Tuesday, March 25, 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. ***PUBLICATION NOTE*** We appolgize for the delay of today's edition, due to technical difficulties at our distrubutor, Constant Contact. The Truth About Elections Jonathan Bernstein: Nate Silver Predicts Republican Senate Advantage. Is He Right? Democrats to Nate Silver: You're Wrong Steve Benen: DSCC, Nate Silver can both be right Cook Political Chart of the Week: Republican Supporters FAR Outspending Democrats Already Fact Check: Sen. Cruz's 'biggest lie in politics' is actually the truth: Repubs ARE the Party of the rich. Alex Seitz-Wald: The Presidential Election Does Start Earlier Every 4 Years (but Don't Blame the Media) Individual Rights On Trial Hobby Lobby Case Goes Before the Supreme Court Today Supreme Court to hear birth control/corporate rights case today Anti-Contraception Ruling Could Have Reach Far Beyond Women's Rights Pew Research Center: 5 questions about the Supreme Court cases on contraceptive coverage Justice Scalia's Past May Come Back To Haunt Him On Birth Control Lin-Fan Wang: The Danger Of Giving Science And Religion Equal Weight In Birth Control Cases Crying Wolf on Religious Liberty Adam Winkler: Will the Supreme Court License Anti-Gay Discrimination?  Russian Roulette U.S., other powers kick Russia out of G8 Ousted by G-8, Russia determined to prove it can thrive without the West Ukraine Aid Senate Bill Clears Hurdle Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid notes: Senate GOP's delays may have helped Russia annex Crimea Kevin Drum: Russia Is Not Exactly a Big Winner in the Crimean Dispute Peter Baker: Three Presidents and a Riddle Named Putin Plane Frustrating Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: China demands satellite data Malaysian government used to conclude Boeing 777 crashed into ocean Experts, relatives also ask: Where's the proof that MH370 fell into ocean? Australia Suspends Search for Jet Debris, Citing Bad Weather Uncertainty haunts search for wreckage, as weather delays search further Total Recall Former GM engineers say quiet '06 redesign of faulty ignition switch was a major violation of protocol General Motors Misled Grieving Families on a Known and Lethal Flaw Communications Breakdown After Week Away, Jon Stewart Tears Apart Media For Overblown Missing Plane Coverage Pew Center: Nearly Half of Public Says There's Been Just The 'Right Amount' of Malaysian Jet Coverage Nations In Turmoil Lebanese Foreign Minister says ongoing Syrian crisis poses threat to Lebanon Egyptian Court adjourns second mass Muslim Brotherhood trial Yemen: 22 Soldiers Killed by Militants Death toll rises in Venezuelan protests The War Over There Taliban Attack Election Office in Kabul International News Arab League summit under way amid divisions World Health Organization: Air pollution kills 7 million people a year, worldwide National Politics Gallup: Party preferences now more than ever polarized by race and ethnicity Money in Politics Billionaire mogul Sheldon Adelson looks for mainstream Republican who can win in 2016 Midwest Roundup Nebraska Legislature votes to end mountain lion hunts BYU upsets Nebraska to continue women's NCAA tourney run Iowa Senate Democrats vote to audit state agencies, to find source of money for secret pay-outs Iowa Senate votes 36-9 to give NASCAR a state tax break Hitting 'Em With The Truth In political media, there's been a huge amount of carping and sniping since Nate Silver's announcement this past weekend that Republicans have a slightly better than fifty percent chance to take over the U.S. Senate this fall. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee even blasted Nate's forecast yesterday - though how they did it seemed more than a little ridiculous to both our staff and Alex Roarty over at National Journal. Elections this year - if run fairly and legally -  aren't going to be like the arcane, closeted decision-making process the Supreme Court will be going through starting today. There, nine people will decide, behind closed doors, if for-profit corporations can enforce a religious belief on their employees, and effectively be exempt from any U.S. law the corporation's controllers don't like. In looking at the potential outcomes of the elections this year - which are still more than 220 days away - Nate's forecast isn't out of line with what anyone else is saying, as Jonathan Bernstein clearly noted over at Bloomberg on Monday. While it is true that Republicans could win control of the Senate, Democrats could also keep control - or maybe even gain a seat. The key to clarifying the political forecasts of any of these number crunchers and experts is the same key that voters should be using to tell if politicians who are promising everything under the sun will actually deliver on those promises if elected: Ask one simple question - "How?"... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for March 25, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Jobs & The Economy Consumer confidence hits highest level in U.S. since Jan. 2008 Harold Meyerson: How to Raise Americans' Wages - Eight proposals to jump-start the incomes of workers | Catherine Rampell: When long-term unemployment becomes self-perpetuating Economists: Rising interest rates the biggest threat to further recovery Wall Street Watch S&P/Case-Shiller Index: U.S. home prices rise in January Cooper: Why is Wall St. so divorced from reality? An explanation. Economic Inequality Mike Konczal: The Conservative Myth of a Social Safety Net Built on Charity Joel Kotkin: Where Inequality Is The Worst In The United States Health Care Checkup Katrina vanden Heuvel: Voters should know which party is holding up their health care Brian Beutler: Republicans losing it over positive new Obamacare data: Why their position is collapsing Kevin Drum: Uninsured Aren't Very Happy With Obamacare | Survey: Half of Americans still don't understand health care insurance law Obamacare's help for the underinsured is big, gets little media attention Paul Waldman: What we should demand from media coverage of the Affordable Care Act The Spying Game President Obama to Call for End to N.S.A.'s Bulk Data Collection Later This Week Flashback, Jan 2014: Pres. Obama presents NSA reforms with plan to end government storage of call data White House plan would end NSA's bulk collection of phone data House Repub's proposed NSA reform bill could allow more spying than ever Education In America Indiana Drops Common Core Standards Ed Kilgore: The Crumbling of Common Core Begins Common Core Academic Standards Spawn Widespread Political Fights On Both Sides Of The Aisle Stephanie Simon: Taxpayers are now funding creationism in the classroom Ethics & The Media Jim Romanesko: Editor Ben Richardson quits Bloomberg News over handling of investigative piece Media Matters Meet Business Insider's Newest Political Columnist: Former Congressman Anthony Weiner Energy, Climate & Environment Solar Power Is Now Just As Cheap As Conventional Electricity In Italy And Germany | 14 People Dead, 176 Reports of Missing After Washington Mudslide; Death Toll Expected To Climb And now, for your Weekly OK Gazette Toon preview for March 25, 2014   (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update President Obama Signs Flood Insurance Relief Bill Obama Administration Takes First Major Actions Against Uganda's Anti-Gay Law News From Capitol Hill House Democrats continue pressing for immigration vote House Democrats Aim To Push Past Obstructist Republicans On Immigration On The Left Paul Waldman: What the Koch Brothers Can Do For Liberals Markos Moulitsas: We Don't Need Two Wall Street Parties John Nichols: Will New Hampshire Be the Next State to Declare Democracy Is for People, Not Corporations? On The Right GOP Senate Candidate Disavows His Support for Fetal Personhood - After Sponsoring a Bill Last Year Libertarian Group Comes Out Against Ron Paul On Russia Paul Waldman: The GOP's Racial Dog Whistling and the Social Safety Net 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.