The New Republic

If you are a sentient American, there are two major trends you have likely noticed: First, the increase in our collective inability to confront problems, and second, the increase in our collective girth. These two problems converged on Monday, when Congress scuttled an Obama administration initiative to make school lunches healthier. READ MORE >>

Tonight, news broke that the recently-evicted Occupy Wall Street protesters have lost their appeal to maintain encampments in Zuccotti Park. It’s unclear what effect this will have on the broader Occupy movement; while it could weaken the New York protest at the movement’s forefront, Occupy movements in other cities say these developments will only galvanize their members. Is this a decisive moment for the protests—and what chance do they ultimately have of succeeding? READ MORE >>

A growing nervousness is evident in Washington this week, where the bipartisan deficit “super committee” remains deadlocked just days from its deadline. News outlets with a penchant for finger-wagging are earnestly scolding lawmakers for their lack of progress, and The Washington Post is featuring a “deadline for supercommittee” countdown on its website. READ MORE >>

Bad news, basketball fans: It looks like efforts to salvage this NBA season have finally collapsed. Players have rejected the league’s latest offer, and now a class-action suit against the NBA appears imminent. READ MORE >>

Pity Michele Bachmann. The Minnesota congresswoman and certifiable presidential aspirant saw her poll numbers rise throughout the summer, but when autumn came, those heady days ended and she fell—as must all false messiahs of these unsustainable GOP boomlets—back to Earth. Now, with poll numbers hovering around 4 percent, she is reduced to trading insults with journalists. READ MORE >>

Pity Michele Bachmann. The Minnesota congresswoman and certifiable presidential aspirant saw her poll numbers rise throughout the summer, but when autumn came, these heady days ended and she fell—as must all false messiahs of these unsustainable GOP boomlets—back to Earth. Now, with poll numbers hovering around 4 percent, she is reduced to trading insults with journalists. READ MORE >>

State College erupted last night after news broke that legendary football coach Joe Paterno had been canned for failing to take stronger action when confronted with allegations that one of his assistant coaches had been molesting young boys. READ MORE >>

There’s no denying that last night was a pretty good night for liberals across the country—in Mississippi, Maine, and especially in Ohio, where voters restored public-sector collective bargaining rights. READ MORE >>

Prince William did a little food sampling while in Copenhagen today—and it was a far cry from the mouth-watering appetizers served at his wedding back in April, which included Cornish Crab Salad on Lemon Blini, Roulade of Goat Cheese with Caramelized Walnuts, and Scottish Smoked Salmon Rose on Beetroot Blini. READ MORE >>

The right-wing ascendancy in Wisconsin has been well-covered—at least with regard to labor issues. READ MORE >>