PNUT GALLERY
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue… so the Pnut will be celebrating in his honor on Monday. Don’t miss us too much.
IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
Republican Leadership Race Claims First Victim: McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, dropped out of the race to replace John Boehner as Speaker of the House. The announcement left the Republicans in a state of disarray and delayed the vote. Conservatives within the Republican Party had attacked McCarthy in the days leading up to the vote, backing his rival, Daniel Webster, instead. There were also recent allegations of an affair with another member of Congress right before his resignation. Boehner will stay on until a suitable alternative is found. Is Paul Ryan contestant number two?
Some Republicans are worried that the in-fighting is making them “look absolutely crazy.” Infighting among political parties isn’t solely an American phenomenon. The UK Labor party, Australia’s Liberals and Greece’s ND have all had contentious leadership battles in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, if you want to be Speaker, you can apply here.
Russia And Iran: With Friends Like These…
Russian cruise missiles meant to bomb Syrian rebels are reported to have accidentally landed in Iran yesterday according to US officials (Iran is Russia’s ally). Moscow refuted the claim and said that all their missiles hit their intended target. The probability that accidents could occur is high given the many players operating in Syria. Luckily this incident (if it happened) was “friendly fire” with no apparent casualties.
 Pnut’s Nutshell on the Syrian Civil War
NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
Bill Gross: Pimco Better Have My Money
Bill Gross, former CEO of Pimco and “Bond King,” is suing his former employer (a company he founded) for $200 million after he was “gently” pushed out last year. Gross alleged that his former colleagues were driven by “lust for power, greed” and an opportunity to grab 20% of the $1.3 billion bonus pool that Gross was supposed to get. Gross criticized his rival, El-Erian’s, investment strategy, likening it to the long and “diversified” menu at the Cheesecake factory.
#pnut4prez: Rupert Murdoch Wants A ‘Real Black President’
News Corp. Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch took some pretty blatant swings at Obama yesterday, reigniting the age-old debate about his racial identity. In his tweet, he said: “Ben and Candy Carson terrific. What about a real black President who can properly address the racial divide? And much else.†Sorry, but in this new election cycle are we really still questioning Obama’s racial identity? Like him or hate him, but pretty sure it’s been settled that not only is he black, but he was also really and truly born in the U S of A.
Keeping Our Eye On…
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- Libya: The UN proposed a unity government after a couple years of bad blood between the country’s two separate parliaments — the Islamist-backed one and the internationally recognized parliament. How this will play out is TBD.
- FIFA: It finally happened! The organization’s president Sepp Blatter, its Secretary General and a VP were all officially suspended from the sport for 90 days.
- Planned Parenthood: Looks like it’s in the clear for now, as Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced that in fact the organization was not found of any wrongdoing in appropriation of funds. The committee will continue on with its investigation.
LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
For The Men Who Get (Take?) Everything
Russia’s Vladimir Putin celebrated his 63rd birthday yesterday by playing his favorite sport, ice hockey. Putin was all smiles as he scored seven times in front of a packed stadium (although, to be fair, you don’t want to be the goalie responsible for blocking a Putin shot on his birthday). Putin fans also held a “Putin portrait” exhibition in which he was displayed as Neo from the Matrix and Buddha. This made us think about how other dictators celebrate their birthdays. After some digging, this is what we found:
Weekend Reads:
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