June 13, 2013

Iran's Supreme Leader Wants a Legitimate Election—and a Winner Personally Loyal to Him

The first round of Iran's presidential election begins tomorrow. While Ayatollah Khamenei is concerned with the election's legitimacy, says Alireza Nader, his chief concern is that the election produces a president personally loyal to him. The ruling powers moved the odds in favor of that happening when several candidates were removed from the race last month, including Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani—the only serious potential challenge to Khamenei's authority. "[It] appears to be a presidential selection rather than an election. The Iranian people will largely serve as spectators." Read more »

Without Medicaid Expansion, Many of the Poorest Americans Left with Few Options

Opting into the Medicaid expansion offered under the Affordable Care Act is a good deal for states, according to a new RAND report. Their poorest residents will have greater access to health care while the states pay only 10 percent of the increased cost of coverage—and that might be offset by cost savings in other areas. Yet, some states have indicated that they might opt out of Medicaid expansion. If that happens, many of the poorest people in those states will have no viable health coverage option. Read more »

How to Keep Our Embassies Safe

Late last week, clashes between protesters and militia in Benghazi claimed at least two dozen lives, serving as reminder that the United States needs to take steps to ensure that there is no repeat of the tragedy that claimed the lives of four Americans there last September. William Young argues in a CNN commentary that to do so, we need to answer a series of questions about how things went wrong, concluding that the best way to safeguard U.S. diplomatic missions abroad is to think hard up front about the mission's purpose and to constantly reassess it in light of changing conditions. Read more »

Is the U.S. at Risk for a Mumbai-Style Attack?

On Nov. 29, 2008, 10 terrorists armed with guns, grenades and improvised explosives killed 162 people in coordinated attacks against multiple targets in Mumbai, India. Could the same type of attack happen in the United States? It's possible, Brian Michael Jenkins said in testimony submitted to the House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee yesterday. Even a lone gunman can cause significant carnage, as the United States has seen in mass shooting incidents. But there are factors that limit the likelihood of an attack in America rivaling the sheer scale of Mumbai. Read more »

Three Tips Parents Can Use to Prevent the 'Summer Slide'

With the end of the U.S. school year approaching, parents are scrambling to make sure their kids have worthwhile, instructional activities over the summer. Summer learning programs can help prevent the "summer slide"—a loss of skills and knowledge that disproportionately affects low-income students and widens the achievement gap between them and their more advantaged peers. But beyond taking advantage of formal programs, there's plenty that parents can do at home to help their kids stay sharp until the new school year begins. Read more »

The Rundown

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