Friday, February 21, 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. Slowly Beating Big Oil   Judge throws out Nebraska pipeline law, complicating Keystone XL plans Dave Domina: Keystone XL is now at an indefinite standstill in Nebr. TransCanada weighs next steps after U.S. court's Keystone ruling TransCanada takes wait and see approach on Keystone court ruling TransCanada Tries - And Fails - To Throw More Money At Nebraskans To Allow Keystone XL On Their Land Poll: Majority of Americans want answers on Keystone oil destination Spoiled  Waters   West Virginia asks feds to study continuing health effects of chemical spill Jeff Biggers: If we don't put people before profits, spills like West Virginia are our future Video Shows Second Pipe Leaking Arsenic From North Carolina Coal Ash Site, Feds Subpoena Regulators Toxic Leak & Toxic Politics Taint Both North Carolina Coal Plants And Regulators Indicting The Right Daniel Strauss: How Scott Walker's Secret Emails Could Doom Him For 2016 Francis Wilkinson: Scott Walker's E-Mails Make Chris Christie Look Bad, Not Walker Bridgegeate Update: Port Authority revises explanation of park-ride lease deal Leader of Port Authority's Police Union to Reduce Role Amid Bridge Scandal 2014 Olympics  American Maddie Bowman wins gold in ski halfpipe Winter Olympics 2014: Russia surprises with Olympic gold in women's figure skating, U.S. pushed out of medals Canada Wins Fourth Straight Olympic Gold in Women's Hockey For USA Hockey, Friday's Men's Game A Second Chance To Trump Canada NBC Expects Record Online Viewership for U.S.-Canada Men's Hockey Semifinal After Sochi, what's next for Winter Olympics? Intolerance in America Arizona Advances Bill Effectively Giving Its Citizens A 'License To Discriminate' Dana Liebelson: Inside the Conservative Campaign to Launch "Jim Crow-Style" Bills Against Gay Americans Marriage Equality Oregon Won't Defend Gay-Marriage Ban in Lawsuit Six attorneys general won't defend their own states gay-marriage bans Marijuana America Colorado Expects to Reap Tax Bonanza From Legal Marijuana Sales Genius Girl Scout sells cookies outside San Francisco pot club Energy, Climate & Environment Freezing January for Easterners in U.S. Was Not Felt Round the World All-Electric Car Maker Tesla Posts Strong Q4 Earnings; Projects More Growth This Year Nations In Turmoil Ukraine Announces Tentative Accord to End Crisis Ukrainian president, opposition, agree to early elections & new govt Protests Swell in Venezuela as Places to Rally Disappear Venezuelan protesters, troops clash, death toll at six Venezuelan Journalist Rightly Wonders Why American Media Ignores Unfolding Crisis UN urges reinforcements to quell continuing violence in Central African Republic Egypt Extends Its Crackdown to Journalists Dozens killed as mortars hit town in Iraq International News Eight anti-Putin protesters convicted in Russian 'show trial' Russian anti-Putin rioters face years in jail Midwest Roundup Restoring previously cut state aid to Nebraska cities & counties could lead to tax relief Omaha selling the Civic Auditorium Ag census finds Iowa farms are bigger but fewer in number Clock runs out on bevy of bills in Iowa Legislature Celebrating Vision & Patience From nearly the beginning of this publication, over six years ago, we've occasionally given both credit and blame where due. We've also paused to count moments of successes and failures. This week, the number of successes we've been counting has been much greater than normal. There were plenty of successes at the Winter Olympics this week, even as the games head to a close this weekend. There were national political successes too, like President Obama pulling Chained CPI out of his 2015 budget plans, or California beating their Obamacare sign-up goal nearly six weeks early. There were personal successes for our staff too, as our editor Amy celebrated the birthday of her eldest daughter, even as we celebrated having her input back among our staff. Our webmaster Shawn & his wife celebrated getting a brand new Ford Fusion Energi by getting nearly 80 miles per gallon this week. Of course, we all celebrated the decision by Nebraska Judge Stephanie Stacy, that a 2012 Nebraska law is unconstitutional, meaning the Keystone XL pipeline is at a standstill in Nebraska, at least for the time being. None of these successes happened overnight, and they all took an enormous amount of patience, dedication, hard work, and vision. For example, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, America's first gold medal-winning ice dancing team ever had been working for seventeen years on the success they finally achieved this week. The Keystone pipeline fight has gone on for a good number of years too, and it doesn't look to be over anytime soon... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for February 21, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Jobs & The Economy  Minimum-Wage Debate Prods U.S. Retailers to Strategize Shaila Dewan: How Obamacare Could Actually Unlock More Job Opportunities RBS to shrink investment bank services and cut 30,000 jobs Wall Street Watch   Fannie Mae Payments Back To U.S. Treasury Will Exceed Amount Americans Gave During Bailout U.S. Taxpayers Now Making Money On Fannie Mae Banks Fighting Revised CFPB Plan to Monitor Their Overdraft Fees Health Care Checkup   Missouri House Republican Files Medicaid Expansion Bill For His State Pennsylvania Gov. Corbett Files His Final Medicaid Expansion Plan The Fact Checker: A hard-hitting anti-Obamacare ad makes a claim that doesn't add up | Jonathan Bernstein: Republicans Fire, and Miss (Again), at Obamacare Kevin Drum: Has Anyone in America Actually Been Harmed by Obamacare? No. Not Really. Obamacare: Investors Now Betting Billions the ACA Will Succeed Race In America   Eugene Robinson: I'm black, don't shoot me Immigration: Reform Coming?   Sargent: GOP stalling on immigration is not about 'distrust of Obama' Equality In America   Same-sex marriage moving swiftly back toward Supreme Court Same-sex marriage is winning the war: A perfect record for equality post-Windsor Intolerance Of Equality   Kansas Senate Leader Says Anti-Gay Bill Will Not Pass Italian gay activist & former member of parliament says she was detained at Olympics Ethics & The Media   Venezuelan Pres. Maduro Threatens to Expel CNN if network doesn't change its coverage of protests Anti-Freedom: Republicans In Congress Will Try to Kill FCC's New Net-Neutrality Rules Media Matters   FCC Commissioner Warns of Agency's Plan to Monitor "Critical Information Needs" Across America FCC's Wheeler Assures Paranoid Right Wingers: FCC Won't Regulate Journalist's Speech Here It Is! Your HuskerNutz Preview for February 21, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update   With 2015 budget request, Obama will call for an end to era of austerity Greg Sargent: With Chained CPI now dead, White House course correction continues President Obama, Dalai Lama to meet today on human rights issues First Lady Obama on Jimmy Fallon: "Young People Are Knuckleheads" About Things Like Health Insurance Budget Battles Ahead   White House budget to boost spending by $56 billion, drop Boehner's 'grand bargain' Sam Stein: Obama Budget Will Undo Sequestration Cuts For Some -- But Not All Goodbye, Chained CPI -- Explaining the White House Budget Proposal Obama's budget shows how difficult it will be to achieve his 2nd-term goals On The Left President Obama Tells Democrats To Energize Elections; Make Midterm 2014 Races 'Sexy' Michael Tomasky: The Democrats' Best Weapon for the Midterms? Fear of a Red Senate On The Right Brian Beutler: GOP's Social Security disaster - How conservatives just lost their chance to cut benefits Sahil Kapur: How Tea Party Absolutism Cost The GOP A Huge Win On Entitlements 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.