Fred Hiatt: "In Burma today, more than 2,000 dissidents and democrats are in prison, often in gruesome conditions, without any expectation of White House statements or Nobel honors. If she could speak publicly, Aung San Suu Kyi might well dedicate her birthday to them -- and to the "small, daily acts of courage" that most … Continue reading Courageous Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi marks birthday still under house arrest

Examiner: "Showing off your support for the Right to Life Anti-Abortion cause is going to be appearing on a vanity plate that is about to be issued by the DMV in Massachusetts."

NPR: "Over the past two weeks, hundreds of people have been gunned down in Mexico as drug violence continues to escalate. The surge in killings comes as President Felipe Calderon is ramping up efforts to win more public support for the drug war."

Jonathan Chait: Part of the reason for liberal dismay in an ahistorical understanding of how progress works. In the liberal memory, political success is bathed in golden-hued triumph. In reality, it is a grubby, stop-and-start process that looks pretty ugly up close.

Think Progress: "Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) has been widely condemned for telling BP executives yesterday that he is “sorry” for the Obama administration’s “shakedown” of their company, which resulted in a $20 billion escrow fund help Gulf families suffering from the oil spill. While the Republican leadership realized the potential political fallout and quickly distanced … Continue reading Conservative Pundits Rush To Defend Barton, Praise Him As Courageous

NY Times: "A federal advisory panel voted unanimously Thursday that federal drug regulators should approve a medicine that could help prevent pregnancy if taken as late as five days after unprotected sex.It is a chemical relative to RU-486, the abortion pill, and some mystery remains over exactly how it works. That mystery spurred a fierce … Continue reading Panel Recommends Approval of After-Sex Pill to Prevent Pregnancy

Nicholas Kristof: "But for a really nifty Father’s Day gift, how about sponsoring a rat?...A Dutch company, Apopo, has trained these giant rats, which have poor sight but excellent noses, to detect landmines in Africa. The rats are too light to set off the mines, but they can explore a suspected minefield and point with … Continue reading Dad Will Really Like This

AP: "U.N. officials charged Tuesday that organized gangs of masked fighters launched a series of coordinated attacks last week that sparked the wave of ethnic fighting in Kyrgyzstan. According to the Red Cross, the rampages, arsons and murders have killed several hundred people."

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