The updated edition of It’s Even Worse Than It Looks by Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein has a new title.
“In this revised edition, the authors bring their seminal book up-to-date in a political environment that is more divided than ever. The underlying dynamics of the situation—extremist Republicans holding government hostage to their own ideological, anti-government beliefs—have only gotten worse … Without a fundamental change in the character and course of the Republican Party, we may have a long way to go before we hit rock bottom.”
- A bizarre side note on the armed man who was shot (and later arrested) at a U.S. Capitol checkpoint on Monday:
Records show Dawson was previously licensed in Tennessee to work as a funeral director. After his license expired in 2004, the state's Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers voted three times to deny requests from Dawson to reinstate his license, citing the "applicant's lack of good moral character."
Kevin Walters, a spokesman for the state funeral board, said the denial resulted from an incident that occurred while Dawson was working as a school bus driver in a Nashville suburb. Dawson had written a letter to a young girl saying that God had told him to have sex with her, Walters said.
- An airliner is hijacked and it all ends peacefully. Whew.
- Patty Duke has died:
Patty Duke, the actress who won fame with her stage and screen portrayals of Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker," died Tuesday, according to her agent. She was 69. [...]
She was also known for roles in "Valley of the Dolls," "My Sweet Charlie" and "Me, Natalie," as well as for the "The Patty Duke Show," which aired from 1963 to 1966.