The Hollywood Liberal

Government crackdown in Syria
As the conflict continues in Syria, President Bashar Assad’s forces attacked civilians in the city of Dara. (April 25)

Obama expected to announce national security team changes this week
President Obama is expected to announce long-anticipated changes in his national security team this week, including a new ambassador to Afghanistan, according to administration officials familiar with internal deliberations.

Treasury quietly plans for failure to raise debt ceiling
The White House is warning that catastrophe will strike if Congress fails to raise the limit on the national debt: With too little cash to pay creditors, the U.S. government would default. Interest rates would skyrocket. And the economic recovery would collapse.

Haley Barbour gets out of the race
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) decided yesterday against a presidential run. While the bulk of the pundits and political press corps expressed surprise, I can’t say that I was shocked. In fact, since December I’ve predicted that Barbour’s presidential race was doomed. When his longtime aide Nick Ayers went to the Pawlenty campaign I was virtually certain Barbour wouldn’t make a run.

Hector Balderas joins New Mexico Senate race
New Mexico state Auditor Hector Balderas announced Tuesday that he will run for Senate in New Mexico, setting up a Democratic primary between he and Rep. Martin Heinrich.

Can You Handle the Truth About Gulf Spill?
Margaret Wente, Globe&Mail
Here’s some news you may not have heard: One year after the worst oil spill in history, the Gulf of Mexico is nearly back to normal.That’s right: Armageddon didn’t happen. Instead of terrible harm to the biosphere, the Deepwater Horizon spill has caused only mild problems. In fact, because of the fishing bans imposed after the spill, there are more fish than ever. Shark and mackerel populations have exploded. “Red snapper are unbelievable right now,” one fisherman said. “You could put a rock on the end a string and they’d…

Inequality, Military Overreach Hamper U.S.
Linda Bilmes, Boston Globe
WITH DEFICIT-reduction fever gripping Washington, it is easy to forget that the stunning turnaround in America’s finances — from budget surpluses in the late 1990s to today’s sea of red ink — is largely the byproduct of successive presidents trying to fix yesterday’s crises.President Bush launched the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in response to 9/11, enacted Medicare Part D to help seniors cope with the rising prices of medicines, and cut taxes across the board in an effort to lower tax burdens. President Obama bailed out the banks to save the…

House Republicans Question Google, Apple on Privacy