Friday, February 14, 2014    Published Weekday Mornings   To see the full version of today's cartoon, click on the preview graphic of the cartoon (below the Commentary) to be taken to the full version in your favorite web browser. Putting A Lid On   Paul Rosenberg: Tea Party's fringe isolation: How a conspiracist mind-set poses long-term electoral danger for Republicans Greg Sargent: GOP should cut right wing loose on immigration Steve Benen: Core contradictions within Republican Party drive ACA criticism The Minority Maker, Ted Cruz: Republican hurts GOP by forcing a meaningless debt-ceiling vote Cruz'in for a Bruising: Cruz's play boxed in McConnell, giving fodder to GOP leaders' Tea Party opponent House Republicans: Ted Cruz Killed Immigration Reform Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) Introduces National Anti-Gay Marriage Bill B. Beutler: Rightwing nuts' anti-gay implosion - How a new ploy could doom the Republican party Pity The Billionaires   Tech Mogul Tom Perkins Doubles Down on Comparing Treatment of the 1 Percent to the Holocaust Billionaire Tom Perkins: Higher taxes on the rich will lead to 'economic extinction' of the 1% Tom Perkins' Latest Idea: Give The Wealthy More Votes Real-Live Monopoly   Comcast, Time Warner agree to merge in $45 billion deal Alyssa Rosenberg: How Comcast Buying Time Warner Cable Could Impact You - And The Entire Entertainment Industry Ryan Cooper: Step it up on telecoms, progressives Something In The Water  Feds launch criminal probe of North Carolina state agency after coal ash spill North Carolina coal ash spill now under federal criminal investigation North Carolina tells downstream users not to touch polluted Dan River water or eat the fish In West Virginia, Polluted Water Squeezes Wallets And Patience Health Care Checkup   Report: 5.8 Million People Lose Access To Medicaid Due To GOP Obstruction One-Fifth of New Enrollees Under Health Care Law Fail to Pay First Premium Sarah Kliff: A guide to understanding Obamacare's sign-up numbers Jonathan Gruber: Honesty Needed - Obamacare critics still aren't telling the whole story Equality In America   Federal judge strikes down Virginia ban on gay marriage Sahil Kapur: How The Supreme Court Lit A Fuse To End Gay Marriage Bans Across USA Facebook introduces custom gender field to allow users to more accurately reflect who they are Wisconsin Democrats Introduce Bill To Repeal Gay Marriage Ban Energy, Climate & Environment Another messy morning in winter-weary Northeast Emily Atkin: The Real Reason Why This Week's Massive Ice Storm Is So Unusual California Becoming Desperate For Water; Seeing Brown Where Green Used to Be Yglesias: Another Rail Oil Spill Shows Keystone Fight Isn't Futile Nations In Turmoil Russia accuses U.S. of sabotaging Syrian peace talks Arrests happen in Bahrain on uprisings on milestone eve Thai police clear some protest sites in Bangkok Pakistani students clash over celebrations of Valentine's Day International News Indonesian volcano erupts; 76,000 evacuated, most of Java's airports shut down Two Koreas to Go Ahead With Reunions of Families Split by War Italy to get new youngest-ever Prime Minister Midwest Roundup Nebraska Easement Action Team: TransCanada dupes landowners about eminent domain Democratic state Sen. Brad Ashford enters 2nd District U.S. Congressional race Iowa Legislature ponders tax break for new Iowa Speedway owner Putting A Lid On It Today may be Valentine's Day, but thanks to a slew of problems across the nation, we're certain more than a few Americans will be reaching for that bottle of ibuprofen alone at the end of today, instead of reaching for a glass of wine with their honey. We're nearly certain that North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory will be one of those people downing some strong headache pills. After the massive coal ash spill created by Duke Energy, that we discussed here Thursday morning, a new Federal criminal investigation was announced Thursday afternoon, involving both Duke Energy and members of the governor's administration. Add that investigation to Gov. McCrory's ongoing oversight of the cleanup of the Dan River, and the massive ongoing winter storm cleanup, and you've the got makings of a killer migraine. Anyone who would like a cheaper cable bill, or claims to support competition and a free market, is likely reaching for a bottle of little headache relievers today, in light of the potentially disastrous merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. We'd bet the group of Americans with the biggest headache today though, are establishment Republicans, who've been dealing with the headache of their extremist wing for the last several years - and who finally appear to be willing to put a lid on the Tea Party... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for February 14, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Jobs & The Economy Cold weather chills U.S. retail sales, jobless claims up this week WSJ Economists Survey: Hard Winter Taking Significant Toll on Growth Wall Street Watch Rise Of The Women: Cleveland Fed picks new President, Loretta Mester Democrats demand Fed does more to prevent credit fraud The Euro Zone Euro zone recovery accelerates more than expected in fourth quarter France and Germany Lead Euro Zone to Higher Growth Inequality In America House Democrats seek to force GOP's hand on minimum wage hike Paul Krugman: Inequality, Dignity and Freedom Workers Fight Back All eyes on Chattanooga: VW's workers are deciding the future of unions in the South Sen. Sherrod Brown: Any Minimum Wage Raise Must Include 'Significant' Hike For Restaurant Servers War on Workers U.S. Sen. Bob Corker drops unsubstantiated bombshell claim during VW plant union vote Joshua Holland: Why Right-Wing Lawmakers Are Desperate to Stop a Union Vote in Tennessee War on Women CNN Poll: Majority of Americans say Republican Party is out of touch with women Ana Marie Cox: The best way to stop 'the war on women' is to embrace it Race & America Peter Beinart: Why the Republican Push for Black Voters Is (Mostly) Doomed to Fail Brentin Mock: The Racist History Behind Felony Disenfranchisement Laws Intolerance in America Kansas House OKs bill allowing refusal of service to same-sex couples | Mark Joseph Stern: Kansas' anti-gay segregation bill is an abomination Did You Miss It On Wednesday? Here It Is Again! Your HuskerNutz Preview for February 14, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update After visiting California, Pres. Obama to announce millions of dollars for drought assistance | Sec. of State Kerry says Pres. Obama has asked for new policy options on Syria News From Capitol Hill Ian Millhiser: Why The Senate STILL Isn't Able To Get Anything Done Even After The 'Nuclear Option' Judicial Brief Ninth Circuit Court holds that Second Amendment secures a right to carry a gun On The Left Vice President Joe Biden Tells House Democrats To Stay Positive About 2014 Races Paul Krugman: Stupidity From The Right in Economic Discourse Josh Marshall: How Long Until Marriage Is Equal Across Whole U.S? Not Long At All. On The Right Ed Kilgore: Chris Christie, the Double-Dealer Joan Walsh: Petrified of the Tea Party - GOP cowards reach pathetic new low in vote scheme Greg Sargent: Mitch McConnell now must wrestle with the monster he helped create We hope you enjoy "The Daily Felltoon" every business day. Thanks for continuing to be a member! Paul Fell Shawn "Smith" Peirce Paul Fell Cartoons, Inc.