Morning Media Summary

Tech:

Survey: Consumers want government to protect their privacy online:
“Two-thirds of consumers want the government to safeguard their privacy online and 81 percent want to add their names to a Do Not Track list, according to a May poll released Tuesday by Consumers Union.”

Supreme Court to weight in on warrantless GPS tracking:
“In a move with far-reaching privacy implications, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case involving the government’s authority to conduct prolonged GPS tracking of suspects in criminal cases without first obtaining a court warrant.”

Another Try by Google to Take On Facebook:
“Google has tried several times, without much success, to take on Facebook and master social networking. Now it is making its biggest effort yet.”

Global Warming / Environment / Energy:

The New York Times’ natural gas fiasco:
“Talk about hot air. The Gray Lady blew a spectacular bit of smoke with a recent article that suggested shale natural gas production is a shaky investment at best and, at worst, a Ponzi scheme of sorts, destined to devastate those who buy the “lie” that shale plays will not only produce high profits for companies, but will also provide affordable energy for the country.”

Insurance / Gambling:

Barton Bill on Online Poker Legislation is Praised and Criticized:
“Of course, this makes sense when you consider that the active, public lobby for the legalization of online poker has been the poker players of the U.S. through the high profile organization the Poker Players Association (PPA). They have testified publically, met with lawmakers and sent out email after email to members and supporters. The group has taken out ads and been about as proactive as a group can be. Barton attended their most recent rally in Washington, D.C. The group has had a major influence.”

Health / Safety:

DNA samples will determine if Jupiter residents aren’t picking up behind their pooch:
“Plagued with pets that do business in all the wrong places, dog owners in the Village of Abacoa, a condominium association of 458 units, must pay a $200 fee starting Aug. 1. The money will pay DNA Pet World Registry to take the dog’s genetic fingerprint and keep the information on file.”

Economics:

Bank of America Reaches $8.5 Billion Settlement On Mortgage-Securities Claims [Update]:
“Bank of America Corp settled nearly all of the claims related to the legacy Countrywide-issued first-lien residential mortgage-backed securitization (RMBS) repurchase exposure for $8.5 billion in cash.”

Report: Treasury must cut spending 44 percent in default:
“New analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), which has been shared extensively with members of Congress, estimates that the Treasury Department would not be able to pay all its bills and would need to implement an immediate 44 percent cut in federal spending in the event the debt ceiling is exceeded. “

Legal:

Newspaper Guild president: Huffington Post strike isn’t over:
“This year’s strike by unpaid bloggers against the Huffington Post isn’t over, Newspaper Guild President Bernie Lunzer tells The Daily Caller.”

Labor:

Labor Union May Be Able to Set City Manager Paychecks
:
“In San Francisco, at times, we behave normally in spite of ourselves. For example, here, as in the rest of the world, our elected officials have a hand in determining the salaries and benefits of the unionized city workers who make the city go. But even that might change. Soon it could be the unions who tell our elected officials how much they’ll earn and what benefits they’ll get. A pending Assembly bill would make that state law.”

Greetings from London: A taste of Wisconsin as public unions prepare to strike:
“I’m in London on vacation with family, but will be filing my regular Wednesday and Friday columns and blogging when the sloooow Internet connections allow. There’s much tension here as three-quarters of a million public union workers prepare to strike on Thursday. Featured above is one of countless posters littering the streets — I snapped it near the Earl’s Court tube stop. It’s a taste of Wisconsin across the pond as fiscal conservatives try to rein in bloated pensions and battle the entrenched culture of entitlement of Big Labor. Naturally, the unions have no problem endangering public safety and national security to protect their racket:”

Transportation/ Land Use:

Journalists test high speed train:
“Nearly 200 journalists from home and abroad have come to experience the speed and luxury of the so-called “on-land flight”.”