We’re awaiting further guidance from the Obama administration on its decision to delay the ACA’s so-called “employer mandate” for a year. But I think we already know enough to say that if this is an attempt to avoid political accountability for controversial parts of Obamacare, as its critics claim, it’s an unusually bizarre and self-defeating one.

In fact, I think you can make a decent case that the administration is actually doubling down on the most crucial and politically high-valence part of the law.

Let’s start with the easy stuff. Read More

Armed customer appears to have shot and killed two restaurant workers by mistake.

We are going on an hour after the military’s 48 hour ultimatum expired. Yesterday, President Morsi gave his confrontational speeches which many interpreted as a call to arms to his Muslim Brotherhood followers to defend the legitimacy of his presidency. This is turn brought a new statement from the Army pledging a fight to the death against “terrorists, extremists and fools”, which in the context seemed clearly to mean Morsi and his followers. Read More

For those who are interested, I’ve assembled this list of twitter accounts to follow on the unfolding developments in Egypt. It’s not comprehensive; I’m still adding to it. It includes both journalists, government officials and partisans (on both sides). But I think it’s a good collection of people to follow to monitor the situation in real time.

Morsi just issued an statement on FB, calling for national coalition government to lead the country until parliamentary elections. #Egypt

— Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) July 3, 2013

Note that there is some unclarity as to whether this is Morsi or ‘the Presidency’, which in such a chaotic moment is not necessarily the same thing.

A couple of interesting developments in Europe today, where there seems to be quite a bit more adverse political reaction to U.S. surveillance revelations than there has been here, for reasons that are pretty obvious. Read More

North Carolina Republicans attach strict new abortion restrictions (a la Texas) onto bill to outlaw Sharia in state.

Early this morning, the Texas anti-abortion bill sailed through a House committee on a party-line vote. Now it heads to full House.

If you missed the happenings overnight (US time) in Egypt, let me give you a quick run-down. The key from last night is that Morsi and the Egyptian military have both – using slightly different phrasings – pledged a battle to the death over control of the state, making a confrontation at the end of the military’s 48 hour deadline almost inevitable. Read More

Remember when the Senate voted 79-19 to provide fighter jets & tanks to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood? http://t.co/b1jOxO6dUQ @SenRandPaul

— Justin Amash (@repjustinamash) July 3, 2013