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.
Breakfast Tune: Mack The Knife by Roger Sprung on 1963-64 Folkways LP.
Today in History
The Chernobyl nuclear accident; John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln’s assassin, killed; Guernica bombed in the Spanish Civil War; Vermont enacts same-sex civil unions; TV star Lucille Ball dies. (April 26)
Breakfast News & Blogs Below
Elizabeth Warren Tells Obama To Put Up Or Shut Up On Trade
Zach Carter, Huff Post
…Obama accused Warren and congressional Democrats on Friday of being “dishonest” and spreading “misinformation” about the Trans-Pacific Partnership — a trade pact the administration is negotiating among 12 nations. The overwhelming majority of Democrats in Congress oppose TPP, while Republican leaders support it.
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On Saturday, Warren and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) responded with a letter essentially telling Obama to put up or shut up. If the deal is so great, Warren and Brown wrote, the administration should make the full negotiation texts public before Congress votes on a “fast track” bill that would strip the legislative branch of its authority to amend it.
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“Your Administration has deemed the draft text of the agreement classified and kept it hidden from public view, thereby making it a secret deal,” the letter reads. “It is currently illegal for the press, experts, advocates, or the general public to review the text of this agreement. And while you noted that Members of Congress may ‘walk over … and read the text of the agreement’ — as we have done — you neglected to mention that we are prohibited by law from discussing the specifics of that text in public.” …
Nepal quake kills more than 1,800 and spreads terror on Everest
Anna Codrea-Rado, Pete Pattisson, Jason Burke, Robin McKie and agencies
More than 1,800 people were killed by a powerful earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday. The earthquake – which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale – wrecked houses, levelled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mount Everest. At least 18 people were killed on the mountain, and hundreds of tourists and guides are now trapped or buried in snow and ice there as rescue parties struggle to reach them.
One climber, Alex Gavan, tweeted that he had to run for his life after an avalanche struck Everest’s base camp and reported that many had died and many more were badly injured. He appealed for urgent help to save those hurt. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, a government official, also appealed for help for Nepal. “We are facing a tremendous crisis here and it is hard to even assess what the death toll and the extent of damage could be,” he said.
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The Nepalese government made an urgent appeal for foreign help, with India sending in military aircraft with medical equipment and relief teams. The UK deployed an eight-strong team of humanitarian experts, including disaster response and search-and-rescue specialists. David Cameron had earlier tweeted that the UK would do everything it could to help. …
As S.C. Democrats wait on Hillary Clinton, likely foes plant seeds
Philip Rucker and John Wagner, WaPo
…Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont toying with a primary challenge to Clinton, brought Democrats to their feet with a fiery sermon about the hollowed-out middle class and the rise of an “oligarchic form of society” controlled by billionaires.
The reception Sanders received – several delegates called him “electric” – surprised Rep. James E. Clyburn, the state’s most powerful Democrat, who took it all in from the back of the hall.
“I really did not anticipate that from Bernie,” Clyburn said. “It says something about people’s thirst and hunger for a real message.” …
Pakistani human rights activist shot dead in Karachi
Al Jazeera and Reuters
Gunmen shot dead a Pakistani human rights activist on Friday after she hosted a talk on the politics of Baluchistan province, where security forces are fighting a separatist insurgency, police and associates said.
Sabeen Mahmud was leaving her Karachi bookstore and cafe, The Second Floor – which also holds exhibitions and talks – when gunman attacked her in her car. Her mother, who was with her, was wounded, police said.
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Mahmud had just hosted a seminar called “Unsilencing Baluchistan,” focusing on the disappearance of political activists in the southwestern province. The talk was originally due to be held early this month at a university in Lahore but authorities blocked it, media reported at the time. …
- Big Bank ‘Crime of the Century’ Results in Guess What? No Jail Time for Anyone
Deirdre Fulton, Common Dreams
- US government says drilling causes earthquakes – what took them so long?
Heather Smith, The Guardian
- Dine with power at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner – but no questions, please
Patrick Gavin, The Guardian
- Dog Driving Tractor Ends About How You’d Expect
Hilary Hanson, The Huffington Post
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac:
China Cracks Down On Funeral Strippers
AP
BEIJING (AP) – Chinese officials are launching a campaign to crack down on stripteases and other lewd shows that have become popular at funerals in some rural areas, the Ministry of Culture said Thursday.
The ministry said in a statement that it will tighten control over rural culture, where vulgar performances have been thriving because of a general lack of cultural events.
Such erotic performances at funerals are a relatively new phenomenon. Many rural people believe that a large attendance at funerals is a sign of honor for the deceased, and the shows are used to attract more people and display the family’s prosperity. …
Breakfast Quote:
I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.
Lucille Ball
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