In Brief

"I want to renegotiate what was accepted at a certain stage to give it the dimension of growth."

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:15:52 -0700

“I want to renegotiate what was accepted at a certain stage to give it the dimension of growth.”

- France’s newly inaugurated President, Francois Hollande, at a news conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper see soda sales fall

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:51:03 -0700

Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper see soda sales fall:

The nation’s big three beverage makers continue to push back against attempts by public health officials to wean Americans off of unhealthy, sugary sodas, even as sales fall and the companies themselves raise prices on their products.

Chase CEO Jaime Dimon has `zero’ credit in D.C., analyst says

Mon, 14 May 2012 22:16:22 -0700

Chase CEO Jaime Dimon has `zero’ credit in D.C., analyst says:

Simon Johnson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former economist at the International Monetary Fund, talks about the outlook for JPMorgan Chase following the disclosure the company suffered a $2 billion trading loss.

A park (Pascal Campion)

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:23:00 -0700

A park (Pascal Campion)

Republicans launch new SuperPAC targeting young voters

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:17:23 -0700

Republicans launch new SuperPAC targeting young voters:

Kevin Bondelli of FutureMajority writes: I know that the initial reaction from many from the left is to laugh this effort off, but that would be a mistake. The right has already been trouncing the left for years when it comes to grooming their young talent, and if conservatives are serious about investing resources in youth outreach they could certainly do some damage. Democrats, liberals, and progressives need to realize that despite a pretty major head start, the Millennial generation can not be taken for granted. If we want to see large turnout with high Dem advantage from young voters, we need to invest in youth outreach. That funding and outreach can be the difference between election years like 2006/2008 and 2010.

New York Times: Cutbacks hurt Washington State’s response to whooping cough

Sat, 12 May 2012 17:41:52 -0700

New York Times: Cutbacks hurt Washington State’s response to whooping cough:

In Skagit County, which has been hit the hardest by the latest whooping cough outbreak, the local Public Health Department has half the staff it did in 2008. Preventive care programs, intended to keep people healthy, are mostly gone, the New York Times reports.

"As an eighteen-year-old, it sounded like a good fit to me, and the school really sold it. I knew a..."

Sat, 12 May 2012 15:27:26 -0700

“As an eighteen-year-old, it sounded like a good fit to me, and the school really sold it. I knew a private school would cost a lot of money. But when I graduate, I’m going to owe like $900 a month. No one told me that.”

- Kelsey Griffith, a graduate of Ohio Northern University, who owes $120,000 in student loans after four years of college.

Maritime week: Navigating the future

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:43:55 -0700

Maritime week: Navigating the future:

Jon Talton explains that our region’s ports are everybody’s business, because they are economic engines that power commerce.

Coal exports could block passenger-rail expansion

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:41:21 -0700

Coal exports could block passenger-rail expansion:

The corporations involved with a proposed Bellingham-area coal export facility could get a nearly free ride on rail upgrades, Floyd McKay writes. Or the coal traffic might just kill hopes for a greener form of travel.

Notable tweets in response to Barack Obama's support for marriage equality

Wed, 09 May 2012 19:59:59 -0700

Notable tweets in response to Barack Obama's support for marriage equality:

ThinkProgress offers a compilation of tweets posted by activists, elected leaders and entertainers in response to President Obama’s announcement that he now personally supports marriage equality.

Auto rescue remarks haunt Romney in Michigan

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:15:10 -0700

Auto rescue remarks haunt Romney in Michigan:

Every time native son Mitt Romney returns to Michigan in his bid to become the first Republican in twenty-four years to carry the state in a presidential race, he is likely to re-ignite debate over his opposition to the federal rescue of the Detroit-based auto industry, the Free Press reports.

"Many people see politics as I see sports. There are two teams, and my team is going to beat yours,..."

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:31:08 -0700

“Many people see politics as I see sports. There are two teams, and my team is going to beat yours, and nothing else matters. Winning is everything. And that’s a bad mistake. Because as we noted yesterday, while sports is a simulation of war — it’s harmless to project tribalism on the symbols of basketball or baseball — it’s not harmless to do that with politics. We’re not manipulating symbols there. There are real armies and economies at stake. Nuclear weapons. The viability of the planet. The future of our species. If we see this as war, then it is war. How much do you know about war, and do you really want to usher it in so quickly, without thinking.”

- Dave Winer, on the difference between politics and sports (“One is frivolous and the other is anything but”).

"If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another Democrat..."

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:41:08 -0700

“If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another Democrat president. It’s kind of a pipe dream, it’s a personal fantasy of mine, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women.”

- Radical right wing media personality Ann Coulter, lamenting the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which happened decades ago.

Romney criticized for claiming credit for auto industry rescue

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:24:49 -0700

Romney criticized for claiming credit for auto industry rescue:

Democrats are jumping all over Mitt Romney after he told a Cleveland television station that he deserved credit for the rebound of America’s auto industry.

"[The] RIAA’s grand and sweeping attacks on dajaz1.com suggest that RIAA’s powers of demonization far..."

Tue, 08 May 2012 19:05:26 -0700

“[The] RIAA’s grand and sweeping attacks on dajaz1.com suggest that RIAA’s powers of demonization far exceed its ability to substantiate its malicious statements with specific and credible facts.”

- Dajaz1 lawyer Andrew P. Bridges, slamming the Recording Industry Association of America for unfairly maligning his client.

Vice President Joe Biden indicates he's ready to support marriage equality

Mon, 07 May 2012 13:23:14 -0700

DAVID GREGORY: You raise social policy. I'm curious. You know, the president has said that his views on gay marriage, on same-sex marriage have evolved. But he's opposed to it. You're opposed to it. Have your views -- evolved?
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Look-- I just think-- that-- the good news is that as more and more Americans become to understand what this is all about is a simple proposition. Who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that's what people are finding out is what-- what all marriages, at their root, are about. Whether they're-- marriages of lesbians or gay men or heterosexuals.
DAVID GREGORY: Is that what you believe now? Are you--
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: That's what I believe.
DAVID GREGORY: And you're comfortable with same-sex marriage now?
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: I-- I-- look, I am vice president of the United States of America. The president sets the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction -- beyond that.

"Mr Hollande’s win, backed by the wholesale rejection of mainstream parties in Greece, the..."

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:52:25 -0700

“Mr Hollande’s win, backed by the wholesale rejection of mainstream parties in Greece, the collapse of the Dutch government, protests in Spain and mayhem elsewere, tilts the balance of the European debate sharply away from austerity… The right has taken a hit this week, the left is delighted. This will change the dynamic of European politics in far-reaching ways.”

- The Telegraph’s Benedict Brogan, suggesting that François Hollande’s win has tilted Europe leftward and left David Cameron isolated.

Marvel's The Avengers becomes the biggest box office opener in history with $200 million weekend haul in North America

Sun, 06 May 2012 23:29:02 -0700

Marvel's The Avengers becomes the biggest box office opener in history with $200 million weekend haul in North America:

Move over, Harry Potter. And get out of the way, Batman. Disney-owned Marvel’s The Avengers has just set a new record as the biggest box office opener in history, taking in more than $200 million in its inaugural weekend (and breaking several other records in the process). The Avengers may not hold its title for very long, however. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to be released at the end of 2012, and it has the potential to dethrone The Avengers.

"In the first place, Chen Guangcheng should not have to ask a foreign country to protect his rights...."

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:00:14 -0700

“In the first place, Chen Guangcheng should not have to ask a foreign country to protect his rights. His rights should be protected by his own country, through the constitution. But it is obvious that this cannot be done.”

- Ai Xiaoming, a documentary filmmaker and activist, explaining why Chinese democracy activist Chen Guangcheng wants to leave China with his family and seek refuge in the United States.

"Why are you protesting downtown? Downtowns represent the physical and architectural manifestation of..."

Wed, 02 May 2012 09:41:00 -0700

“Why are you protesting downtown? Downtowns represent the physical and architectural manifestation of the commons, a “we” society rather than a “me” society. Disrupt and, God forbid, trash a downtown and you’re just playing into the hands of the people you’re supposedly protesting against. The toffs are out in places such as Darien, Conn. Go protest there.”

- Seattle Times columnist Jon Talton, addressing May Day protesters who say they are marching today in protest of capitalism.