on the work his Administration has done to strengthen the economy and expand opportunity for hardworking Americans in this Year of Action":

News Ledes

New York Times: "Ukraine's security forces pressed their assault on pro-Russia militants in and around the separatist stronghold of Slovyansk on Saturday, even as the rebels freed seven European military observers and the Kremlin cited the deaths of dozens of people in Odessa as proof that Ukraine could no longer protect its citizens."

Reuters: "A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Friday urged settlement talks in a dispute between General Motors Co and plaintiffs seeking compensation for the lost value of their cars stemming from a massive recall over a faulty ignition switch, though neither side seemed ready to negotiate quite yet. Judge Robert Gerber, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, said he would welcome the prospect of a resolution that avoided a 'monstrous battle.'"

The Commentariat -- May 2, 2014

CW: Yesterday I implied that the City of Chicago spent $500MM last year to improve Wrigley Field. That isn't true; I misinterpreted the lede in the story I linked. In yesterday's thread, contributor Haley S. set me straight. P.S. to Wingers: When you allow your biases to lead you into making a boneheaded mistake, you fess up. It's not that hard to say, "Oops!"

Paul Krugman wrings his hands over the question of why economics failed to cause politicians to make decisions to avert "a vast economic and human catastrophe, with trillions of dollars of productive potential squandered and millions of families placed in dire straits for no good reason." ...

... CW: I know exactly why. (1) The buck stops with the President, so ultimately, -- as every Republican will tell you, "it's all Obama's fault." Obama was/is so anxious to fit in with the Washington elite that his knee-jerk response was/is to stick with establishment advisors. As Sen. Byron Dorgan told Obama, 'You've picked the wrong people. I don't understand how you could do this. You've picked the wrong people!" (2) Those wrong people were Larry Summers, Tim Geithner & (early on) Bob Rubin, two corrupt Wall Street sycophants & one craven Master of the Universe. Summers is a very bright guy, but he's also a giant prick whose Number One Client is Larry Summers. As he told Elizabeth Warren, "Insiders don't criticize other insiders." Abrasive as he is, Summers would never rock the boat or bite the hand that feeds him. He has no character. Ditto Geithner. (3) Meanwhile, credible economists who cared, who knew what to do, & who knew how to explain macroeconomics to non-economists -- Krugman, Joe Stiglitz, Christina Romer -- were too fucking polite to demand Obama stop doing stupid shit.

** Laura Barron-Lopez of the Hill: "Keystone XL supporters on Thursday introduced legislation they said was backed by 56 senators that would immediately greenlight the controversial oil pipeline.... Eleven Democrats are among the 56 senators backing the bill, which would immediately give pipeline developer TransCanada the green light on a permit to begin construction of Keystone XL, according to a release from [Mary] Landrieu's [ConservaD-La.] office. Democrats discussed the issue during a meeting on Thursday, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) expressed optimism a deal would be reached to allow a vote."

Craig Timberg of the Washington Post: "Major U.S. technology companies have largely ended the practice of quietly complying with investigators' demands for e-mail records and other online data, saying that users have a right to know in advance when their information is targeted for government seizure. This increasingly defiant industry stand is giving some of the tens of thousands of Americans whose Internet data gets swept into criminal investigations each year the opportunity to fight in court to prevent disclosures. Prosecutors, however, warn that tech companies may undermine cases by tipping off criminals, giving them time to destroy vital electronic evidence before it can be gathered." ...

... CW: Great. Meanwhile, the companies are still stalking me with ads for stuff I might have once Googled months ago.

Larry Fine of Reuters: "The National Basketball Association on Thursday launched its bid to oust Donald Sterling as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers for racist comments as a panel of 10 fellow team owners or their proxies unanimously agreed to proceed 'as expeditiously as possible,' the NBA said. The decision, reached during a telephone conference call of the NBA Board of Governors' advisory-finance committee, seemed to indicate a strong base of support among Sterling's fellow owners for his removal, as urged by league Commissioner Adam Silver." Via Margaret Hartmann. ...

... Margaret Hartmann of New York: V. "Stiviano's lawyer, Siamak Nehoray, told the AP on Thursday that the hour-long recording [of her conversation with Donald Sterling] was leaked to TMZ by her friend. Stiviano recorded the conversation on her phone and forwarded two snippets electronically. She asked her buddy to hold on to them for 'safekeeping,' which the friend apparently took to mean 'sell them to TMZ.' ... Nehoray also reiterated that Stiviano is Sterling's archivist, and nothing more. 'It was by mutual agreement that it was going to be recorded,' he said." ...

... Tami Abdollah of the AP: "California law requires both parties to agree to recording a conversation that one would reasonably expect to be private." ...

... Linda Massarella, et al., of the New York Post: "This could wind up being a pretty short ban. Disgraced racist Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is battling cancer -- surprising those around him by beating the final buzzer for as long as he has, sources told The Post on Thursday." CW: This report is actually quite sensitive. The Post editors nixed the "Nah-ne-nah-ni-nah-ni" headline & accompanying cartoon of the Grim Reaper. Via Margaret Hartmann. ...

... Angel Jennings of the Los Angeles Times: Leon Jenkins, "the head of the Los Angeles Chapter of the NAACP, is coming under scrutiny in the wake of the organization's decision to give awards to Donald Sterling." Read the whole article. What an SOB. Thanks to James S. for the link. ...

     ... Update: Angel Jennings: "Los Angeles NAACP President Leon Jenkins has resigned amid scrutiny surrounding the organization's decision to give awards to disgraced Clippers owner Donald Sterling." ...

... CW: Tim Egan calls sports "the most progressive force in America." Sadly, he doesn't explain why that is. You probably have your own ideas. Here's mine: African-Americans have long excelled in two fields, fields whites considered nonthreatening: sports and entertainment. By the 2nd half of the 20th century, entrepreneurs in both fields realized they could exploit African-American talent. Today black players dominate pro basketball & are prominent in football & baseball. Of course the team members are a "progressive force," at least as far as discrimination against blacks goes. Women, gays & other minority rights: not so much. I wouldn't call it "progressive" when all a person cares about is in his personal self-interest. ...

... Jennifer Steinhauer & David Joachim of the New York Times: "The Obama administration on Thursday released the names of 55 colleges and universities under investigation for their handling of sexual assault complaints, an unusual step meant to increase pressure on the institutions to crack down on the problem on their campuses. It was the first time that the Department of Education had made public a comprehensive list of colleges under investigation for potential violations of federal antidiscrimination law under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The law prohibits gender discrimination at colleges that receive federal money." CW: Now that's progressive. ...

... Here's a full list of the universities & colleges cited.

Benghaaazi! The Hill: "Republicans are turning up the heat on the White House over the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, questioning whether the administration violated a congressional subpoena by withholding documents." ...

... Mario Trujillo of the Hill: "Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday called on Secretary of State John Kerry to testify as to why a newly revealed email prepping Susan Rice for a series of television interviews was not handed over to Congress last year.... Boehner said the withholding of the email constitutes the 'most flagrant example yet of the administration's contempt for the American people's right to know the truth about what happened when four Americans died in a fiery terrorist attack.'" ...

... Justin Sink of the Hill: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) accused White House press secretary Jay Carney of deliberately lying about new emails released earlier this week related to the Benghazi controversy. 'I guess he believes that we're all dumb,' Graham told CNN. 'To say that this wasn't trying to shape the Benghazi story is inconsistent with the document itself, flies in face of the facts, and yet another insulting, misleading lie.' ... The White House has maintained that Rhodes was merely prepping Rice to discuss protests across the Middle East, and not the September 11, 2012 Benghazi incident specifically." ...

... Andrew Kirell of Mediaite: "Appearing on Mike Gallagher's radio show Thursday morning, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) went after the 'scumbags' in the White House who he believes 'lied' in the aftermath of the 2012 attacks on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya." ...

... Steve M.: "For the right, this isn't about the attack -- it's about how the White House talked about the attack.... It matters to them because it happened during a presidential campaign that the president won. Omigod! A candidate running for reelection put the best possible spin on something he did in office -- temporarily!"

Jonathan Chait: Bill & Hillary Clinton can't handle the media because they have turned their antipathy to shallow journalism into "a narcissistic saga of personalized grievance is a way of making it unmanageable."

Beyond the Beltway

Depravity, All Around. Erik Eckholm & John Schwartz of the New York Times have more details on the botched execution of murderer Clayton Lockett.

Dan Friedman of the New York Daily News: "Indicted Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island) got a chance to plead his case Wednesday to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. A source said Cantor (R-Va.) did not demand Grimm's resignation, despite GOP leaders' decision to cut ties with Grimm." ...

... Steve Fishman of New York: Maybe that's because both Grimm & Cantor used the same "shady rabbi," Yoshiyahu Pinto, as a fundraiser.

New York's Finest. Joe Coscarelli of New York: "The copycat crime spree is coming from inside the [NYPD]. For the third time since last Thursday, a New York City police officer has been charged with drinking and shooting -- and that's in addition to the three additional DWIs local cops collected within 27 hours last week. It's almost like this job drives a person to get wasted (and then, occasionally, fire a weapon at an innocent bystander)." CW: So maybe NYC isn't much safer than Georgia.

News Ledes

New York Times: "A federal jury said on Friday that Apple and Samsung had infringed each other's patents, a split decision in the latest court fight between the two technology giants. The jurors found that at least some Samsung devices infringed two of four patents at issue. The judge in the case, Lucy H. Koh, had already ruled that Samsung infringed a fifth patent. For infringing the patents, the jurors concluded, Samsung must pay Apple $119.6 million in damages, far below the $2 billion that Apple had demanded in total.... The jurors decided that Apple had violated one of the two Samsung patents at issue, awarding Samsung $158,400 in damages. It had sought $6 million for both patents combined."

New York Times: "Huge landslides caused by heavy rainfall buried hundreds of houses in a remote area of northeastern Afghanistan on Friday. As many as 2,500 people were said to be missing in the disaster, one of the worst to hit the war-torn country in at least a decade."

Reuters: "U.S. hiring likely increased at its quickest pace in five months in April, which would bolster hopes of a strong rebound in economic activity in the second quarter. Employers probably added 210,000 jobs last month after increasing headcount by 192,000 in March, according to a Reuters poll." ...

     ... Update: "U.S. job growth increased at its fastest pace in more than two years in April and the unemployment rate dived to a 5-1/2 year low of 6.3 percent, suggesting a sharp rebound in economic activity early in the second quarter." ...

     ... Washington Post Update: "Ukraine suffered its bloodiest day in three months on Friday, with at least nine people killed when the army launched its first major assault on a rebel stronghold in the east of the country and 34 killed in clashes between pro-Ukranian and pro-Russian mobs in the Black Sea port city of Odessa. The Ukrainian army attacked the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk at dawn, provoking the heaviest military fighting since a pro-Russian uprising began a month ago. The military took control of the major checkpoints outside the city but was unable to force its way into the center, and two of its helicopters were shot down."

One Way to Dodge Lawsuits. Bloomberg News: "General Motors Co. (GM) is bringing its fight against owners of recalled cars to ... the Manhattan bankruptcy court where the U.S. government financed the automaker's turnaround five years ago.... The carmaker wants U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber to tell the owners [who are bringing suit] that damages stemming from before the company's collapse are barred under his rulings in 2009, when GM emerged from Chapter 11."

Washington Post: "The Ukrainian army launched its first major assault on a rebel stronghold in the east of the country on Friday, provoking the heaviest fighting since a pro-Russian uprising began a month ago. Two military helicopters were shot down, and at least three people were reported killed."

The Commentariat -- May 1, 2014

Graphic removed.

Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "With the Republican-led filibuster of a Senate proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 on Wednesday, Democrats moved swiftly to frame the vote as an example of the gulf that exists between the two parties on matters of economic fairness and upward mobility. The question is not just one of money, they said, but of morality. And in doing so the Democrats returned to the themes that were successful for their party and President Obama in 2012 .... Speaking from the White House shortly after the measure was defeated 54 to 42, with 60 votes needed to advance, Mr. Obama admonished Republicans and called on voters to punish them at the polls in November":

... ** Annie Lowrey of the New York Times: Living standards for the poor are better than they were 50 years ago, but the poor have fallen further behind the middle-class & rich. Read the whole article. ...

... O Canada! Ian Austen & David Leonhardt of the New York Times: Middle-class Canadians are better off than middle-class U.S. workers. "... median income in Canada appears to have surpassed median income in the United States. Plus, their health care is cheaper, they're better-educated, they have higher union membership, the rich aren't as rich, & Canadians didn't lose their homes in the global recession [because Canadian regulations don't allow big bankers to run amok]. ...

... Charles Pierce: "Can we just drop the pretense now and admit that one of our two major political parties is perfectly fine with pauperizing the American middle-class in order to 'redistribute' wealth upwards?"

We have to be cognizant of how people hear things. For instance, when I think of 'inner city,' I think of everyone. I don't just think of one race. It doesn't even occur to me that it could come across as a racial statement, but that's not the case, apparently.... What I learned is that there's a whole language and history that people are very sensitive to, understandably so. We just have to better understand. You know, we'll be a little clumsy, but it's with the right intentions behind it. -- Rep. Paul White Bread Ryan (R-Wis.), after meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus Wednesday

CW Translation: Tetchy, tetchy. Among the many failings of those people, they don't hear right. I'm still the best person ever.

CW Alternate Translation: Damn! Those people are on to me. My staff will have to think of another code phrase for 'lazy black city folk.'

Neil Irwin of the New York Times: "By 2020, about 90 percent of American workers who now receive health insurance through their employers will be shifted to government exchanges created by the health law, according to a projection by S&P Capital IQ, a research firm serving the financial industry."

Jerry Markon, et al., of the Washington Post: "As officials in Oklahoma said they would investigate the botched execution that has drawn worldwide scrutiny, the White House weighed in and said that the execution was not conducted humanely. 'We have a fundamental standard in this country that even when the death penalty is justified, it must be carried out humanely,' Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said Wednesday during a briefing. 'And I think everyone would recognize that this case fell short of that standard.'" ...

... Dustin Volz of the National Journal: "Secret suppliers of drugs, changes in lethal-injection protocol, a cavalier attitude among Oklahoma officials, and a national death-penalty system in crisis preceded Tuesday's failed execution." ...

... ** Andrew Cohen of the Atlantic: "What happened [Tuesday] night was the inevitable result of a breakdown in government in Oklahoma, where frustration at the continuing delay in the resolution of Lockett's case blinded state officials to the basic requirements of due process.... Lockett now is a symbol of feckless judicial review by the federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court.... It's on[, among others,] Justice Antonin Scalia, the man of great faith, who just a few months ago, in oral argument in Hall v. Florida, lamented the slow pace of executions in this country and blamed his colleagues for the delay." ...

... Ian Millhiser of Think Progress has more on the history behind current executions. ...

... New York Times Editors: "On Wednesday afternoon, a few hours after her employees tortured a man to death, [Oklahoma Gov. Mary] Fallin [R] suddenly showed an interest in execution procedures. She ordered an independent review of the injection protocol, halting further state killings until the investigation is complete. She should have gone much further and followed other governors and legislatures in banning executions, recognizing that the American administration of death does not function. Mr. Lockett's ordeal, along with the botched deaths of other inmates around the country, showed there is no reliable and humane method of execution." ...

... Mike Sacks of the Daily Beast on the Supreme Court & the death penalty. The Court won't eliminate the death penalty, so it's up to voters.

Being a Winger Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry, Ctd. Mark Sherman of the AP: "Supreme Court opinions are rarely susceptible to the kind of fact-checking that reporters usually employ on politics. But Justice Antonin Scalia's hearty dissent in an environmental case this week contained such a glaring error of fact -- misreporting an earlier case in which Scalia himself wrote the majority opinion -- that the justice changed the opinion. The court quietly posted the corrected version on its website without notice."

Monica Davey of the New, York Times: Illinois Democrats propose to spend $100 million to lure President Obama to locate his library in Illinois, claiming the state will recoup the money in increased tourism. Republicans object. (No link.) ...

     ... CW: I'm with Republicans on this. However, I'll bet they'd be happy to spend $100MM to get a pro ball team to move to Chicago. Or way more. From ESPN Chicago, July 2013: "The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved a $500 million renovation plan for the 99-year-old Wrigley Field, including a massive left-field LED scoreboard and a large neon right-field sign."

Gail Collins: $1 million won't buy you much these days. Unless you think Jeb Bush's advice or four Hillary Clinton speeches are practically priceless.

Dave Weigel of Slate unpacks the newest Benghaaazi! "scandal": "... the entire argument is about Rhodes mentioning, hours after the CIA had suggested the Benghazi attack grew out of demonstrations in several countries, that the immediate inspiration for the demonstrations was a video. That's the scandal -- that by giving the video all this credit, the administration was distracting people from the real story that terrorism was surging again. Even though the subsequent 19 months have seen no more attacks on embassies. Even though reporting at the time said the excuse for the protests was said video."

Etiquette Rule: Don't Embarrass the Host. Philip Otterman of the Guardian: "The German government has blocked Edward Snowden from giving personal evidence in front of a parliamentary inquiry into NSA surveillance, it has emerged hours before Angela Merkel travels to Washington for a meeting with Barack Obama. In a letter to members of a parliamentary committee obtained by Süddeutsche Zeitung, government officials say a personal invitation for the US whistleblower would 'run counter to the political interests of the Federal Republic', and 'put a grave and permanent strain' on US-German relations.'"

Our American Presidents

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Former President Bill Clinton, who has grown increasingly frustrated that his economic policies are viewed as out-of-step with the current focus on income inequality, on Wednesday delivered his most muscular defense of his economic legacy. The speech reflected a strategic effort by Mr. Clinton and his advisers to reclaim the populist ground now occupied by Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and other ascendant left-leaning Democrats, and, potentially, to lay out an economic message that could propel his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to the White House in 2016."

That "Special Relationship" with Bozo. Nico Hines & Ben Jacobs of the Daily Beast: "In the early1980s, senior members of the British foreign service were appalled by what they saw as the American president's bumbling ignorance and lack of interest in world affairs. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were often portrayed as geo-political soul mates, but government files declassified in London on Wednesday expose a deep British disdain for the president who was described in official papers as homophobic, uninformed, disinterested and, not to put too fine a point on it, 'a Bozo.'"

A'Way Out West

The Nation of Bundyland Is A'Crumblin'. Its once-loyal troops break into civil war. A Daily Kos contributor reports. CW: Funnier if the troops weren't armed & crazy. Via Charles Pierce. ...

... CW: A good deal of attention has been given to the disappeared comma in the Second Amendment. Constitutional scholars instead should devote more thought to the nonstandard spelling & scrivner's error in the Amendment, what with its having been writ by hand before Webster introduced standard American spelling. The ratified version of the Amendment reads,

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

     ... But, with due respect to Justice Scalia (which would be no respect whatsoever), the original intent of the Founders surely was this guarantee:

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bare arse shall not be infringed.

     ... I hold this truth to be self-evident. The venerable Founders could not have been stoopid enough to give those crazy high-plains grifters the right to "bear arms" such as muskets. Their skinny white asses, however, are relatively harmless.

A'Way Closer to D.C.

Michelle Cottle of the Daily Beast: Virginia's Republican party primary process is so undemocratic that a voter suppression technique used to select the establishment candidate actually looks like progress.

Not Everything Is Great in Canada

Jenny Yuen, et al., of the Toronto Sun: Toronto "Mayor Rob Ford says he's 'ready to take a break' from the mayoral election campaign to 'go get help.' The decision to immediately step away from the campaign — while staying on the ballot -- came after the Toronto Sun exclusively obtained a new raunchy audio recording of Ford ranting and swearing in an Etobicoke bar. The Globe and Mail also published a report that a new video surfaced of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking what has been described as crack-cocaine early Saturday morning."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Th[e] eastern Ukrainian city [of Donetsk] took another step toward mob rule Thursday as pro-Russian separatists stormed the state prosecutor's office and forced dozens of riot police deployed to guard the building into a humiliating surrender. The attackers, who threw stones and wielded sticks, were backed by a crowd of at least 1,000 men and women of all ages. They chanted 'fascists' and 'traitors' at the riot police and waved Russian flags as well as those of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic.... In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin made what appears to be a politically impossible demand: that the Ukrainian government completely withdraw its troops from the southeastern part of the country. He made the comments in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel...."

Reuters: "Two inmates were killed and between 100 and 150 prisoners and guards injured in an apparent gas explosion at a jail in northern Florida late on Wednesday, a county official said. The blast partly leveled the four-story Escambia County Jail's central booking facility, which held roughly 600 inmates, at about 11 p.m., county spokeswoman Kathleen Castro said. No escapees were reported."

New York Times: "Ukraine’s acting president conceded what had long been obvious: The government's police and security officials had lost control in the areas surrounding the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk." ...

... Reuters: "Ukraine said on Thursday it had detained Russia's military attaché to Kiev on suspicion of spying and ordered him to leave, as the ex-Soviet republic wrestles with an armed uprising it says is orchestrated by Moscow." ...

... Bloomberg News: "The International Monetary Fund approved a $17-billion loan to Ukraine with an immediate disbursement of $3.2 billion to help the country pay its debts as separatist unrest threatens to split the nation's east."

... AP: "The International Monetary Fund estimates that Russia's economy has already entered recession as fears of broad economic sanctions weigh on the economy. Russia's economy shrank 0.5 percent in the first quarter of the year compared with the previous three-month period and is expected to continue struggling, said the head of the IMF mission in Russia, Antonio Spilimbergo."

AP: "Police in Northern Ireland arrested Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams on Wednesday over his alleged involvement in the Irish Republican Army's 1972 abduction, killing and secret burial of a Belfast widow."