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Should BP nuke its leaking well?

More than 70 days into the BP disaster and oil is still gushing from the broken well, leaving some to believe a nuclear explosion is the only solution left.

A nuclear fix to stop the leaking well has been touted online and in the occasional newspaper op-ed for weeks now. Washington has repeatedly dismissed the idea and BP execs say they are not considering an explosion — nuclear or otherwise.

But as a series of efforts to plug the 60,000 barrels of oil a day gushing from the sea floor have failed, talk of an extreme solution refuses to die.

Should BP nuke its leaking well?

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A boat passes through heavily oiled marsh near Pass a Loutre, Louisiana May 20, 2010. REUTERS/Lee Celano

Has the Obama administration’s response to the oil spill been enough?

As one of the country’s worst environmental catastrophes unfolds on his watch, President Barack Obama is under increasing pressure from lawmakers and residents of the fouled Gulf coast to take over the oil disaster response.

The word at the White House is that Obama is frustrated at the delays BP has encountered in stopping the leak. “Plug the damn hole,” he has told senior government officials.

What are the London 2012 Olympic mascots?

Allan Shifman

May 20, 2010 15:23 UTC

The mascots for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, Wenlock and Mandeville, have been revealed and if you’re like me, you’re wondering what exactly are they?

What we know for sure: they’re metallic, have one eye each and no visible feet.

Americans’ attitudes toward China

Senior officials from the United States and China are due to meet in Beijing for Strategic and Economic Dialogue, an annual meeting to discuss broad economic, foreign policy and security concerns. The meeting comes on the heels of a tension filled year of relations between the two global powers.

Many U.S. lawmakers who believe that Beijing deliberately undervalues its currency for an unfair trade advantage are now looking for progress on that issue at the talks.

Is Elena Kagan qualified to serve as a Supreme Court justice?

President Barack Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan as successor to the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

If confirmed, Kagan would become the first justice in nearly 40 years who has never served as a judge . The former Harvard Law School dean has served only one year as solicitor general, a post in which she argues cases on behalf of the government before the Supreme Court.

Are you in favor of Arizona’s immigration law?

Arizona’s tough new law cracking down on illegal immigrants has unleashed a fiery debate over crime, racial profiling and policing that has reverberated far beyond the state’s borders.

The Arizona law requires state and local police to determine if people are in the country illegally, previously a function carried out by U.S. federal immigration police and some local forces. There are some 10.8 million illegal immigrants living and working in the United States, an estimated 460,000 of them in Arizona. The state’s immigration law takes effect in late July.

Is it still “drill baby drill” in light of the spill?

“Drill baby, drill” was an enduring rally cry from Republicans in the 2008 presidential election. This past March, President Obama unveiled plans for a limited expansion of offshore oil drilling, in part to try to win GOP support for climate change legislation.

Then an undersea oil well ruptured in the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil spill that is threatening the coast of Louisiana has provided ammunition to critics of Obama’s proposal, and the White House sought to make clear there would be no new drilling authorized until the cause of the spill had been reviewed.

Times Square bomb scare

U.S. authorities are investigating a thwarted car bombing in New York’s famed Times Square where thousands of people gather each day and night to eat, drink and shop.

Vendor Lance Orton, a Vietnam veteran, is being credited by local authorities and media with tipping mounted policeman Wayne Rhatigan about a suspicious Nissan sport utility vehicle on West 45th Street near Broadway on Saturday evening.

What do you want to see in a passenger bill of rights?

Leah Eichler

Apr 30, 2010 12:29 UTC

Reuters.com asked our readers to let us know what they would like to see in a passenger bill of rights. We compiled the best suggestions in this poll and would like your vote.

What do you want to see in a passenger bill of rights?

Extra legroom Time stuck on tarmac should not exceed 1.5 hours Carry on one bag for free Freedom to rebook if flight is delayed over 3 hours Restore smoking privileges

from MacroScope:

A “Greed Tax” on banks

Jeremy Gaunt

Apr 21, 2010 08:29 UTC

The International Monetary Fund has done what it was bid by the G20  and come up with proposals for getting banks to pay for the government help they receive when they get in trouble.  You can read the actual wording here, but it comes down to this:

1) A "Financial Stability Contribution" which would be pooled into a fund that would use it to help weak banks, or just go into general government revenues.