Politics

The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has suspended the use of a chemical used to kill mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus, after doctors voiced concerns that it may be the actual cause of brain defects in newborns. The state government’s move followed reports from the Argentine group Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST) and Brazilian Collective Health Association (Abrasco)  which both suggested that the larvicide, not the Zika virus, was responsible for the alarming spike in microcephaly.

Yesterday the GOP strategist Patrick Ruffini sent out 19 successive tweets sharing his assessment of the Republican race so far. I hope someone will Storify them so you can all easily read them, but until then, follow the link above. His basic argument is that the GOP race is settling into a pattern. Trump has a hard core of supporters nationally, but he can’t seem to grow beyond it. They are, however, unshakable in their support of him:

The British government’s ‘crackdown’ on tax evasion has been embroiled in another credibility crisis, following revelations that the family business of Chancellor George Osborne had not paid corporation tax for seven years. A Shadow Treasury spokesman said that reports were ‘truly embarrassing’ for the Chancellor and the Labour party say that the tax row has casts doubt on his ability to make other firms pay up.

A conservative friend e-mailed yesterday, about Thomas Frank’s 2004 book, What’s The Matter With Kansas?:

Officers from the riot police force in France (Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité) have spoken out on Facebook saying that they believe a civil war is imminent.  In a post titled “Diary of a CRS” – police officers belonging to the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité say why they think France on the brink of total civil war, and accuse the media are completely hiding certain unpalatable facts from the public. From the Facebook post: Here is the story “Diary of a CRS” you will not find anywhere else as totally forbidden!