More: ANATOMY of a SWELL: TEAHUPOO, TAHITI, MAY 2013

Surf forecasting has come a long way. This is a clear and well-written analysis of the storm that created the recent run of XXL surf in Tahiti.

Republicans have finally done it. They’ve managed to do their jobs so horribly that their favorability rating has fallen right off a cliff into record-breaking territory.

A new CNN poll reveals that an astounding 59% of Americans view Republicans unfavorably. This development comes on the heels of a recent poll showing that President Obama’s job approval rating has risen.

According to Business Insider:

The Republican Party’s net favorability ratings are down 8 points in the past two months. The amount of respondents viewing the GOP favorably fell from 38 percent to 35 percent, while the number of people who view the party unfavorably climbed five points, up from 54 percent in March.

The poll also shows that 42% believe that the GOP is overreacting about the IRS investigation of Tea Party groups seeking tax exempt status. 54% seem to think Republicans are reacting appropriately to the situation even though liberals groups are being investigated as well. Of course, Republicans knew about the IRS situation in July 2012 and didn’t show the same kind of outrage they are now showing.

The supposed Benghazi scandal is also falling apart for Republicans. A new report indicates that Republicans doctored White House emails in an effort to prove that a scandal actually existed. As it turns out, the only scandal here is that Republicans lied, created false information, made false claims, and wasted taxpayer dollars holding investigation after investigation to keep their witch hunting operation against President Obama alive and well.

Furthermore, the CNN poll shows that a majority of Americans believe that Obama is telling the truth about his non-involvement in the IRS situation. In other words, Republicans have zero credibility and Americans know it. 59% of Americans is record-breaking. Since CNN began tracking favorability in 1992, Republicans have never had a lower rating. Their previous low came during their refusal to raise the debt ceiling in 2011.

If Republicans continue to push on Benghazi and the IRS, and continue to ignore and obstruct legislation that Americans support, they can expect their poll numbers to get progressively worse, and that doesn’t bode well considering that the 2014 election is only a year and a half away. Perhaps then Republicans will finally suffer the consequences they have been begging for since 2009.

More: New Poll Results Shows GOP Has Lost Favor Among Record Breaking Percentage of Americans

WASHINGTON — Two prominent old-line Senate Republicans threw down the gauntlet to their more conversative colleagues on Tuesday, challenging them to stop obstructing the passage of a budget.

Led by tea party Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), Republicans have been preventing the Senate from sending the budget it passed earlier this year to a conference committee with the House, at which major differences between the two chambers’ budget bills would in theory be worked out. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been supportive of the blockade.

But on Tuesday, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) blasted the obstruction in a Senate floor showdown with Paul.

McCain went so far as to call his fellow senators’ actions “bizarre.”

More: John McCain, Susan Collins Oppose ‘Bizarre’ Rand Paul, Ted Cruz Demand

VA GOP Lt Governor candiate E.W. Jackson

WASHINGTON — The Republican candidate for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, Rev. E.W. Jackson, is getting a decidedly cool response from his state’s Republican establishment in Washington, who weren’t eager to associate themselves with the conservative firebrand’s history of anti-gay and anti-abortion statements.

Republicans have largely, and happily, lined up behind Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the GOP’s candidate for governor. But Jackson’s surprise win at the state’s nominating convention last weekend immediately had Republicans fretting about his effect on Cuccinelli’s bid against Democrat Terry McAuliffe.

So just how toxic is Jackson, who once said homosexuals were “very sick”?

“I’m not going to comment on him,” said Rep. Frank Wolf of Jackson. “I endorsed Ken Cuccinelli, I think he’ll do a great job. I’ve worked with him on prison reform, and he’s a very good candidate.”

But Jackson?

“No, I’m not saying anything.”

…

Jackson defended his comments to a Fredericksburg paper on Tuesday and said they were a part of his religious beliefs.
“I’m a Christian. It’s not because I hate anybody. But because I have religious values that matter to me. So attacking me because I adhere to those principles is attacking every churchgoing person, every family that’s living a traditional family life, everybody that believes we all deserve to live,” he said. “I don’t have anything to rephrase or apologize for. People should not paint me as one dimensional.”

…

Even Cuccinelli, a social conservative himself, wouldn’t comment to the Washington Post about views Jackson has held.

“I am just not going to defend my running mates’ statements at every turn,” he said. “They’ve got to explain those themselves. Part of this process is just letting Virginia voters get comfortable with us, on an individual basis, personally.”

Outgoing Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, a moderate Republican who withdrew his bid for governor late last year, came out harshly against Jackson’s statements.

“These kinds of comments are simply not appropriate, especially not from someone who wants to be a standard bearer for our party and hold the second highest elected office in our state,” he told Politico.

More: Virginia Republicans Aren’t Flocking to Anti-Gay Lieutenant Governor Hopeful

As our planet warms from excess carbon in the atmosphere, some of that heat is absorbed by the ocean. Fish and invertebrates are responding to warming waters by moving to higher latitudes or deeper waters where the water is cooler, and it was expected that these shifts would eventually affect availability of some commercially harvested species.

“Eventually” may be now. Ocean warming has already affected global fisheries in the past four decades, according to a new study published in Nature. By looking at catch statistics, scientists discovered that the composition of species in fisheries around the world is already shifting and changing our menu.

Scientists compared the temperature preferences of 698 commercial fish species with the size of catches to develop an index known as the “mean temperature of the catch,” and this index was used to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on fisheries. They found that water temperatures rose steadily every decade between 1970 and 2006 and that the mean temperature of the catch rose significantly in 52 large marine ecosystems, which cover the majority of the world’s coastal and shelf areas.

The United Kingdom has already seen a rapid increase in catches of red mullet, a warm-water species previously native to the Mediterranean but now found in waters as far north as Norway. While cold waters are now seeing more species from the tropics, there aren’t any fish to replace those which are leaving. As waters become too hot for tropical species to tolerate, they will decrease in abundance due to their stunted aerobic capacity, which hinders their ability to grow and reproduce.

Changes in catch composition will have direct implications for coastal fishing communities, where the economy and food security often relies on fisheries. Subtropical developing counties will be particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The study authors conclude that adaptation plans must be developed immediately to minimize the risk of ocean warming on the economy and food security.

More: Fisheries Could Be in Hot Water Due to Climate Change

Here is how Breitbart.com is reporting the story of how the FBI has identified five possible suspects in the attack on the Benghazi diplomatic mission last year:

Report: Obama Won’t Let Military Capture Benghazi Suspects

An AP report via Fox Nation via claims that although the FBI has identified five men believed to have been behind the September 11 Benghazi attacks, those men remain free because President Barack Obama will not allow the military to seize them.

According to the report, the FBI says it has evidence sufficient to support seizing the men as “suspected terrorists.” Yet because such an action would have to be carried out by the military, Obama appears unwilling to authorize it.

Therefore, for the time being, the men are free while the FBI seeks enough additional evidence to clear a higher legal hurdle—which means “gathering enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court.”

According to the AP, that is what “the Obama administration prefers.”

Above is the Breitbart story in it’s entirety.

All 127 words of it.

Below are portions of the much long and much more detailed story Breitbart cited:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say. But there isn’t enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration prefers.

The men remain at large while the FBI gathers evidence. But the investigation has been slowed by the reduced U.S. intelligence presence in the region since the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks, and by the limited ability to assist by Libya’s post-revolutionary law enforcement and intelligence agencies, which are still in their infancy since the overthrow of dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

The decision not to seize the men militarily underscores the White House aim to move away from hunting terrorists as enemy combatants and holding them at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The preference is toward a process in which most are apprehended and tried by the countries where they are living or arrested by the U.S. with the host country’s cooperation and tried in the U.S. criminal justice system. Using military force to detain the men might also harm fledgling relations with Libya and other post-Arab-Spring governments with whom the U.S. is trying to build partnerships to hunt al-Qaida as the organization expands throughout the region.

The story goes on in great detail on a variety of subjects related to these possible suspects, different options available to the US regarding apprehending them, using drone strikes, or military force, as well as the politics surrounding the Obama Administration’s handling of the attacks. But do note the difference in the AP story, and the way Breitbart.com has spun it.

Breitbart’s readers have responded to it’s 127 word version much as you’d expect:

mem411 • 11 hours ago

High treason - aiding and abetting the enemy, Mr. President??
=====
bafhuggingnanarepublic leepermax • 8 hours ago

Next thing you know Nadal Hassan will be promoted to General, and the you tube film maker will get shanked in prison,or spend the rest of his life locked up for breaking no laws. The parole violation was a trumped up charge backed by Bozo and Holder.

This is what I’ve been calling Obozo Just-Us. Where is the Just-us that Bozo the clown promised on Sept 12th 2012? Remember, Benghazi was a long, long, time ago. This is what happens when Holder will do anything to promote the wacked out radical Bozo agenda, and they both think that all disdain for Holder and Bozo is based on race. It’s just scary that Bozo will deport a family for home schooling their kids, but give all the latitude in the world to the Tysnaerv Brothers. Because of the Muslim Brotherhood and Jarretts grip on Bozo.
=====
TANGO40 • 9 hours ago

yep!
… and the crime of treason should only be punishable by death!
=====
kevsanders mem411 • 9 hours ago

He refuses to grant political asylum to Dr Shakil Afridi, the man that told us where Osama was.
.
Obama was pretty upset at having to order Seals to kill his political ally.
=====
Mohammad Felafal kevsanders • 9 hours ago

Its ok, he got even with the seals by leaking info about what helicopter they would be on in afghanistan so that his “brothers” that he stands with could take out a bunch of them a month after.
=====
maizy Soka Sema • 8 hours ago

Yikes, that’s entirely possible. What does it take to get this traitor out of office. Lame Cherry’s aneurism? It seems like that is our only hope.
=====
snowleopard (cat folk gallery) kevsanders • 8 hours ago

I have to agree, and we have Obama arming the terrorists of Syria and the Muslim Brotherhood. Who knows how many others are being armed via that group?
=====
chekme2 snowleopard (cat folk gallery) • 6 hours ago

I have said this time and time again. After he is done with America, he will be the king of the islamic nations.
=====
CharlieM kevsanders • 5 hours ago

The Liar-in-Chief did not order the mission to get Bin Laden. The Military, CIA and others had waited for months for Obozo to ok the mission. They finally took the bull by the horns and acted on their own. Obozo was not notified until the mission was underway and too late to call them back.
=====
pos4thst mem411 • 7 hours ago

Hussein’s a muslim. He’s just protecting his own.
=====
Ronald B. Stetton mem411 • 6 hours ago

They are his Brothers…
Like all Muslims, Obama worships Muhammad and his Satan-Allah and talks up Islam as he k!lls the “wrong” ones…
Remember, “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.” - Barack Hussssein Obama
=====
Balance3 • 11 hours ago

OBAMA NEEDS TO BE IMPEACHED NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
=====
neyney Balance3 • 8 hours ago

he needs to be something which would get me banned but you all get my drift.

There was one commenter who knows what the real truth is:

Bandito • 10 hours ago

That’s a false headline. Wonder if anybody is going to read the original
AP story or only the truncated Fox version. For those too lazy, this is the
reason why there have been no arrests.

“The men remain at large while the FBI gathers evidence. But the
investigation has been slowed by the reduced U.S. intelligence presence
in the region since the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks, and by the limited
ability to assist by Libya’s post-revolutionary law enforcement and
intelligence agencies, which are still in their infancy since the
overthrow of dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

FBI investigators are hoping for more evidence, such as other video of
the attack that might show the suspects in the act of setting the fires
that ultimately killed the ambassador and his communications specialist,
or firing the mortars hours later at the CIA base where the surviving
diplomats took shelter — or a Libyan witness willing to testify against
the suspects in a U.S. courtroom.”

As of now, he has 12 downdings.

All the Breitbrats want is Obama’s head…literally.

More: Rep. Steve King Says $20 Billion Cut in Food Stamps Won’t Be ‘Noticeable’

Few will even notice major cuts in our nation’s food stamp program, according to Rep. Steve King (R-IA).
Speaking on the floor Tuesday, King argued that a $20 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program “spread out over ten years is not something that is going to be noticeable.”

KING: We do calculate our budget and spending in a 10-year window, so that means $800 billion is the universe of money we’re talking about. … Over the time period of 10 years, there would be $20 billion trimmed off of $800 billion. What comes to about a 2.5 percent decrease in the overall projected expenditures of the food stamp program known as SNAP. After all of that technical gibberish, the bottom line is a $20 billion cut is a $2.5 billion cut in the increase. $20 billion spread out over ten years is not something that is going to be noticeable.

Watch it:

Youtube Video

More at ThinkProgress.

Video, if embed doesn’t play.

Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, argued that there is no comparison between Hurricane Sandy relief, which he voted against last fall, and aid for his state in the wake of Monday’s devastating tornado because the two are “totally different.”

More from Salon

More: New York - 20K LB. of Kosher Meat Donated to Oklahoma — VosIzNeias.com

Agri Star

New York - In the wake of yesterday’s devastating tornado in Oklahoma, a major kosher meat distributor is donating twelve pallets of meat products to disaster victims.

Agri Star Meat and Poultry has 20,000 pounds of meat and poultry ready to be shipped to Oklahoma City. Agri Star is working in conjunction with Masbia to raise the necessary funds to transport the meat to its intended destination, Chabad of Oklahoma City.

“We are sending a variety of foods as per the request of Rabbi Goldman, the local Chabad rabbi,” Jo-Ann Chadbourne of Agri Star told VIN News. “We are sending rapid prep foods including deli, chicken nuggets, beef patties, hot dogs and other items that can be distributed quickly to tornado victims. Providing some sort of relief is the least we can do and we are privileged to be able to help in any way we can.”

Masbia has undertaken the task of raising the $3,000 needed to transport the donated items from Agri Star’s Postville, Iowa plant to Oklahoma City and is urging the public to contribute funds to defray the cost of transportation. Donations can be made at wepay.com

“Food is most essential to victims of disaster,” explained Alexander Rapaport, Executive Director of Masbia. “We found during our on the ground Sandy relief work that the victims need food, the first responders need food and the volunteers need food. I cannot ever forget those smiles on their faces when we arrived with food.”

While the most urgently needed items at the moment in the tornado ravaged area are water, toiletries, baby items, cash and gift cards to stores such as Walmart, Target and Sam’s Club, the Agri Star donation will be a major boon to area residents, according to Rabbi Ovadia Goldman of Chabad of Oklahoma City, located approximately twenty miles from the devastation, who is working with local officials on the relief effort.

“Right now we are distributing ready to eat meals but down the road there will be a heavy need for protein and as soon as we can assess those needs, we will distribute the meat products,” said Rabbi Goldman. “As of now we are working with local food banks to make sure that we can house the meat properly when it comes in.”

Read more at Vos Iz Neias.

Masbia is the soup kitchen that served meals to thousands of survivors of Hurricane Sandy.