I hope this doesn’t just state the obvious. But it is simply amazing to watch how Southern states, ruled by Republicans, have moved so quickly, after the Supreme Court’s VRA decision to push through a series of new laws the only aim of which is to limit black voting: voter ID laws, ends to same day registration, early voting, weekend voting. Here’s yet another example from North Carolina. But we noted numerous other examples within a day of the decision coming down.

Okay, sure, what did I expect? I’ve been writing about this for years. Everything I’ve written and so many other better than I could has predicted this. But still, to see it, it’s another thing again. This is supposed to be the 21st century. And yet, in a broad swath of the society we’re in an ersatz version of the late 19th century.

So the NSA has a Speakers Bureau for the K-12 set.

The government of Ecuador had already been distancing itself from Edward Snowden’s cause. But now the country’s President, Rafael Correa, has gone as far as to say that his government never intended to facilitate Snowden’s journey from Hong Kong to Moscow. He now says his consul in London, apparently in league with Assange, was freelancing. This comes after Snowden released a statement thanking the Ecuadorean government for making his flight (in both sense of the word possible). Read More

New at length statement released by Edward Snowden.

The gist of the message is that the Obama administration is using an “extralegal penalty” and violating his human rights by trying to have him extradited back to the United States. Read More

Grandmother accidentally shoots and kills 11 year old grandson.

It is hard to see how the ultimatum the Egyptian military issued a few hours ago doesn’t amount to a post-dated or contingent coup. But, notably, the military, the opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi are each insisting it does not representative a coup – only a patriotically inclined military encouraging all sides to move toward compromise.

Mitch McConnell: “Accepting the invitation from countless Washington liberals to become President Obama’s Kentucky candidate was a courageous decision by Alison Lundergan Grimes and I look forward to a respectful exchange of ideas.”

It gives you some sense of how confident President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood feel in their position that, according to this story just out from The Guardian, they are banking on the continued support of the Obama administration to pull them through. Read More

TPM Reader EA gets a reality check on marriage equality …

I had occasion to drive around the Hudson Valley this weekend in a futile attempt to escape the city’s humidity. I happened to drive pass a church bulletin board that said “One Nation (No Longer) Under God.” That stuck with me as I caught up on some photo galleries from yesterday’s jubilant Pride parade and again when reading about Rep. Huelskamp’s proposal.

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GOP Rep introduces constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.