All Salon

On vacation

Andrew Leonard — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:06:00 PDT

As I just told my colleagues, I am off to a secret location where utterance of the words "debt reduction," "partisan gridlock," "credit downgrade" or "Eric Cantor" are punishable by immediate dismemberment. I'll be back at work on August 22, at which point I expect everything to be fixed.

Five pop culture items we missed

Drew Grant — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:06:00 PDT

1. Ambiguous sexuality of the day: Has Queen Latifah finally come out of the closet? She tells Sister2Sister magazine:

Next week

Glenn Greenwald — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:06:00 PDT

I'm going to be on vacation from Salon beginning tomorrow until next Monday, August 15. I've arranged for three excellent guest-bloggers, each of whom, beginning this Monday, will more or less post something here every day:

The Rise of Tea Party Keynesianism

Andrew Leonard — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:14:00 PDT

After the past month of pitched battles in which two American political parties competed for the right to demonstrate themselves the most committed to cuttting huge swathes of government spending, the sight of a Tea Party leader making the case for classic Keynesian fiscal stimulus is more than a little aggravating. So I completely understand the high dudgeon that Economist blogger M.S. works himself into after catching TeaPartyNation leader Judson Phillips in the act.

Scary stories: Ryan Gosling's abs

Drew Grant — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:06:00 PDT

Ryan Gosling stood in front of the mirror, shirt raised. The green room "Access Hollywood" provided him was softly lit, yet Ryan could still make out the pale, clammy pallor reflected back at him. His hands were shaking as they lifted his fashionable-yet-understated black T-shirt to his collarbone.

America's deficit chart surplus

Alex Pareene — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:01:00 PDT

Are you writing something about the massive federal deficit? Do you want a hot blogging tip? Here you go: Put a chart on it!

When discovery is the only thrill

Drew Grant — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:30:00 PDT

The idea of stumbling on a piece of undiscovered art at a junkyard sale is a fantasy that many collectors and aficionados share. Who wouldn't? With countless influential films, recordings and transcripts still considered "lost" to history, the discovery of several reels from an early Alfred Hitchcock film in New Zealand this week may bring to mind a dashing Indiana Jones-like character, excavating prized cultural artifacts in hidden catacombs. Hitchcock was only 24 when he made "The White Woman," and many believed that the movie would be lost to the annals of time. Its discovery has raised the hopes of people like David Sterritt, author of "The Films of Alfred Hitchcock," to proclaim it nothing short of a miracle:

Today's must-see viral videos

Drew Grant — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:20:00 PDT

1. "Saved by the Bell" horror show: Miles Fisher might be best known for his music video of the Talking Heads' "Naïve Melody," in which he re-created shots from "American Psycho" with such realism that you'd almost believe the actor/singer was Christian Bale's younger brother.

Famous alums say goodbye to "All My Children"

Mary Elizabeth Williams — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:50:00 PDT

It's a given that soap fans are among the most loyal in the world. But isn't it sweet to see how loyal soapdom's former stars are as well? In the buildup to "All My Children's" television swan song next month, two of its most famous alumni are popping back into Pine Valley.

The new era of hostage politics

Michael Winship — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:18:00 PDT

When I arrived in Washington this past Sunday, just as the debt ceiling crisis was approaching its climax, all the flags surrounding the capital’s Union Station stood at half-mast. I blackly joked with my brother and sister-in-law that maybe they’d been lowered to mark the death of the New Deal. (In fact, they honored the recent passing of former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman John Shalikashvili.)

Where is all the Wisconsin money coming from?

Natasha Lennard — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:06:00 PDT

The ongoing state senate recall elections in Wisconsin have never been a local issue. Since Gov. Scott Walker introduced a bill early this year to curb public workers' collective bargaining rights, the Badger state has been at the epicenter of a national battle over the fate of unionized labor. At present, the fight is playing out in the form of recall elections, in which Democrats are trying to gain control of the Wisconsin Senate and Republicans are retaliating with recall efforts of their own.

Is this the most anti-environment House in history?

Natasha Lennard — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:06:00 PDT

This year alone, the anti-environment side has prevailed more than 100 votes in the House of Representatives. That's the claim of two liberal Democratic lawmakers, who have issued a report documenting 110 instances since January in which bills intended to strengthen environmental protection have been blocked or otherwise undermined in the Republican-controlled House.

Fox Nation shocker: Obama invited black guys to his birthday party

Alex Pareene — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:40:00 PDT

So, it's a little weird that Fox has its own right-wing news site, right? Anyway, this is the "Fox Nation" top story, right now: Charles Barkley ate ribs at the White House. Black people! Hip-hop!

Don't count on the GOP scoring an own-goal in '12

Steve Kornacki — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:29:00 PDT

How many times in the last few months have you heard something like this: "Obama would be in serious trouble in 2012, if only the Republicans had a serious candidate"?

Does eating right have to be expensive?

Mary Elizabeth Williams — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:20:00 PDT

The headlines Friday on a new report published in Health Affairs all agreed. As USA Today wrote, "The high cost of healthy eating [is] out of reach for many," The New York Post added that "Eating right comes at a big fat price!" Even NPR, that bastion of green-tea sipping granola heads, declared, "USDA's Advice For Eating Right Is Hard On The Wallet." Stupid broccoli. You taste like broccoli AND you're expensive? Well, pass the Fritos, because I guess there's nothing to be done. Nutrition costs too much! Resistance is futile!

Bush speechwriter: Krugman was right

Andrew Leonard — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:04:00 PDT

When a former former speechwriter for George W. Bush says nice things about Paul Krugman it's worth taking notice. Krugman was one of Bush's toughest critics; to suggest that he was correct in his savage evisceration of Bush's economic policies is apostasy of the highest order.

Jobs report: Better than horrible

Andrew Leonard — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 06:01:00 PDT

Here's how tense the world was, waiting for this morning's U.S. government jobs report: the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web server crashed at 8:30 a.m. ET, presumably in response to millions of requests from people wondering whether bad news on the unemployment front would precipitate another stock market crash on Friday.

Unemployment rate dips, economy adds 117K jobs

CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, Associated Press — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:54:00 PDT

Hiring picked up slightly in July and the unemployment rate dipped to 9.1 percent, an optimistic sign after the worst day on Wall Street in nearly three years.

NATO airstrike reportedly kills Gadhafi's son

RAMI AL-SHAHEIBI, Associated Press — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:44:00 PDT

Libya's rebels said Friday they have reports that Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son, who commands one of the regime's strongest military brigades, was killed in a NATO airstrike in the western town of Zlitan.

If it walks like a W and talks like a W ...

Justin Elliott — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks increasingly likely to jump into the presidential race, and he has already been at pains to distance himself from the man he served in the late 1990s as lieutenant governor: George W. Bush.