It's a wet weekend here in California. That's what happens when you're contending with an atmospheric river. And with the power of climate change, there will be more where that comes from.
- President Obama is nearly to 51% in the latest tally of votes by Dave Wasserman. As of Friday evening, 5:47pm PST, Obama's majority stands at 50.92%.
- Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller is going to court to force the Koch group Americans For Prosperity to reveal its donors:
Secretary of State Ross Miller filed a civil complaint today alleging Americans for Prosperity violated Nevada’s campaign finance laws in a case that could force the national conservative organization to reveal its donors for the first time.
The complaint, filed in Carson City District Court, alleges AFP engaged in “express advocacy” in an attempt to influence the Democratic primary election in Senate District 4 earlier this year.
Americans for Prosperity sent several campaign mailers to voters in the district criticizing Democrat Kelvin Atkinson, who ultimately won both the primary and general election.
Even more wasted billionaire money. The crocodile tears are really flowing.
- Why don't you do a bit more reading on the possibility of megastorms that could turn the agricultural lands of Central California into an inland sea? It has happened before. Climate change is making it more likely that it will happen again.
- Fracking on food-producing land is causing this:
Schilke’s troubles began in the summer of 2010, when a crew working at this site continued to force drilling fluid down a well that had sprung a leak. Soon, Schilke’s cattle were limping, with swollen legs and infections. Cows quit producing milk for their calves; they lost from sixty to eighty pounds in a week; and their tails mysteriously dropped off. (Lab rats exposed to the carcinogen 2-butoxyethanol, a solvent used in fracking, have
lost their tails, but a similar connection with cattle hasn’t been shown. In people, breathing, touching or consuming enough of the chemical can lead to pulmonary edema and coma.)
And yet, the hydrocarbon industry wants to tell us that the chemicals they're putting into the ground and the processes they use are a trade secret.
- The first dog inspects the holiday decorations while wearing a Santa hat. Your daily dose of presidential squee.
- Why not donate an item or place a bid on one at the Netroots Nation Holiday Bazaar? All for a good cause, you know.
- Here's some good news: 117 members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the organization that brings lobbyists and legislators together to craft cookie-cutter model bills that help corporate and conservative causes, are no longer hold their seats. Follow through to the link to get an excellent interactive map from Bill Moyers about state legislators who are members of ALEC. You can even look up your own.
- Shorter David Gergen: yeah, Obama won, but he should still give Republicans what they want. And that's why journalism is dead.