Morning Media Summary
Tech:
Online political activists fret about Facebook bias:
“Online political activists say they perceive a bias in the way Facebook administrators have distributed a new software key, The Daily Caller reports:”
Amazon Introduces Cheaper, 3G-Enabled E-Reader with Ads:
“Amazon.com Inc. launched another version of its popular Kindle electronic reader that is cheaper, but that comes with on-screen ads.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
Where the GOP 2012 candidates stand on ethanol subsidies:
“Those eyeing the Republican nomination for president in 2012 differ on whether to phase out the $5 billion spent a year on ethanol subsidies — something that could risk alienating Iowa voters.”
Inhofe letter asks why EPA requests $1.24 billion in new funding, despite $2 billion on hand:
“Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe is challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s request for $1.24 billion in new funding when the agency has more than $2 billion at hand left over from the 2011 budget.”
White House: No more full-size vehicles unless essential:
“President Barack Obama has an order for federal agencies: No more driving full-size sedans or SUVs unless it is absolutely necessary.”
Transcript: Al Gore Got ‘D’ in ‘Natural Science’ at Harvard:
“In his commencement speech at Hamilton College on Sunday, former Vice President Al Gore told the graduates that global warming is “the most serious challenge our civilization has ever faced.” But as an undergraduate at Harvard University in the late 1960s, Gore–one of the most prominent spokesmen on climate change today–earned a “D” in Natural Sciences.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Pa. grand jury calls for overhaul of casino laws:
“Pennsylvania’s casino regulations should be strengthened and personnel and procedures at the Gaming Control Board should be overhauled, a grand jury said in a report issued Tuesday.”
Health / Safety:
Raw Milk: It tastes like freedom!:
“In April 2010, federal agents descended on the dairy farm of Dan Allgyers in Pennsylvania. The Amish farmer produces unpasteurized milk on his farm and sells it to families who prefer dairy products in their natural state.”
USDA fines Missouri family $90K for selling a few rabbits without a license:
“It started out as a hobby, a way for the Dollarhite family in Nixa, Mo., to teach a teenage son responsibility. Like a lemonade stand.”
Economics:
Stimulus recipients found to be tax cheats:
“One construction company that won multiple awards of money under President Obama’s 2009 stimulus program was delinquent on its federal tax bill to the tune of $700,000, even as a company executive was blowing hundreds of thousands of dollars at casinos.”
Treasurer says he would call bond houses, warn lending to Illinois:
“Illinois chief fiscal officer said Monday he is willing to dial up the bond houses and finance companies to alert them that lending the state more money, as Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed, would be a “major risk.””
Legal:
NYC judges allows lawsuit against Huffington Post:
“A judge on Tuesday refused to throw out a lawsuit by two Democratic political consultants who allege that The Huffington Post’s founders stole the idea for the online news website from them.”
John Edwards: U.S. Green-Lights Prosecution for Alleged Campaign Law Violations Tied to Affair Cover-Up:
“The United States Department of Justice has green-lighted the prosecution of former presidential candidate John Edwards for alleged violations of campaign laws while he tried to cover up an extra-marital affair, ABC News has learned.”
Labor:
Labor’s Hail Mary pass:
“This is a maddening time for anyone concerned about the lives of working-class Americans. The frustration and anger that suffused AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka’s declaration last week that labor would distance itself from the Democratic Party was both clear and widely noted. Not so widely noted has been a shift in the organizing strategy of two of labor’s leading institutions — Trumka’s AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union — that reflects a belief that the American labor movement may be on the verge of extinction and must radically change its game.”
Transportation/ Land Use:
California’s High-Speed Rail Won’t Go Nowhere:
“Since California announced it had funding for a short, Central Valley leg of its planned high-speed rail system, critics have made a point of (disingenuously) scratching their heads. Ed Morissey at Hot Air argues that rail officials in California have “managed to break ground in an effort to connect two central-state communities so small that one of them is unincorporated, for service that will connect fewer people than live in Anaheim.””