BP bailout: 'There's nothing to see here'

A still of live video from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Photograph: Spillcam

Oil company BP may shut off the live feed to Congress and the Internet of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow during its next attempt to seal the oil leak.

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), one of several legislators who forced BP to make the video feed public, said today that BP informed him the feed would be cut off when they try their "top kill" effort to stop the flow of oil. Markey called the move "outrageous."

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said later that after getting pressured by Congress to keep the feed running, BP is now still "considering" going dark. Nelson says he will continue to strongly pressure the company to keep the feed on, CBS News Capitol Hill Producer John Nolen reports.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20005934-503544.html

"This BP blackout will obscure a vital moment in this disaster," Markey said in a statement.

"After more than a month of spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP is essentially saying to the American people the solution will not be televised."

Meanwhile in the Senate, as the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig continues to spill over 1 million gallons of oil into the Gulf every day, there is a demand for less regulation for companies like BP and Transocean while also looking for a taxpayer-funded bailout of BP.

After a month of oil spewing into the Gulf, the cost of cleaning up BP's mess is $542 million and counting. But a group of Republican senators led by Lisa Murkowski of Alaska want the company to only pay for about the first five days of the cleanup and put taxpayers on the hook for everything else.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3309

TrueMajorty.org, a grassroots advocacy organization linking the public to public policy is calling for citizens to say no to a straight-up bailout outrageous bailout for BP. If you agree, reach out and touch your represenative in Congress by following the link:

http://act.truemajorityaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=71

How Hockey (or soccer) explains the world

A new book that I was going to put on the summer reading list, Franklin Foer's, "How Soccer Explains the World: An unlikely theory of Globalization," is worth checking out. Foer (recalls that) Thomas Friedman writes (as some of you read, or will read this summer), "the inexorable integration of markets, nation-states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before -- in a way that is enabling individuals, corporations and nation-states to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before."

Foer writes, "As a soccer fan I understood exactly what he meant......"

motherjones.com/politics/2004/08/how-soccer-explains-world

As a hockey fan, a fan of the Western Conference Champion Chicago Blackhawks, I do to.

The NHL is a global league. From 2008 statistics, 52.0 per cent of the NHL is Canadian born, followed by 19.9 per cent American, 6.9 per cent Czech, 5.9 per cent Swedish and 4.4 per cent Finnish.

The NHL is down to only 3.5 per cent Russian-born players, a figure that doesn't include Ukranians, Latvians and Kazakhs.

//www.fromtherink.com/2008/11/26/673622/the-nhl-by-nationality-52

The Blackhawks had members of three nation's Olympic teams skate in Vancouver this winter (Canada, U.S. and Slovakia). And rookie goaltender Antti Niemi is from Finland, the small Nordic country that boasts 13 percent of the league's goalies.

What does this all mean? Not much. Except it gave me reason to post this commercial with Blackhawk Slovakian Star Marian Hossa that I really like. And the knowledge that if the Hawks win the Stanley Cup this year -- for the first time since 1961 when there was far less Globalization in the NHL -- Chicago really will be World Champions.

Same S____, Different Chief Diplomats

Back in the day, Presidents George W. Bush and Vincente Fox agreed in principle to a comprehensive immigration reform plan.

Yesterday, during a state visit by current Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House, President Barack Obama pledged to seek “comprehensive immigration reform” to stem what he called the “frustration” that has led to measures like Arizona’s controversial anti-illegal immigration law.

But turning domestic, Mr. Obama said he could not accomplish that goal with the help of his own party alone, and he called on Republicans to join in fixing what he called “our broken immigration system.”

www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2010/0519/Obama-and-Calderon-agree-Arizona-immigration-law-is-wrong

In 2004, the story was similar. Without modern immigration policy between the two nation's, the two president's proposed a new temporary worker policy. Linked here is President Bush's address in Jan., 2004.

georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040107-3.html

"I propose a new temporary worker program that will match willing foreign workers with willing American employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. This program will offer legal status, as temporary workers, to the millions of undocumented men and women now employed in the United States, and to those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program and have been offered employment here. This new system should be clear and efficient, so employers are able to find workers quickly and simply. "

I give President Bush credit, he tried to push to govern on the immigration issue. But his temporary worker policy, which was drafted in the Senate by liberal lion Ted Kennedy and 2008 GOP Presidential candidate John McCain (bi-partisan!) was killed on Capitol Hill, where it was called Amnesty. McCain, running for his Senate life in racially-profiling Arizona, said he would not vote for the bill he once drafted.

It's easy to figure out why he wouldn't support the political non-starter.

It's the governing that's hard.

Same ______, different day. So much for Change You Can Believe In.

How Much Oil Has Leaked Into the Gulf of Mexico?

Nobody knows for certain how much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico (but see here for great charted expert projections) since last month's oil rig explosion. What we do have are estimates -- from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, from outside experts, from British Petroleum -- of how fast crude is flowing out of two remaining leaks (a third was plugged Wednesday).

Oil has been flowing out of ruptures in the Deepwater Horizon well on the ocean floor since around 10 a.m. on April 22, two days after the BP-leased rig exploded, leaving 11 workers missing and presumed dead.

According to NOAA, an estimated 210,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) a day is coming from the remaining ruptures. At that rate, this leak would surpass the 11 million gallons spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989 in mid-June if left unchecked.

Other estimates are far more grim. The New York Times reported that BP told members of Congress the rate could be much, much higher:

In a closed-door briefing for members of Congress, a senior BP executive conceded Tuesday that the ruptured oil well could conceivably spill as much as 60,000 barrels a day of oil, more than 10 times the estimate of the current flow.

A barrel of crude oil contains roughly 42 gallons. In a follow-up story, the Times talked to a BP spokesman for more on the estimate:

"The rate could go up to that," Mr. Suttles of BP said, when asked to verify a report in The Times. "It's not the situation we have at this moment, but it's not impossible."

Based on this range of figures, we built the meter atop this post to give a ballpark figure of how much oil may have leaked into the Gulf based on each scenario (by multiplying the rate of leakage by the amount of time passed since the rupture) and other possible rates between those estimates.

At the low end is NOAA's estimate of 210,000 gallons per day. At the high end is what BP told Congress. Drag the slider between those poles to see other possible rates. Keep in mind that all of this is only an estimate.

We'll keep monitoring the situation and check on updates to our calculations as needed.(Thanks, PBS Newshour).

What would you do if......You were the Government. Remember Politics are Easy, Governing is Hard.

Happy 50th Birthday Bono

For those of you that missed it, it was Bono's 50th birthday on Monday. So my gift to you is a chance to read his April op-ed on Africa from the NY TIMES. What a guy, dropping vocab like Civil Society, microloans, etc.

"SPENT March with a delegation of activists, entrepreneurs and policy wonks roaming western, southern and eastern Africa trying very hard to listen — always hard for a big-mouthed Irishman. With duct tape over my gob, I was able to pick up some interesting melody lines everywhere from palace to pavement ..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/opinion/18bono.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all

Also, where does the man and his band's lyrics rank? Like his worlds, U2's lyrics will leave a legacy for at least 50 more years:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0508/1224269931384.html

Here's Elena Kagan

Where does Elena Kagan stand on...

//www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/10/us/politics/20100505-kagan-opinions.html?ref=politics

Kudos to Sean Foots, who called this Presidential call a month ago.









Already the pre-Senate confirmation hearing circus has started. It became an issue in the Illinois Senate race. Many Republicans are saying the former dean of the Harvard Law School and current solicitor general is not qualified for a post on the high court.
Tom Toles has his take on the process that has already begun:


Here is a lot of information Elena Kagan who is the second woman to be put up for nomination by President Obama today. Below, ironically, is the first advertisement (a pro Kagan one).

Done Deal: The UK's first coalition government in 70 years

Conservative leader David Cameron has become the new prime minister after the resignation of Gordon Brown.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg will be his deputy prime minister in the UK's first coalition government in 70 years.

Mr Cameron, who at 43 is the youngest PM in nearly 200 years, vowed to set aside party differences and govern "in the national interest".

His party won the most seats in the general election last week, but not an overall Commons majority.

The BBC has more on this historic day in the UK, follow the personality videos on the new PM:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8675265.stm

The Queen and a hung Parliament

The Queen is the only person who can invite someone to form a government and to become prime minister.

But that does not mean that the monarch can exercise any personal discretion over the choice of No 10's occupant.

After a general election, the Queen is obliged, by long-established convention, to invite the person who seems most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons to become prime minister and to form a government.

If the outcome of that election is inconclusive, it is for the political parties to determine who that person is, and to communicate that choice to Buckingham Palace.

Only then will the Queen receive any outgoing prime minister to accept his resignation and, a short time later, to invite someone else to take his place.

The one thing that can be said with certainty amid all the uncertainty of a hung parliament is that Buckingham Palace is determined to maintain a distance from the political process and to keep the Queen well away from the discussions about who is in the strongest position to command the confidence of the Commons…

But what happens if the politicians simply cannot decide who has the strongest claim to become prime minister?…

The Queen will watch how things unfold. Her senior advisers will be in close contact with the cabinet secretary who, under the most recent Civil Service protocols, is permitted to assist the political parties to come to a decision about how to proceed.

Once they have done that, the motorcade(s) will make their way to the Palace and Elizabeth II will invite someone to form a government.

For more, the BBC has coverage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667820.stm

Breaking news from Nigeria

Death of President Yar'Adua Confirmed After Lengthy Illness and Constitutional Uncertainty

President Umaru Yar'adua died Wednesday night in the Presidential Villa in Abuja. His death was confirmed by presidential spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi, according to the Associated Press.

The death, occurred at 9 pm local time (2000 GMT), according to Adenyini, follows a long illness that was surrounded by secrecy and intrigue.

Goodluck Jonathan, who served as Yar'Adua's vice president and became acting president in January after a court conferred on him the authority to carry out affairs of state, will now be able to claim greater legitimacy in the presidential post.

The next test for Nigeria's democracy will be selection of a vice president, who also could become the ruling party's presidential candidate in the next election, scheduled to take place a year from now. Under an informal arrangement, the presidency has alternated between the country's northern and southern regions. If the arrangement endures, Jonathan as a southerner would serve only the remaing 11 months of Yar'Adua's term...

Tory TV ad and the Queen's power

From the New York Times Lede blog from Tuesday.

There is a link to a fine example of political advertising from the UK's Conservative Party warning of the dangers of a "hung parliament." If we weren't sure already, the final image reminds us what David Cameron fears most.

TheLede also offers an example of one of the few real powers of the monarch.

If Parliament Hangs, Queen Could Veto Fresh Election

She makes no speeches on the hustings; she remains aloof from the political fray. She admits no party affiliation and is not permitted to vote or stand for office. Yet, she addresses Parliament with bejeweled and regular fanfare; for more than half a century, she has held secret conversations with a cavalcade of 11 prime ministers; and, in a peculiarly British way, she could be cast in a central, yet largely powerless, role if Britain’s elections on Thursday stray into the gray zone known as a hung Parliament…

Since 1950, senior civil servants have concluded that the Queen is not constitutionally bound to accept an incumbent Prime Minister’s request for a dissolution of Parliament very soon after an election providing she can see an alternative way forward.

In the convoluted calculations emerging from a hung Parliament, that could mean that Mr. Brown — currently tipped to lose — might seek a second chance to cling to power by asking for a second ballot to overcome a stalemate. And the Queen — to the probable delight of her campaigned-out subjects — could simply say: “No.”

This analysis of the critical UK election was on Huffington Post:

William E. Jackson Jr.: Is the Prime Minister Becoming More Presidential?

Cram for the Exam on C-Span Saturday morningI

Our friends at C-Span encourage your students to call-in to C-SPAN's "Cram for the Exam on C-SPAN" this Saturday! This program is to help students prepare for Monday's AP U.S. Government and Politics exam. Two AP U.S. Government teachers from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Andrew Conneen and Dan Larsen, will go over vocabulary, give test taking pointers, and answer any of your students' last minute questions during the Washington Journal this Saturday, May 1 from 9-10am ET. The teachers will also discuss questions that have appeared on previous exams and explain what students could expect to see on the 2010 AP U.S. Government and Politics exam.

For an additional cram session, have your students take a look at C-SPAN's "Cram for the Exam on C-SPAN" 2009 program:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/id/205049

Your students can call-in to (202) 737-0001 ET/CT or (202) 737-0002 MT/PT, email to journal@c-span.org, or send questions via Twitter to @cspanwj during the one hour program. We hope that you and your students can join us for one last cram session before Monday's test!

FYI - You can now follow C-SPAN Classroom on Twitter for daily programming updates and C-SPAN Classroom related announcements:

http://twitter.com/cspan_classroom

I'll be blogging here with my cup of coffee. Wake up and review! Post your questions or comments.

We'll also have a team of teachers and alums answering questions all
weekend at www.cbs2chicago.com/school and/or the Facebook group A.Pnyx.