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.
This Day in History
Union forces win the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War; George Washington takes charge of the Continental Army; Algeria gains independence; Actor Tom Cruise born; Singer Jim Morrison dies.
Breakfast Tunes
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.
Breakfast News
Greece’s highest court to rule on legality of referendum
Greece’s highest administrative court will rule on whether the country’s bailout referendum violates the constitution, amid growing concern that the hastily organised vote falls short of democratic standards.
With less than 48 hours until polling day on Sunday, the yes and no sides will stage large rallies in Athens on Friday evening. The prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, is expected to turn out at the no rally, having attacked his eurozone partners for trying to “blackmail” his country into accepting a bad deal.
Greeks are being asked whether to support an EU bailout deal that would grant the debt-stricken country money in exchange for spending cuts and further reform.
Mass arrests in The Hague as clashes over death in police custody continue
About 200 people have been arrested after the fourth night of unrest in The Hague following the death of a Caribbean tourist at the hands of police.
The arrests were for breaching a ban on public assembly in the inner-city district of Schilderswijk after three nights of clashes led to the arrest of 61 people, mostly teenagers. Police chief Paul van Musscher said protesters pelted officers with stones and fireworks and threw petrol over them.
The violence first erupted on Monday night after demonstrators gathered outside a police station to protest at the death of Aruban holidaymaker Mitch Henriquez. The 42-year-old father of three died in hospital on Sunday, a day after he was pinned to the ground in a chokehold by officers at a concert in Zuiderpark.
Evacuations to end after Tennessee train carrying hazardous material derails
Preparations began Friday to allow thousands of eastern Tennessee residents to return to their homes after a CSX train car carrying hazardous material derailed and caught fire.
About 5,000 people within a mile-and-a-half radius of the crash site were evacuated, along with several businesses, Thursday morning in Maryville. Most received urgent knocks at their doors between midnight and 6am Thursday by emergency workers who told them they should leave immediately.
City manager Greg McClain said Friday that officials were working on a plan to lift the evacuation. More details were expected at a news conference at noon Friday.
France rejects Julian Assange’s asylum request
The French government has rejected an asylum request from Julian Assange, saying he is “not in immediate danger” while holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in west London.
The WikiLeaks founder wrote an open letter to François Hollande urging the French government to grant him refugee status, even though such a move would offer him no realistic chance of freedom.
In a statement issued by the Élysée palace, the president said: “France cannot act on his request. The situation of Mr Assange does not present an immediate danger.”
Giant pig hot air balloon crashes after tangling with a cowboy-shaped one
A pig-shaped hot air balloon crashed into a tree and caught fire at a balloon festival in Utah, cutting the pilot’s face.
Paul Warner, a festival executive, said the licensed pilot of the fallen balloon also suffered minor facial burns. He was treated at the scene and released.
Various balloons entered in the festival were rising at a field near downtown Provo when the top of the pig crashed into the basket of a cowboy balloon. The collision ripped a hole in the nylon fabric of the pig balloon and a piece of plastic caught fire as it descended.
—–
Must Read Blog Posts
WikiLeaks Performs Valuable Service By Liberating Key Documents from Lesser-Known But Still Major Trade Deal Kevin Gosztola, FDL
Legal Organization Representing WikiLeaks Submits Report for UN Official’s Review of Whistleblower Protections Kevin Gosztola, FDL
Revolutionary Changes in Economics Ed Walker, emptywheel
NSA Gets Full Take on FISA-Authorized Web Forums Marcy Wheeler, emptywheel
How States Are Fighting To Keep Towns From Offering Their Own Broadband Letitia Miranda, Pro Publica via Techdirt
Court Tells City: No, You Cannot Sue Someone For Making A FOIA Request Tim Cushing, Techdirt
—–
Your Moment of Zen
—–