• See this giant ship right here? It’s the world’s largest oil skimmer. “A Whale,” 10-story tall, 372-yard long behemoth of the high seas, is headed to the Gulf of Mexico to help out with the cleanup. (They need any help they can get.) This thang also has a number of vents that can suck up 21 million gallons of oil-drenched water daily. Will it work? Who knows?! source

• 237-192 with just three
  GOP votes source

• no The Senate won’t get it passed and signed by their July 4 deadline.
• yes Robert Byrd’s timely death is the specific reason for the holdup.
• maybe The Senate might have enough votes to pass it – possibly. source

• Gotta love Russian spies. Especially spies who grow lettuce in their gardens. And raise kids. And do things that normal families would do. And one femme fatale, Anna Chapman (can’t forget about her). We’re pretty sure she’s the redhead on the left. source

• classless Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s staff absolutely rips on the Obama administration and its civilian staff in Afghanistan in a Rolling Stone article. Everyone freaks.
• classy Despite getting McChyrstal’s resignation over the incident, the president guarantees the four-star general will retire like one. Good move, Obama. source

• It’s right out of a John le Carré novel. It will interesting to see how it plays out next couple of days and weeks from an international point of view and law enforcement point of view.
• Former US attorney Stan Twardy • Describing the events that led to the U.S. arrest of ten reported Russian spies. You know, spies from one of our allies. What’s funny is that Obama was hanging out at Ray’s Hell Burger with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, the FBI was very close to catching the spies – some of whom had been in the U.S. for a long time. (Disclosure: Julius is a spy. And since we’re disclosing it, a not very good one.) source

• NONE bro’s retiring from the Army, of course source

• 162 cases of illness due to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster
• 128 are oil rig workers or assisting in the spill’s cleanup source

• » What did they get? The most common illnesses were things like throat irritation, shortness of breath, cough, eye irritation, nausea and headaches – considering all the oil around, this seems totally understandable.

• one The ruling strikes down a strict Chicago ordinance that didn’t even allow guns at home.
• two The ruling is broad, and  says the Second Amendment is valid at state and local levels.
• three The ruling had an even 5-4 split between conservative and liberal-leaning judges. source

• He’s reportedly looking into expanding the wireless spectrum even further. With an ever-increasing need for wireless spectrum, the administration is looking to open up around 500 megahertz worth over the next ten years. And just in time, too – some studies suggest the demand in five years will be 20 to 45 times the demand in 2009, when it was already really high. source

• Say what you will about Robert Byrd – career politician bar none, former KKK member – but he made it through health care. It probably took a lot out of him to make sure health care had his 60th vote, but he made it. Despite certain GOP members suggesting they hoped he missed the vote, he still made it. In a lot of ways, the endeavor speaks more of his career than anything else – a fighter, a guy who got beyond his racist past to have a heck of a second act. Some highlights:

• 9number of times he was re-elected to the Senate (totally unprecedented)

• a racist past, moderatedMaybe in another era, Byrd’s early association with the KKK may have been a career-killer, but many (many) apologies and the passage of time ultimately moderated his views on civil rights. It wasn’t instant – he famously filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – but the effect was lasting.
• Propping up West VirginiaByrd used his power in the Senate to help build jobs and infrastructure in a state that had little of both when he first started. To some, he earned the nickname “the prince of pork,” but to West Virginians, he was seen as a savior who was voted to both chambers of both the state and federal legislatures.
• A senate leaderByrd ultimately became much more than simply a West Virgina senator – first chairing the Appropriations committee, then later becoming Majority Whip, and spending two separate spans as Majority leader. “A leadership role is different,” he said, “and one does represent a broader constituency.”

Robert Byrd, in his own words

• It has been my constant desire to improve the lives of the people who have sent me to Washington time and time again.
• Sen. Robert Byrd • From his 2005 autobiography, “Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields.” Say what one will about Byrd, but he’s always held up this part of the bargain for West Virginia. West Virginia has responded in kind, naming 30 federal projects after the senator. The state also voted him back into office by wide margins. If anything, he’s proof that a man with a controversial past can be moderated. He’ll be missed. source