Morning Media Summary
Tech:
White House uses Twitter to bully critics:
President Obama’s director of progressive media is obsessed with one particular conservative provocateur. Jesse Lee’s duties at the White House include “online response” — and there has been no shortage of responses to one person who routinely communicates with him on Twitter.”
Microsoft patent division taking cash from at least 5 Android vendors:
“One of Microsoft’s hottest new profit centers is a smartphone platform you’ve definitely heard of: Android.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
UN environmental initiative is the Tea Party’s new nightmare:
“Tea Party activists have started to sound the alarms over a United Nations initiative most Americans have never heard of, but one that many in the movement see as one of the greatest threats to America’s sovereignty.”
Upper East Side Woman, Darbe Pitofsky, Ticketed For Using City Trash Can:
“An elderly Upper East Side woman claims a sanitation agent chased her, threatened her with arrest and slapped her with a ticket for putting day-old newspapers in a city trash can.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Legal online poker getting closer, game of skill debates continue:
“Washington, DC may soon offer the first shot at legal wagering on online poker in the the US. While the folks in the nation’s capital are having hearings on how to roll out a local version of online poker run by the lottery, the big money is still gambling on what decision comes out of the US Congress.”
Health / Safety:
The victims of nationalized health care:
“Still in London until the end of the week. The papers here have been chock full of NHS horror stories and health care cautionary tales as the British health care system marks its 63rd birthday.”
DOT Exempts Maker of ‘Flying Car’ From Road Vehicle Safety Specs:
“One of the classic issues facing innovators is that because their ideas are new, their products aren’t always ‘legal,’ because they don’t fit any of the traditional definitions of a product under existing rules.”
Economics:
Great news from Van Jones: America is not broke:
“An ironic bookend to that Richard Cohen column I linked earlier accusing the GOP of being a “cult” that can’t face unpleasant realities. Look out here for actual chanting about how allegedly un-broke we are. (Even The One is more reality-based than that.) You’ve seen this schtick before — remember Michael Moore’s disgusting speech in Wisconsin about the “400 little Mubaraks” who have stolen “our” money? — but watch it anyway to see how slippery Jones is with the actual numbers. Turns out there’s “a lot” of wealth out there that could be used to reduce the deficit; not enough wealth to keep up with a metastasizing government, especially with entitlement spending set to explode, but still, it’s “a lot.” No need to sweat the details.”
Legal:
Casey Anthony acquitted for some reason:
“Obama’s doing a quickie presser at 4:40 p.m. to talk about the debt ceiling and the evils of corporate jets, etc, but apart from that, it’ll be wall-to-wall Caseymania on cable news for the rest of the day. There’s no avoiding it so we might as well catch the news wave and surf. How many of you followed the trial? I only watched bits and pieces, but if you need to get up to speed, the Wikipedia article of the case is a solid summary based on what I’ve read elsewhere. Money quote: “There is something wrong. I found my daughter’s car today and it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car.” And yet, the party raged on.”
Labor:
Unions Wedded To – But Wary Of – Obama In 2012:
“Bracing for an election cycle that will be marked by heavy outside spending, massive voter registration drives, and 16 months of presidential politicking, the American labor movement confronts a daunting slate of demographic changes and other trends that could make 2012 a rocky year for unions.”
Transportation/ Land Use:
Bank plan would help build bridges, boost jobs:
“China announced last week that it opened the world’s longest sea bridge and added a line to the world’s largest high-speed rail network. Meanwhile, on this side of the Pacific, the United States is struggling to address its crumbling roads and creaky bridges.”