SAR #15283

Of course the Republicans are courting the stupid vote – we're the majority after all.

Shoe, Fitting: When Mr. Putin talks about a country whose foreign policy is “based on smugness, conviction in one’s exceptionalism and impunity,” everyone in the room knew who he was talking about except Mr. Obama.

Sadly: “There is no real Hillary Clinton.”

Lemmings: Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi have joined Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Citroen, Fiat, Volvo and Jeep as having used devices and/or software to evade emissions standards. VW says it will, over a ten year period, recall and fix the culprit cars – if they can figure out how to do it cheaply. There seems to be no way to force owners who like their cars to respond to a recall. Each day of the ten years or more it takes to “fix” these cars, they will keep killing us slowly. Why should we let VW get away with this? Or any of the others? Why, as criminal enterprises, should they continue to exist? Some admit killing us for profit, the rest will eventually find some middle manager to take the fall – capitalism at its best.

Schadenfreude: Paul Ryan may be the best they have...

What's Your Number? In China it's not just your credit worthiness, but your social worthiness and political obedience that gets rolled into a score representing your worth as a citizen. Now we know what Poindexter had in mind for the TIA program.

Targeting: Stephen Hawking says we would do well to fear capitalism, not robots. Automation will not bring about an economic apocalypse, greedy capitalists will.

Witches' Ball: "Did I look at [Planned Parenthood's] finances and have a hearing specifically as to the revenue portion and how they spend? Yes. Was there any wrongdoing? I didn't find any." So says House Oversight Committee Chairman (and would-be Speaker) Jason Chaffetz, who goes on to promise that there “will continue to be investigations." Until after the 2016 elections

2340 Days Late and Several Billion Dollars Short: Larry Summers, back then Director of the National Economic Council, now thinks that a large government stimulus is needed to prevent the next crisis that is visible just down the road. Poor Larry, he just wants to be liked.

The TPPing Point: "What we’re talking about here is global Internet censorship. It will criminalize our online activities [file sharing, whistleblowing] , censor the Web, and cost everyday users money. This deal would never pass with the whole world watching—that’s why they’ve negotiated it in total secrecy."

Democracy Inaction: Over 75% of Americans want the Citizens United decision overturned. Fine, but who cares: that 75% hasn't got enough money to buy a congressman, much less the presidency.

Datapoint: In many American cities childcare costs more than rent – and often more than a part-time worker takes home.

Research: A team studying the effects of medical marijuana on chronic pain found that its most prominent side effects were an improvement in mood and quality of light. And munchies.