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Japan Syndrome: The AP reports 180,000 flee “amid fears of multiple nuclear meltdowns”; Experts tell NYT, “Radioactive releases in Japan could last months”

By Joe Romm on Mar 13, 2011 at 6:49 pm

Lieberman: “Put the brakes” on new U.S. nuclear power plants

The risk of partial meltdown at a stricken nuclear power plant in Japan increased on Monday as cooling systems failed at a third reactor, possibly exposing its fuel rods, only hours after a second explosion at a separate reactor blew the roof off a containment building….

Operators fear that if they cannot establish control, despite increasingly desperate measures to do so, the reactors could experience meltdowns, which would release catastrophic amounts of radiation.

It was unclear if radiation was released by Monday’s explosion, but a similar explosion at another reactor at the plant over the weekend did release radioactive material.

The situation in Japan is moving quickly and getting worse.  The above is from a Monday morning NYT piece.

Here is the AP story, “10K dead in Japan amid fears of nuclear meltdowns” from 4:05 EDT Sunday.

The estimated death toll from Japan’s disasters climbed past 10,000 Sunday as authorities raced to combat the threat of multiple nuclear reactor meltdowns and hundreds of thousands of people struggled to find food and water. The prime minister said it was the nation’s worst crisis since World War II.

Nuclear plant operators worked frantically to try to keep temperatures down in several reactors crippled by the earthquake and tsunami, wrecking at least two by dumping sea water into them in last-ditch efforts to avoid meltdowns.

The nuclear savvy French “recommended its citizens leave the Tokyo region of Japan on Sunday, citing the risk of further earthquakes and uncertainty about the situation at its damaged nuclear plants.”

It looks like people are right to leave the area as rapidly and orderly as possibly.  The NYT reports at 10:07 EDT, “Radioactive Releases in Japan Could Last Months, Experts Say“:

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Yglesias

A Revealing Reply

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 13, 2011 at 6:29 pm

Here an exchange I had earlier today:

This kind of thing makes me slightly hopeful about America. Bradley Manning, of course, hasn’t had a trial. But it’s obvious that many of the people who think they favor what’s being done to him don’t actually realize this. They take it for granted that in the United States of America punishment is for people who’ve been put on trial and convicted of crimes.

Security

In Resigning, State Dept. Spokesman PJ Crowley Does Not Back Away From Criticism Of Manning’s Detention

By Ben Armbruster on Mar 13, 2011 at 4:55 pm

Numerous civil rights groups and even members of Congress have criticized the Defense Department for its alleged treatment of Private First Class Bradley Manning, who is being detained on charges of leaking classified documents and videos to WikiLeaks. Manning has reportedly been kept in solitary confinement without access to bedding and been forced to strip naked every night.

Last week, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley criticized DOD for its treatment of Manning, calling it “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.” CNN reported today that the White House has now forced Crowley to resign. But in his resignation statement, Crowley did not back down from his criticism:

The unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a serious crime under U.S. law. My recent comments regarding the conditions of the pre-trial detention of Private First Class Bradley Manning were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership. The exercise of power in today’s challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values.

Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesman for the Department of State.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she accepted Crowley’s resignation “with regret.” “PJ has served our nation with distinction for more than three decades, in uniform and as a civilian,” she said. “His service to country is motivated by a deep devotion to public policy and public diplomacy, and I wish him the very best.” He previously served as a spokesman for the National Security Council and the Defense Department during the Clinton administration.

Crowley resigned today due to reported White House pressure. FDL’s Michael Whitney writes that this means that White House now “owns the abuse” of Manning.

“Manning is alleged to have committed serious crimes,” Matt Yglesias writes, referring to Crowley’s abrupt resignation, adding, “The correct response would be to put him on trial. To hold a person without trial in solitary confinement under degrading conditions is a perversion of justice.”

Update

While he worked at the Center for American Progress, Crowley authored a homeland security strategy in 2008, which stated the following criticism of the Bush administration:

[W]e have policies, including harsh interrogation techniques, detention without charge, government surveillance, and immigration that are inconsistent with our values and our long-term interest. All this in the name of something called the “war on terror.”


Update

,Glenn Greenwald has more.


[upd

Climate Progress

Peak Arabica Coffee? Top coffee scientist warns, “Coffee production is under threat from global warming.”

By Joe Romm on Mar 13, 2011 at 4:40 pm

Arabica

TIMBO, Colombia: … in the last few years, coffee yields have plummeted here and in many of Latin America’s other premier coffee regions as a result of rising temperatures and more intense and unpredictable rains, phenomena that many scientists link partly to global warming.

Coffee plants require the right mix of temperature, rainfall and spells of dryness for beans to ripen properly and maintain their taste. Coffee pests thrive in the warmer, wetter weather….

Purveyors fear that the Arabica coffee supply from Colombia may never rebound “” that the world might, in effect, hit “peak coffee.”

Climate-driven food insecurity is helping drive global political instability, as explored in my ongoing series.  But it may take a while for the direct impact of higher food prices to be noticed by Americans, since, for instance, wheat comprises only a few percent of the cost of a loaf of bread.

The New York Times article, “Heat Damages Colombia Coffee, Raising Prices,” shows that climate change doesn’t just hit the staples:  “The shortage of high-end Arabica coffee beans is also being felt in New York supermarkets and Paris cafes, as customers blink at escalating prices.”  It is unusually clear on the impact of global warming:

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Yglesias

Two Cheers For Nuclear Safety

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 13, 2011 at 4:29 pm

With what’s happening in Japan, it’s natural to see renewed concern about the safety of nuclear power and I’m certainly glad we didn’t vote for the candidate who dismissed the idea that nuclear energy ought to be safe. But I do think it’s worth speaking up for a nuclear industry a bit. The question is safe compared to what? The Alaskan king crab fishery is very dangerous, but it’s safer than a couple of other forms of fishing. And by the same token, it’s hardly the case that coal mining or drilling for oil or risk-free alternatives.

That’s all to say that while nuclear looks bad on safety grounds versus clean energy or efficiency, I don’t see any particular reason to see these safety concerns as more pressing than concernes around the fossil fuels that provide the majority of our energy.

Media

Chris Wallace Ignores James O’Keefe’s Dodgy Past While Promoting Him As The ‘Power Player Of The Week’

By Ben Armbruster on Mar 13, 2011 at 2:45 pm

Right-wing activist James O’Keefe recently released a video showing how he deceived NPR fundraisers into thinking they were having a discussion with members of a Muslim non-profit organization. One of the fundraisers was caught criticizing Republicans and the Tea Party and NPR CEO Vivian Schiller subsequently resigned.

Apart from the fact that O’Keefe’s past work suggests the media shouldn’t take his work too seriously, some, including Glenn Beck’s website The Blaze, have recently pointed out “questionable editing and tactics” in O’Keefe’s latest NPR video. Nevertheless, on Fox News Sunday today, host Chris Wallace, once again, made O’Keefe his “Power Player of the Week.” And in this segment, Wallace completely glossed over O’Keefe’s lack of credibility. The Fox host only mentioned one of his “problems” — having pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for trying to break in to Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) office:

WALLACE: There’s no debating that undercover activist James O’Keefe has taken on some big targets and come up with some stunning results. Once again, he’s our power player of the week. […]

O’Keefe has had problems. Last May he pleaded guilty to a misdameanor for posing as a phone repairman to get into Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office. But now he has a new scalp. The head of NPR was forced out in this latest scandal.

Media Matters has the clip:

Wallace even highlighted O’Keefe’s deceptive video work that eventually brought down ACORN, but he didn’t note that ACORN has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing as a result from O’Keefe’s tapes. Moreover, as Media Matters notes, “a 2009 report by the Congressional Research Service stated that O’Keefe’s surreptitious videotaping may have broken laws in California and Maryland.”

And of course Wallace omitted O’Keefe’s plan to “seduce” and publicly humiliate CNN reporter Abbie Bourdeau aboard a boat full of sex toys. Bourdeau caught on to the scam and reported that “O’Keefe planned to lure her aboard a boat where he would secretly record his attempts to ‘hit on her’ using ‘strawberries and champagne.’ Boudreau reported that a document she obtained suggested O’Keefe would also use props including a ‘condom jar,’ Viagra, pornography, a ceiling mirror, and ‘fuzzy handcuffs.’”

Yglesias

Genuine Question

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 13, 2011 at 2:30 pm

I’m a little confused by this idea of the Arab League calling on western powers to intervene militarily in Libya. If the Arab League is so eager to see an intervention, why don’t Arab League member states intervene in Libya? Egypt, in particular, is conveniently located adjacent to Libya and specifically to the opposition-held portion of Libya. Even better, Egyptian soldiers would speak the same language as Libyan people.

Of course mounting a intervention would be expensive for Egypt, but there are plenty of rich Gulf states that could help defray the costs. The point is that it seems to me like an Arab League that sincerely wanted to help the Libyan rebels has plenty of ways of doing so while the kind of western intervention they’re calling for seems very unlikely. But is there some logistical or geographical angle I’m missing here?

Politics

McConnell: All 47 Republicans Will Hold The Debt Ceiling Hostage Unless We Get Entitlement Cuts

By Tanya Somanader on Mar 13, 2011 at 1:40 pm

In the next couple months, the Treasury Department predicts the U.S. will hit “D-Day,” the day the debt reaches the $14.3 trillion ceiling. The reality of the impending deadline has forced some Republican lawmakers to drop their “showdown” showboating for a more sober position on the debt ceiling. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) admitted that failing to raise the debt ceiling would be “a financial disaster” and send the country “into a tailspin.” House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) said such a failure is “unworkable” because “obviously, you can’t default.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) put it more bluntly, stating that this position would “bring collapse and calamity around the world.”

But after backing away from decimating the nation’s economic future, Republicans have now decided to ratchet up the pressure and the take it hostage. A whole host of Republican lawmakers are now angling to use the debt ceiling as leverage to enact severe cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other saftey net programs. Today on Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) promised his entire caucus would vote against raisin the debt ceiling unless the White House agrees to cut entitlements:

MCCONNELL: There are 53 Democrats and 47 Republicans. My prediction is not a single one of the 47 Republicans would vote to raise the debt ceiling unless it includes with it some credible effort to do something about our debt. Now the House is another matter, I’m just predicitng the Senate Republican votes. I don’t believe Senate Republicans won’t vote to raise the debt ceiling. Now Democrats can raise it themselves if they choose to if they want to and try to do nothing whatsoever about the problem. I think to get any of the 47 Republicans, you’ve got to do something believe is credible –that the markets believe is credible, that the American people believe is credible, that foreign countries believe is credible — in addition to raising the debt ceiling.

Watch it:

If there is any question about Senate Republicans’ intentions, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-TX) swiftly put it to bed. The “debt ceiling vote is ultimate leverage to get fiscal reform,” he tweeted yesterday. Failure to raise the debt ceiling would not only likely result in a government shutdown and weaker financial markets, and — as Center For American Progress’s David Min points out — higher interest costs on U.S. debt would ultimately make the long-term budget situation “even more problematic.”

Republicans have certainly received clear warning. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently warned Republican lawmakers not to “play around with” raising the debt ceilling and use it as a “bargaining chip.” President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Austin Goolsbee said, “If we get to the point where you’ve damaged the full faith and credit of the United States, that would be the first default in history caused purely by insanity.” But, as the Washington Monthly’s Steve Benan notes, Senate Republicans insists on the position of “do what I want,” or “I’ll cause catastrophe on purpose.”

Yglesias

PJ Crowley Stepping Down As State Department Spokesman Under White House Pressure

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 13, 2011 at 1:10 pm

Denouncing the US military’s maltreatment of a prisoner is exactly the sort of thing you would expect would get a State Department spokesman fired, but in a just world this isn’t how things would be playing out:

P.J. Crowley is abruptly stepping down as State Department spokesman under pressure from White House officials because of controversial comments he made last week about the Bradley Manning case, CNN has learned from senior officials familiar with the matter.

Manning is alleged to have committed serious crimes. The correct response would be to put him on trial. To hold a person without trial in solitary confinement under degrading conditions is a perversion of justice.

Politics

Madison Rally Bigger Than Biggest Tea Party Rally

By Alex Seitz-Wald on Mar 13, 2011 at 12:35 pm

Police estimated up to 100,000 people turned out in Madison, WI yesterday to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) assault on unions, making it bigger than any protests the city has witnessed, even those during the Vietnam War. The Madison rally is part of a much larger Main Street Movement of average Americans demanding fairness in labor laws, social spending, and taxation that has emerged in Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, and elsewhere. But yesterday’s rally in Madison is noteworthy because at 85,000-100,000, it was bigger than the biggest tea party protest, the September 12, 2009 rally in Washington, D.C., which turned out only an estimated 60,000-70,000. A photo of the Madison rally yesterday:

For two years, tea party activists and their allies in the GOP have claimed that the hard-right movement represents the true beliefs of the American people. But the crowd in Madison and numerous polls tell a different story.

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