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
Alexander Graham Bell successfully tests telephone; James Earl Ray pleads guilty to killing Martin Luther King, Jr.; Russian Premier Konstantin U. Chernenko dies.
Breakfast Tunes
in Memory of Keith Emerson
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
Offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become panic-stricken. Jack Kerouac
Breakfast News
Judge says 17-year-olds can vote in Ohio primary in possible boost for Sanders
In a potential victory for Vermont senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, an Ohio judge has ruled that 17-year-old Ohioans can vote in the Buckeye State’s upcoming primary election.
Ohio already allows all 17-year-olds to vote in congressional, legislative and mayoral primaries – as long as they will be 18 on election day – but the question of whether they can vote in a presidential primary had been unanswered. Nine Ohio teenagers filed a lawsuit over the interpretation of the law by Ohio’s secretary of state, which they claimed was an act of disenfranchisement.
Cuba and European Union finalize deal to restore ties after years of tension
Cuba and the European Union have signed a deal normalizing their relations after years of tensions spawned by disagreement over human rights on the island.
Federica Mogherini, the EU’s high secretary for foreign affairs and Cuba foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez attended the Friday signing, which allows cooperation between Europe and Cuba on projects ranging from environmental protection to modernizing Cuba’s tax-collection system.
EU policy had prevented a normal relationship with Cuba until the island opened its single-party political system and centrally planned economy.
Syrians see few prospects for peace from Geneva talks
As peace talks are set to get under way in Geneva next week, residents in Syria from nurses to street vendors voice little optimism over the United Nations-backed negotiations’ chance of success.
The Geneva talks will coincide with the fifth anniversary of a conflict that began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before descending into a multi-sided war that has drawn in foreign governments and allowed the growth of Islamic State.
Fighting has slowed considerably since a fragile “cessation of hostilities agreement” brokered by the United States and Russia came into force almost two weeks ago. The agreement, accepted by the government and most of its enemies, is the first truce of its kind in a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and driven millions of Syrians from their homes.
Storm drenches drought-parched California
A storm front that closed schools and snarled Northern California traffic moved south Friday, drenching the Los Angeles area with brief but fierce downpours that snapped power lines, sent hikers up a tree and prompted a spate of flood advisories.
The afternoon rain fell in torrents in foothill areas, dumping nearly a quarter-inch in five minutes in the northeastern suburb of La Canada Flintridge, the National Weather Service reported.
Daylight-saving time brings with it myths, frustration
Spring forward, fall back.
But why?
The reason the United States and many other countries, mostly in the West, shift to daylight-saving time is contentious and confusing, and some of the more popular explanations are wrong. For instance, it isn’t for farmers, as you may have learned in school.
The concept is to move an hour of sunlight from the early morning, when many would sleep through it, to the evening, when people could most likely do more with the light. [..]
But since the idea was put in place, it has faced detractors and debate. Several states, including California and Rhode Island, are considering abolishing the practice. As with many other congressional acts, it’s worth considering who benefits.
Breakfast Blogs
Hillary’s Line About the Reagans Today Was the Single Dumbest Thing She’s Ever Said Charles Pierce, Esquire Poltics
FBI Can’t Have Whistleblower Protection Because It Would Encourage Too Many Complaints emptywheel aka Marcy Wheeler, emptywheel
Obama Doctrine, Washing Blood From His Hands, British Press Going Ballistic Joanne Leone, ShadowProof
Trump Concerned His Rallies Are Not Violent Enough Robert Mackey, The Intercept
President Obama Is Wrong On Encryption; Claims The Realist View Is ‘Absolutist’ Mike Masnick, Techdirt