Yeah, we’re a day late. So what about it?
Moving along, it’s really hard to reconcile that the same president with a sick lefty jumper is also the same man who throws a baseball like this:
That just doesn’t seem plausible. Then again, we should have known the man wasn’t a particularly great athlete.
We have seen him bowl after all.
Anyway, let’s get right into the roundup since we’re already running behind:
1. Predictably, right-wing opposition to President Obama has intensified after he revealed his plan to revisit the nation’s approach to its nuclear arsenal. Namely, we won’t use nukes against countries not named Iran or North Korea. And our very own political wunderkind Jamelle has a post on this very subject. A good one, of course. (Blackink)
2. A day after 25 people died and four went missing following an explosion in a West Virginia coal mine, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that corporate negligence may have played a role in the worst U.S. mining disaster in recent years. Also, Andrew Leonard at Salon attempts to connect mining disasters and climate change. (Blackink)
3. China has been dealing with its own coal mine disaster, with rescue efforts now stalled for 32 workers trapped in the mine “with no signs of life.” (Blackink)
4. Ken McKay, Michael Steele’s top aide at the Republican National Committee, stepped down in the wake of all the embarrassing shenanigans over there. Steve Benen writes that things may get worse, since Mike Leavitt, the guy they’ve replaced him with, is such a boor that several RNC staffers quit rather than continue to work for him. (G.D.)
5. There was lots of health news Monday, especially in two much-talked-about studies from the journal Pediatrics. One ties recent measles outbreaks to parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. Another shows that encouraging at least 90 percent of American mothers to only breast feed their babies for the first six months of life could save $13 billion a year. (Quadmoniker)
6. Marriage equality picks up steam in California, with a majority of Golden Staters supporting it in a recent poll. (G.D.)
7. The obligatory news links here and here about the iPad. Try not to wet yourselves. (Blackink)
8. Friday’s New Yorker podcast, The Political Scene, was just an interview with David Remnick about his new book on Obama, The Bridge. Can’t wait to read it. (Quadmoniker)
9. Delia of Bitch Ph.D. explains the “whisper of a wince.” (Blackink)
10. Powerful winter storms have caused the worst damage and most significant beach erosion in Southern California in at least a decade. (Blackink)
11. The Web site WikiLeaks released video footage of a 2007 attack in a Baghdad suburb that killed two journalists. (Blackink)
12. Losing 50 pounds through fear of Twitter humiliation. (Blackink)
13. Gawker explains why MTV must cancel “The Real World.” As if this needed an explanation. (Blackink)
14. Be very afraid. The Kraken is loose! (Blackink)
15. Nashville’s “Biscuit Lady,” made famous through her nationally televised throwdown with the Food Network’s Bobby Flay, has died. She was 48. (Blackink)
16. According to a new study, most dedicated sports viewers vote Republican. Which means I might be more conservative than I care to admit. (Blackink)
17. Is ESPN aiming to become the “citywide leader” in sports? (Blackink)
18. If you’re stumped as to why the Eagles would trade Donovan McNabb to a division rival, Yahoo! Sports reports that McNabb may have strong-armed his way to D.C. Still, this seems absurd. In fact, it’s so absurd, the Examiner had the trade as an April Fool’s Joke a few days ago.
19. In case you missed it (or don’t care), Duke beat lil ol’ pitiful Butler in the men’s major-college national basketball championship last night. It was the highest-rated title game since 1999. But if Josh Levin is right, it may be one of the last times this group of Blue Devils taste success on the hardwood (unless it happens in Turkey, Spain or some other far-flung hoops backwater).
20. And finally, here’s all the anti-Obama merchandise you’ll ever need /youdontneedit. (Blackink)
Quick and dirty. Just like … Whatever. Happy Tuesday.
