The Breakfast Club (Classical Gas)

Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when ~~we’re not too hungover~~ ~~we’ve been bailed out~~ ~~we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED)~~ the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:30am (ET) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.

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Breakfast Tune: Classical Gas by Roy Clark Band Banjo Pickin’ 1987 Live

Today in History

Oklahoma City Bombing, Revolution begins at Lexington and Concord, Nazi Pope, Waco Texas, Princes Grace, The Producers

Breakfast News & Blogs Below

Minn. confirms more bird flu cases in potentially ‘devastating’ outbreak

Al Jazeera and wire services

Minnesota officials have confirmed four more cases of a bird flu strain that has already cost the state’s turkey producers over 1.6 million birds. The development comes as Dr. John Clifford, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief veterinary officer, said the nation’s poultry industry may have to live with the H5N2 bird flu strain, which is deadly to poultry, for several years.

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Experts say they believe Minnesota is the epicenter because it’s the top turkey producing state – raising around 46 million turkeys a year – and its thousands of lakes and wetlands naturally attract large numbers of migrating ducks, bringing H5N2 to Minnesota and other Midwestern states.

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While no human cases of the flu have been detected, the discoveries have prompted major overseas buyers, including China and Mexico, to restrict imports of U.S. poultry and eggs. …

California drought water-use rules could force 36% reduction on Beverly Hills

Joanna Walters

Los Angeles and billionaire-studded Beverly Hills will be ordered to cut water usage by 36% under a tough new mandate proposed by regulators on Saturday to try to help parched California cope with its extreme drought.

The more environmentally conscious San Francisco will only have to reduce its water consumption by 8% after doing more in the last year to cut use voluntarily, according to the California State Water Resources Control Board.

The framework of new emergency water conservation regulations was announced on Saturday as the proposed outline of efforts to conform with Governor Jerry Brown’s executive order, issued on 1 April, that California must cut water use in urban areas by 25% in the next year. Emergency regulations for agriculture in the state are still under discussion. …

US soldiers banned from bars, clubs in Philippines

Al Jazeera and Agence France-Presse

The U.S. Pacific Command has banned its troops in the Philippines from bars and nightclubs, a spokesman said Saturday, with the trial underway of a U.S. Marine accused of killing a transgender Filipina he met in a bar.

Thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were set to kick off 10 days of annual joint military exercises Monday, according to Capt. Alex Lim, a spokesman for the U.S. forces.

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Lim would not say why the restrictions were imposed, but conceded they came after an American soldier was arrested over the alleged murder of a transgender Filipina he met in a bar in October after taking part in military exercises in the Philippines. …

The French are coming! Replica of Lafayette’s ship sets sail for US

Reuters in Rochefort, France

A replica of the warship that carried France’s Marquis de Lafayette to help American colonists in their war of independence sets sail for the United States on Saturday, symbolizing of a historic moment that binds the two nations.

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The frigate is due to arrive in Yorktown on 5 June for a two-month tour of key locations in the American Revolution, including Annapolis, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. …