Collision Course
A natural-gas pipeline exploded in a tower of white flames on Friday near Fresno, California. The explosion took place at a gun range run by the County Sheriff’s office. At the time of the explosion, a work crew of county-jail inmates were widening a nearby road; ten were hospitalized. This is the second major Pacific Gas & Electric Co. pipeline blast in the last five years. The state’s power utility has been under scrutiny since a 2010 explosion in San Bruno killed eight people. Via The Chieftain.
Will to Power
Note to Sarah Palin: Jeb Bush comes out in favor of “death panels.” No, seriously. He proposes that if you sign up for Medicare, you should also sign up for an “advance directive,” which goes further than Obamacare ever did. Via Vox.
Help Unwanted
Congress’ insistence on getting involved with the Obama administration’s negotiation with Iran, writes Steve Coll in The New Yorker, “reflects a large measure of cynical partisanship,” with help from Democrats like Michael Bennet.
Trip Abroad
Coming on May 5 to a bookstore near you: “Clinton Cash,” the book about foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation that The New York Times says is making the Hillary Clinton campaign extremely nervous.
Scooby-Dooby Doo
Quiet Please! The Hillary Clinton rollout may have spurred a raft of burrito jokes, but the low-key opening in the Scooby-Doo van worked just way the campaign hoped it would. Via Politico.
Measured Approach
The danger of underestimating ISIS and the even greater danger of overestimating ISIS. The truth, writes Rose Brooks in The Washington Post, is that ISIS is many things, but it is not an existential threat.
Advanced Placement
The middle class has found itself stagnant for years, even as the rich have grown ever richer. The poor, meanwhile, have seen income inequality grow at a disturbing rate. So why are Americans so unwilling to soak the rich? This may not surprise you, but two new studies show it’s a lot more complicated than that. Via The New York Times.
Dog Under
Tim Tebow is back, signing a deal with the Eagles, and Twitter blew up, but Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Bob Brookover says Tebow has virtually no chance of making the team.
Photo Credit: .Cristoph.G, Creative Commons, Flickr
