A Russian plane has disappeared in Indonesia; North Carolina voters pass Amendment One; Senate Republicans block the Democratic student loan bill; a prison inmate captures 40% of the West Virginia Democratic primary vote; Senator Lugar is defeated in Indiana’s GOP primary; and a doctor in Houston live tweets brain surgery. Meanwhile, Pippa Middleton will be moving to NYC; Tom Gabel of Against Me! comes out as transgender; two male masseurs have accused John Travolta of sexual assault; and Delta pulls its ads from “The Daily Show.”
Caitlin
CRUCIAL:
Qaeda bomber adept at breaching aviation security, http://reut.rs/KLZfQL
Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, formerly one of the most dangerous militants in al Qaeda, has been arrested after making a non-metallic underwear bomb that could pass through airport security undetected. Asiri, who survived a drone attack last year, created the bomb for an attack that was supposed to take place on the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death. The plot was foiled after Asiri handed the bomb over to a CIA double-agent posing as the would-be bomber.
Syriza’s Tsipras to meet Greece’s pro-bailout parties, http://bbc.in/Km7YM5
Alex Tspiras, Greece’s far-left leader who is responsible for forming the country’s government, has said that although he finds the EU’s bailout terms “barbaric,” he will still meet with pro-bailout parties Wednesday. If the two sides cannot negotiate terms then Greece may have new elections in a few weeks. Tspiras has said that he would consider refusing the EU’s bailout in order to avoid its austerity regulations. In response, Germany stated that if Greece refuses the bailout then it will receive absolutely no aid. Tspiras has received support from Greece’s small left-wing party, the Democratic Left, as well as the country’s center-right party.
(via CNN) Russian plane disappears in demonstration flight in Indonesia, http://bit.ly/Jx2Dj7
Russia’s newest civilian airliner disappeared Wednesday from radar screens during a half-hour demonstration flight in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, state-run RIA Novosti news service reported. There were 44 passengers on board. The plane went missing at about 2 p.m. in the area of Bogor, West Java, Indonesian Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan told Metro TV. The pilots requested permission to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet, air traffic controllers said. After that, all radio contact was lost. The plane began making its descent but vanished from radar screens at 6,200 feet in a mountainous area. By the time the plane was due to return it should have burned up its fuel, RIA Novosti said.
Obama ‘disappointed’ over N.C. marriage ban, http://politi.co/KaD6zV
President Obama issued a statement saying that he was “disappointed” in North Carolina voters’ decision to pass an amendment to their state’s constitution that would only legally recognize a marriage between a man and a woman. Amendment One passed 61% to 39% after a heavy outpouring of religious voters and support from Billy Graham. The vote saw North Carolina’s largest primary turnout in years. Gay-rights groups will protest the law starting today, and same-sex couples will seek marriage licenses in Wilson and Durham before the law goes into effect in January 2013. Two protestors were arrested in Asheville last night.
(via Reuters) US Senate Republicans block Democratic student loan bill, http://reut.rs/JeqHrX
U.S. Senate Republicans blocked on Tuesday a White House-backed bill that would end a tax break for the wealthy in order to pay for an extension of low-interest loan rates for federal student loans. On a mostly party-line vote of 52-45, Democratic backers of the measure fell eight votes short of the 60 needed to clear a Republican procedural roadblock. Regardless, both sides are expected to reach a compromise to prevent a doubling on July 1 of the 3.4 percent interest rate on undergraduate Stafford loans for more than 7 million students.
A Texas prison inmate gets votes in Democratic primary in West Virginia, http://wapo.st/JZkFwQ
President Obama lost about 40% of the vote in West Virginia’s Democratic Primary yesterday. The votes went to a prison inmate, Keith Judd, who is incarcerated for making threats at the University of New Mexico over a decade ago. Judd paid $2,500 and filled out a form to get on the state’s ballot, although a Democratic Party spokeswoman says he does not a have a delegate for the Democratic National Convention. Meanwhile, Obama lost 18% of the vote in Oklahoma to Randall Terry, an anti-abortion activist.
(via The New York Times) Before Primary Win, Mourdock Sought to Block Chrysler’s Bailout, http://nyti.ms/IIEC7m
Richard Mourdock set the political world abuzz late on Tuesday when he defeated the incumbent Senator Richard G. Lugar in Indiana’s Republican primary, reflecting the power of his conservative and Tea Party backers by ousting a fixture of the Senate…. Mr. Mourdock [is known] for his most notable endeavor in his tenure as Indiana state treasurer: unsuccessfully trying to block Chrysler‘s government-sponsored bankruptcy in the summer of 2009. Such was the fervor of his case that he took his fight all the way to the steps of the Supreme Court.
Houston Hospital to Live Tweet Brain Surgery, http://bit.ly/Jf67Hz
Houston neurosurgeon Dr. Dong Kim is live tweeting a brain surgery today starting at 8:30 am. A colleague of Kim’s will live tweet from the operating room, a video camera will take overview shots, and a photographer will be taking pictures. Kim is removing a tumor from a 21-year-old patient who experiences seizures. He is live tweeting as part of a teaching experience. The photos and information can be found on Twitter, YouTube, TwitPic, CoverItLive, and Pinterest.
CULTURAL:
Delta pulls ‘Daily Show’ ads over ‘vagina manger’ skit, http://bit.ly/KaGL0G
Tom Gabel of Against Me! Comes Out as Transgender, http://bit.ly/Lcx1AF
Pippa Planning New York Move, http://bit.ly/JfDhW2
Lawyer for John Travolta Accusers — More Masseurs Will Sue, http://bit.ly/IQeOd9
Brad Pitt Is the New Face of Chanel No. 5, http://bit.ly/IQf5gg
‘The Voice’ champion checks in the morning after winning, http://usat.ly/IY31fa
