Members of Congress face the most anti-incumbent electorate since 1994, with less than a third of all voters saying they are inclined to support their representatives in November, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Dissatisfaction is widespread, crossing party lines, ideologies and virtually all groups of voters. Less than a quarter of independents and just three in 10 Republicans say they're leaning toward backing an incumbent this fall. Even among Democrats, who control the House, the Senate and the White House, opinion is evenly divided on the question...
Still, for President Obama and his party, there are some positive signs in the poll. The public trusts Democrats more than Republicans to handle the major problems facing the country by a double-digit margin, giving Democrats a bigger lead than they held two months ago, when Congress was engaged in the long endgame over divisive health-care legislation. A majority continues to see Obama as "just about right" ideologically, despite repeated GOP efforts to define the president as outside the mainstream.
Those polled also say they trust Obama over Republicans in Congress to deal with the economy, health care and, by a large margin, financial regulatory reform. And the president continues to get positive marks on his overall job performance, with, for the first time since the fall, a majority of independents approving...
Nearly half say the president is not doing enough to help the middle class, a view that's held by a majority of those with annual household incomes between $50,000 and $100,000. At the start of the general election campaign in 2008, 66 percent expected Obama, if elected, to do the right amount for the middle class; now, 44 percent say he has it just right.
Living in Louisiana I'm acutely aware of these issues with over 4,000 oil rigs off our shores. Oyster beds, fish and shrimp are some of our main exports. It's pretty amazing that something this bad has not happened up until now. And this is exactly why I implored the President to reconsider drilling off shore elsewhere in America. Mangling the continental shelf off our Atlantic Coast is a really bad idea.
It only takes one mess like the current one to make us realize it's time to get serious about sinking more money into less harmful forms of energy than fossil fuels. Today, apparently, the White House finally slowed down its enthusiasm for drilling off shore. Let's all hope Obama now understands and accepts the enormity of this situation for future generations and the health of the planet.
Coast Guard to Set Fire to Gulf Oil Slick: (CBS/AP) Crews Unable to Stop Flow from Underwater Well Damaged in Rig Explosion, Leaving Massive Contamination
exploded drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, a last-ditch effort to get rid of it before it reaches environmentally sensitive marshlands on the coast.
A 500-foot boom will be used to corral several thousand gallons of the thickest oil on the surface, which will then be towed to a more remote area, set on fire, and allowed to burn for about an hour, the Coast Guard said. Such burns will continue throughout the day if they are working.
It was unclear what would be used to set the oil on fire and how far from shore it would burn. The slick was about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
About 42,000 gallons of oil a day are leaking into the Gulf from the blown-out well where the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank last week. Eleven workers are missing and presumed dead. The cause of the explosion has not been determined.
Greg Pollock, head of the oil spill division of the Texas General Land Office, which is providing equipment for crews in the Gulf, said he is not aware of a similar burn ever being done off the U.S. coast. The last time crews with his agency used fire booms to burn oil was a 1995 spill on the San Jacinto River.
"When you can get oil ignited, it is an absolutely effective way of getting rid of a huge percentage of the oil," he said. "I can't overstate how important it is to get the oil off the surface of the water."
He said the oil will likely be ignited using jelled gasoline and lit rags soaked in oil. What's left afterward is something he described as a kind of hardened tar ball that can be removed from the water with nets or skimmers.
"I would say there is little threat to the environment because it won't coat an animal, and because all the volatiles have been consumed if it gets on a shore it can be simply picked up," he said...
The decision to burn some of the oil comes as the Coast Guard and industry cleanup crews run out of other options to get rid of it.
Crews operating submersible robots have been trying without success to activate a shut-off device that would halt the flow of oil on the sea bottom 5,000 feet below.
Rig operator BP Plc. says work will begin as early as Thursday to drill a relief well to relieve pressure at the blowout site, but that could take months.
Another option is a dome-like device to cover oil rising to the surface and pump it to container vessels, but that will take two weeks to put in place, BP said...
The cost of disaster continues to rise and could easily top $1 billion...
Feds OK Nation's First Offshore Wind Farm: (CBS/AP) Interior Secretary Approves Controversial Cape Wind Project, Clearing Way for 130-Turbine Wind Farm in Nantucket Sound
The Obama administration has approved what would be the nation's first offshore wind farm, off Cape Cod, inching the U.S. closer to harvesting an untapped domestic energy source - the steady breezes blowing along its vast coasts...
Cape Wind says it can generate power by 2012 and aims to eventually supply three-quarters of the power on Cape Cod, which has about 225,000 residents. Cape Wind officials say it will provide green jobs and a reliable domestic energy source, while offshore wind advocates are hoping it can jump-start the U.S. industry.
America's onshore wind industry is the world's largest, but higher upfront costs, tougher technological challenges and environmental concerns have held back the development of offshore wind farms.
Denmark installed the world's first offshore wind turbine 20 years ago. China has built its first commercial wind farm off Shanghai and plans several other projects.
The U.S. Department of Energy envisions offshore wind farms accounting for 4 percent of the country's electric generating capacity by 2030.
Major U.S. proposals include a project in Texas state waters, but most are concentrated along the East Coast north of Maryland, including projects in Delaware and New Jersey...
Like this was any surprise. During the years specified in this report the air quality - or complete lack of it - was horrendous in my area of the country. Actually, since Bush is now out of office - and we actually have a real EPA enforcing the laws - Baton Rouge, Louisiana is only number 25 on the list of worst polluted ozone areas - and this report actually reflects the Bush years. Bush refused to fine the local chemical companies and oil refineries when they did burn-off at will.
Also, because of the economic downturn some local chemical plants are shut down and so our air is actually good enough to open the windows and air out the house this Spring. The past few years we kept the doors and windows closed all year round because of the stinging quality to the air for our eyes and lungs. People around here constantly go to their doctors for sinus infections and this part of the Gulf of Mexico is known as Cancer Alley.
The economic downturn and high gas prices have locals not driving as much which has also contributed to healthier air in my area. Let's see: no Bush, no Cheney, Obama pollution enforcement, fewer cars on the road all day, economic downturn = better air! :) See how your part of the country fared in this report.
Report: Most Americans Live in Unhealthy Air: (CBS/AP) Progress Made in Reducing Soot, Dust through Cleaner Diesel Engines, Controls on Coal-Fired Power Plants
A new report says more than half of Americans still live in areas with unhealthy air, despite progress in reducing smog.
The report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association is based on 2006-2008 figures. It says progress has been made in reducing particle pollution such as soot and dust, thanks to cleaner diesel engines and controls on coal-fired power plants.
The Los Angeles area continued to have the nation's worst ozone pollution...
Most Polluted Cities by Ozone
1. Los Angeles-Long Beach (Calif.)-Riverside (Calif.)
2. Bakersfield, Calif.
3. Visalia (Calif.)-Porterville (Calif.)
4. Fresno (Calif.)-Madera (Calif.)
5. Sacramento (Calif.)-Arden-Arcade (Calif.)-Yuba City (Nev.)
6. Hanford (Calif.)-Corcoran (Calif.)
7. Houston-Baytown (Texas)-Huntsville (Texas)
8. San Diego-Carlsbad (Calif.)-San Marcos (Calif.)
9. San Luis Obispo (Calif.)-Paso Robles (Calif.)
10. Charlotte (N.C.)-Gastonia (N.C.)-Salisbury (S.C.)
11. Phoenix-Mesa (Ariz.)-Scottsdale (Ariz.)
12. Merced, Calif.
13. Dallas-Fort Worth (Texas)
14. Knoxville (Tenn.)-Sevierville (Tenn.)-La Follette (Tenn.)
15. El Centro, Calif.
T16. New York-Newark (N.J.)-Bridgeport (Conn.)
T16. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia
18. Cincinnati-Middletown (Ky.)-Wilmington (Ind.)
T19. Atlanta-Sandy Springs (Ga.)-Gainesville (Ala.)
T19. Birmingham (Ala.)-Hoover (Ala.)-Cullman (Ala.)
21. Las Vegas-Paradise (Nev.)-Pahrump (Nev.)
T22. Modesto, Calif.
T22. Philadelphia-Camden (N.J.)-Vineland (N.J.)
24. Chico, Calif.
25. Baton Rouge (La.)-Pierre Part (La.)
Worst Cities by Year-Round Particle Pollution
1. Phoenix-Mesa (Ariz.)-Scottsdale (Ariz.)
2. Bakersfield, Calif.
T3. Los Angeles-Long Beach (Calif.)-Riverside (Calif.)
T3. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
5. Pittsburgh-New Castle (Pa.)
6. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
7. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
8. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
T9. Cincinnati-Middletown (Ky.)-Wilmington (Ind.)
T9. St. Louis-St. Charles (Mo.)-Farmington (Ill.)
T11. Charleston, W.Va.
T11. Detroit-Warren (Mich.)-Flint (Mich.)
T11. Weirton (W.Va.)-Steubenville (Ohio)
T14. Louisville (Ky.)-Jefferson County (Ky.)-Elizabethtown (Ky.)-Scottsburg (Ind.)
T14. Modesto, Calif.
T16. Atlanta-Sandy Springs (Ga.)-Gainesville (Ala.)
T16. Houston-Baytown (Texas)-Huntsville (Texas)
T16. Huntington (Ohio)-Ashland (Ohio)
T19. Cleveland-Akron (Ohio)-Elyria (Ohio)
T19. Macon (Ga.)-Warner Robins (Ga.)-Fort Valley (Ga.)
T21. Hagerstown (Md.)-Martinsburg (W.Va.)
T21. Knoxville (Tenn.)-Sevierville (Tenn.)-La Follette (Tenn.)
23. Augusta (Ga.)-Richmond County (S.C.)
24. Indianapolis-Anderson (Ind.)-Columbus (Ind.)
T25. Parkersburg (W.Va.)-Marietta (Ohio)
T25. York (Pa.)-Hanover (Pa.)-Gettysburg (Pa.)
Worst Cities by Short-Term Particle Pollution
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
2. Fresno (Calif.)-Madera (Calif.)
3. Pittsburgh-New Castle (Pa.)
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach (Calif.)-Riverside (Calif.)
5. Birmingham (Ala.)-Hoover (Ala.)-Cullman (Ala.)
6. Sacramento (Calif.)-Arden-Arcade (Calif.)-Yuba City (Nev.)
7. Salt Lake City-Ogden (Utah)-Clearfield (Utah)
8. Visalia (Calif.)-Porterville (Calif.)
9. Modesto, Calif.
10. Hanford (Calif.)-Corcoran (Calif.)
11. Merced, Calif.
12. Philadelphia-Camden (N.J.)-Vineland (N.J.)
13. Provo (Utah)-Orem (Utah)
14. Phoenix-Mesa (Ariz.)-Scottsdale (Ariz.)
15. Stockton, Calif.
16. Chicago-Naperville (Ill.)-Michigan City (Ind.)
17. San Diego-Carlsbad (Calif.)-San Marcos (Calif.)
T18. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia
T18. New York-Newark (N.J.)-Bridgeport (Conn.)
T18. Logan, Utah
21. Eugene (Ore.)-Springfield (Ore.)
22. Harrisburg (Pa.)-Carlisle (Pa.)-Lebanon (Pa.)
T23. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland (Calif.)
T23. Indianapolis-Anderson (Ind.)-Columbus (Ind.)
T23. Allentown (Pa.)-Bethlehem (Pa.)-Easton (Pa.)
And here I thought American politics were overheated and often stupid. Among the Taiwanese, British and Ukrainian politics I'd say there were some definite runners up for the title of sleaze! :) I find it interesting that an aide already had an umbrella handy to fend off flying rotten eggs. Maybe it's a tradition in the Ukraine to throw eggs when they are angry?
Sadly, the nationalists may just have good reason to be that furious with their government. What happened in the Ukraine today would be the American equivalent of President Washington allowing King George of Britain unfettered access to our American shores for another 25 years. Now we all know how well that would not go over with the American public.
Chaos in Ukraine Parliament Over Russia Ties: (CBS/AP) Protesters Throw Eggs, Set Off Smoke Bombs Over Parliament's Decision To Renew Russia's Lease On Navy Base
As protesters threw eggs and set off smoke bombs, Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday extended the Russian Black Sea Fleet's lease at a Crimean port for another 25 years. Russia's parliament ratified the deal in a more sedate session.
The egg artillery barrage ended when the attackers ran out of ammunition, at which point they moved in for hand to hand combat...
The agreement, reached last week by the two country's presidents in a clear sign of Russia's renewed influence in Ukraine, extends the fleet's lease by 25 years after the old lease expires in 2017.
Former President Viktor Yushchenko adamantly tried to move Ukraine out of Moscow's shadow and closer to Western Europe during his five years in office. But his successor, Viktor Yanukovych, who took office in February, is more favorably inclined toward the Kremlin.
The extension outraged Ukrainian nationalists who regard the fleet's presence as tantamount to Russian occupation.
"This is a permanent threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity because the Black Sea Fleet is the outpost of the Russian state in Ukraine, which is conducting anti-Ukrainian policies and financing anti-Ukrainian projects. In general, this is the work of (Russian) special services on Ukrainian territory," said Igor Derevyanko, one of several thousand demonstrators who gathered outside the parliament.
The voting session was unruly even by the Ukrainian parliament's notoriously freewheeling standards.
Opponents of the measure threw eggs at parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn as he opened the session and he spent much of the rest of it shielded by an umbrella held by an aide...
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Frosty Asteroid May Give Clues About Earth's Oceans: (NPR)
Out in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, at least one giant space rock seems to be covered in a fine layer of frost.
The finding, by two separate teams using an infrared telescope in Hawaii, marks the first time that frozen water has been found on an asteroid. Scientists believe that early in Earth's history, impacts from water-bearing asteroids and comets may have created our planet's oceans.
But until now, no one has actually detected water ice on an asteroid. "This is probably the most convincing case to date," says Henry Hsieh, an expert on comets and asteroids at Queen's University in Belfast, who wrote a commentary on two reports in the journal Nature that describe the new discovery...
Campins says this surface ice must be constantly refreshed, but it's not clear where the new ice might come from. "You could have a subsurface layer, or a buried ice layer, in this asteroid that would have survived the age of the solar system," Campins says.
Unlike the planets, asteroids are thought to have existed mostly unchanged for billions of years. So scientists say the ice on this asteroid could show what kind of ice might have hit our own planet early in its history.
"The ice that we see there, right now, is sort of related to the ice that could have come from the main asteroid belt that hit us about 4 billion years ago," says Hsieh. "It gives us a way to kind of probe the cousins of the asteroids that hit us and probably gave us water in the early stages of the Earth's formation."
The two research teams also detected organic compounds along with the ice. So early asteroid impacts might have delivered more than one building block for life, says Campins...
And here's the quirky story of the day. You may want to click on the link to listen to the delightful bit of historical trivia.
Heartsick? An Estonian Pharmacy May Have A Cure: (NPR) by David Greene
... a major attraction in the town's cobblestone square — the Raeapteek, or Town Hall Pharmacy.
My guide, local historian Juri Kuuskemaa, told me the place opened in 1422 and may well be Europe's longest continuously operating pharmacy. Legend has it that in the 18th century, a former owner, Dr. Johann Burchart V, nearly saved a Russian czar.
"When Peter the Great, Russian emperor, was dying and nobody could help him, he called Johann V," Kuuskemaa said.
But things didn't work out. The czar died before Burchart arrived.
The pharmacy is also legendary for its herbs, wine and medicines — and its love drugs.
"You can go to pharmacy and buy special materials, so-called aphrodisiacom, and when you give to her or her, it is fate. Both could do nothing against it. And lady would love you to the end of their lives," Kuuskemaa explained.
But that's not all. "When you have two or three wives, for example, and you see one is happy but two are unhappy, you can buy here special materials to give to these two unhappies and they forget you, and they could find happiness with another man, not with you," Kuuskemaa said. "So it stops the love. It is an anti-aphrodisiacom, yeah. So love could be regulated with drugs."
On display inside, readily available, was the pharmacy's famous anti-aphrodisiac. Each individually wrapped piece of candy is packed with the secret ingredient: almond powder. People struck by love use it to cure themselves.
"How long we have sold it? ... I think 500 years," said pharmacist Ulle Noodapera...
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