ABC News:
Jon Stewart says he's stepping down from "The Daily Show."
Stewart, 52, began hosting "The Daily Show" in 1999, making fun of the news in a way that caught the imagination of a generation of younger viewers. His show mixed comedy correspondent stories with interviews of celebrities and newsmakers.
"Through his unique voice and vision, The Daily Show has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come," Comedy Central said in a statement tonight. "Jon will remain at the held of The Daily Show until later this year."
Yes, yes,
Brian Williams might be available. But
he's not nearly as trusted as Stewart.
If post-Stewart the Daily Show is nothing more than a test pattern, its viewers will still be better-informed than those of Fox
— @DanaHoule
Web MD:
New Myths About the Measles Vaccine
No. 1: The Vaccine Doesn’t Work Because It Protects Against a Different Strain.
No. 2: It's Vaccinated People Who Are Spreading Measles, Not Those Who Are Unvaccinated
Both are completely wrong, by the way. The vax gives terrific coverage (97%) to all strains, and it's unvaccinated folks who get and spread disease. In
Chicago, for example, and in
California, most are unvaccinated.
Medpage today:
Senate Vaccine Hearing Brings Bipartisan Harmony
Nary an anti-vaccine word was heard.
The hearing's tone was evident right from the start. "Vaccines save lives," said committee chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who thanked Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committee's ranking member, for helping put together the witness list. "They take deadly, awful, ravaging diseases from horror to history."
More politics and policy below the fold.
Had the frontrunner emerged at this point in previous presidential primaries? Part 2,
Democrats. Not really.
this @DylanByers piece hones in on the real problem at NBC: news execs who don’t know squat about news.
http://t.co/...
— @DemFromCT
NJ.com:
Why would parents choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children, in spite of the overwhelming evidence that the measles vaccine is safe and effective?
There is no rational answer, experts in public health and psychology say. The scientific evidence supporting the vaccine's safety is strong. An infamous report published in a British health journal linking the vaccine to autism was retracted long ago and its author lost his medical license.
There is, however, a very human explanation, one that illustrates the power of the connection between the head and the heart, they said.
People feel much more responsible for a decision they make actively than if they choose to do nothing, said Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner and professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.
"People are much more afraid of their children dying from a vaccine than they are from a child dying of an illness that spreads naturally," said Kahneman. "If something would happen to their child after being vaccinated, their decision becomes a focus of enormous regret."
So, eliminating all but medical exemptions (like MS does) takes it out of the hands of parents.
Pew:
A new survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Feb. 5-8 among 1,003 adults, shows that views of news about the overall economy also have become more positive, although a majority (62%) continues to describe the news as mixed. For the first time since the Pew Research Center began tracking this question in December 2008, about as many are hearing mostly good news (18%) as bad news (17%) about the economy. In previous surveys, negative views had consistently surpassed positive impressions.
Jonathan Bernstein:
I'm trying to remember all the ordinary presidential (and congressional) actions that Republicans have tried to turn into scandals. In reverse order, here’s what I have -- and this isn’t even counting the claims that Obama’s use of the veto is unprecedented because he’s planning to veto the Keystone XL bill:
5. Presidential influence on executive-branch agencies (see above).
4. Recess appointments (once common, now basically read out of the Constitution by the Supreme Court).
3. Flexibility on carrying out legislation.
2. Reconciliation (that’s on the congressional side, of course).
1. Czars!
I’m sure I’m missing some. Anyone remember other examples?
The Verge:
Jeb Bush dumps emails including social security numbers of Florida residents online
Florida man strikes again
Jack Shafer:
But that’s not what bothers me about the Vox interview. Here, for me, is the real rub:
In the example of Klein and Yglesias, they’re less interested in interviewing Obama than they are in explaining his policies.
My God. Explaining stuff. That, when they could be asking brilliant questions about Cuban cigars. Get the fainting couch.