5 Signs of a Radical Change in U.S. Politics  —  (Midnight update: This item went up three hours ago with a more blunt-instrument headline than it should ever have had: “5 Signs the United States is Undergoing a Coup.”  I used the word “coup” in a particular way in the longer item this was drawn from.

A Cruel and Unusual Record  —  THE United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights.  —  Revelations that top officials are targeting people to be assassinated abroad, including American citizens, are only the most recent, disturbing proof of how far our nation's violation of human rights has extended.

Turzai: Voter ID Law Means Romney Can Win PA  —  House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) told the Republican State Committee that Voter ID will allow Romney to win PA.  —  State Treasurer candidate Diana Irey Vaughan may have stolen the show at the Republican State Committee meeting …

Hispanic Voters Put Other Issues Before Immigration  —  Healthcare, unemployment are tops among six issues tested  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. Hispanics prioritize immigration, healthcare, and unemployment to equal degrees, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll asking about the importance of six national policy issues.

Elmo imposter hassles tourists for money and gets booted from Central Park Zoo  —  Man dressed up as furry Sesame Street Muppet gets taken away on ambulance  —  An emotionally disturbed man dressed as Elmo is taken away by ambulance after hassling tourists for money and shouting obscenties at Central Park Zoo.

DNC Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz Getting Booted  —  Back in April, the Shark Tank floated the likelihood that Democratic National Committee Chairwoman (DNC) Debbie Wasserman Schultz was perhaps on her way out as DNC Chairwoman.  We now have learned that Wasserman Schultz will not be back as DNC Chairwoman after the November elections.

Hill Poll: Voters: Obama over-reached blocking Fast and Furious docs  —  A clear majority of likely voters believes President Obama has exercised his executive power inappropriately — particularly in blocking the release of documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious, according to a new poll for The Hill.

Antarctic ice shelves not melting at all, new field data show  —  Crafty boffins got elephant seals to survey for them  —  Twenty-year-old models which have suggested serious ice loss in the eastern Antarctic have been compared with reality for the first time - and found to be wrong …

The Great Abdication  —  Among economists who know their history, the mere mention of certain years evokes shivers.  For example, three years ago Christina Romer, then the head of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, warned politicians not to re-enact 1937 — the year F.D.R. shifted …

Simple Solutions For Cooling Down Hot Cars  —  by Greg Rucks, via Rocky Mountain Institute  —  On this first day of summer, many car owners are likely to experience the following scenario: enter your car to leave work for the day and the temperature is sweltering—much hotter than outside.