Was that wrong?
In an epic George Costanza moment, two DEA agents find out courtesy of federal prosecutors that, no … you can’t moonlight as owners of a New Jersey strip club filled with undocumented strippers who (allegedly) routinely perform sex acts for money.
Before sharing a few thoughts of my own, let me just tell you there’s a fascinating TPM Reader email below on what led to the news today out of Nebraska. It’s really must read.
I mentioned earlier this afternoon that Nebraska’s unicameral legislature today passed a bill abolishing the state’s death penalty. Technically, it’s not law yet. The governor says he’ll veto it. But the vote margin is more than enough to sustain a veto. So it seems next to certain that Nebraska will in fact abolish the death penalty – and become the first conservative state to do so in the modern death penalty era.
Fox News limits first GOP debate to top ten candidates. Who gets left out?
Others certainly knew this was in the works. But it was not on my radar at all. Nebraska, a very conservative state, just voted to abolish the death penalty. The governor has threatened a veto. But the legislative majorities seem more than large enough to override it. I’m amazed.
A new lawsuit alleges that students at Florida’s Valenica college felt compelled to undergo transvaginal ultrasounds as part of their educational experience or risk being “blacklisted” by the school. As a bonus though, during the procedures they were cheered on by instructors calling them “sexy” and “escort girl.”
As I noted below and as reality has noted several times in recent months, a series of self-inflicted wounds and news events over which he had little control have conspired together to make the idea of a Chris Christie presidential run an almost comically unrealistic proposition. But let’s not forget that the idea was always close to preposterous. And it’s worth asking why the idea ever had much currency in the first place.
Jersey’s biggest paper says Gov Christie has “Lost Touch With Reality.” This is in general for thinking he’s still a viable presidential candidate but in particularly over yesterday’s claim polls showing New Jersey voters overwhelming don’t think he’d make a good president actually means they won’t to hold on to him as governor.
Bush family insider and W Chief of Staff Andy Card says even W wouldn’t have bungled the Iraq question as bad as Jeb did.
We’re hearing from our clinician readers and we seem to have a clear verdict. ‘Encouraging’ female medical/medical technicians to have transvaginal ultrasounds as part of the learning experience is probably not legit.
From TPM Reader CL
I’m a neurologist with a Masters of Public Health, and I spend a fair amount of my time in both clinical research and teaching of medical students, residents, and other trainees.
The article about Valencia State College is disturbing on a number of levels, so thanks for bringing this up. Clearly, whatever was happening there was terrible. In analyzing it, several points strike me.
Ed Kilgore asks: Why on earth is Chris Christie still pretending he’s running for President?
Alt history reading: if only Christie hadn’t embraced Obama, gotten involved in the Bridgegate fiasco and seen his in-state approval ratings plummet he could be perfectly positioned to take advantage of Jeb Bush’s stumbles.