The June, July, and August temperature outlook. Warm-toned areas marked A indicate above-normal temperatures.
  • NOAA

Scientists Predict an Unusually Hot Summer: NOAA is forecasting a hotter-than-usual June, July, and August along the West Coast, Atlantic Seaboard, and gulf states. In the image above, which depicts the summer outlook, warm-toned areas marked "A" indicate above-normal temperatures. In related news, last month was the hottest April in history. But global warming is a sham, etc.

Thai Military Coup Bans Political Media, Rallies: After establishing martial law earlier this week, the BBC reports, "The cabinet has been told to report to the military, TV broadcasting is suspended and political gatherings are banned. A nationwide curfew will operate from 22:00 to 05:00 local time."

House Passes NSA Bill: The measure would restrict the NSA from collecting phone records in bulk, but only after several stronger provisions were gutted.

Gerrymandering: In one chart.

Two Good Local Stories from PubliCola: Both stories are here. They are: (1) The state, finally, is admitting that they "cannot say with confidence" that the deep-bore tunnel will be finished on time. (2) The Seattle City Council's internal staff is trying to make the $15-an-hour minimum wage law more friendly to business. The council is considering:

Allowing large nonprofit organizations such as Swedish Hospital and the Gates Foundation to phase in the $15 minimum over time; allowing employers to phase in higher wages gradually, over time; and creating a sub-minimum "training wage," set at 85 percent of the new minimum for all new employees.

Anna Minard Reports on the Counterattack: The ML King County Labor Council voted last night on a resolution that urges the city council to strengthen the minimum wage bill instead. Not surprisingly, restaurateur David Meinert—who has been pushing for a bill with lower wages for workers and more exemptions for business owners—has sent his own letter saying that he wants to permanently deduct tips from wages that businesses pay their employees. This all leads Anna to ask in her must-read post, "Is Mayor Murray's Landmark $15 Minimum Wage Deal Unraveling Before Our Eyes?"

Those GOP Primaries Tuesday? In Georgia, they cost $30 per Republican vote. Dems spent about one-third that amount—which is still totally absurd.

Okay, Okay, Okay: Some sports people visited a landmark. It was no place for beasts.

Fairly Unbalanced: Fox News anchor Gregg Jarrett was arrested for a misdemeanor at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. The Associated Press reports that, according to officers, "Jarrett seemed intoxicated, acted belligerently and refused to follow orders."

Get the Slave Look—WTF? While shopping for your DVD of 12 Years a Slave, you may notice some (in)appropriate attire.

For No Particular Reason: Destiny's Child is playing our jam!