Politico:

Police locked down the Tucson congressional office of Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) on Thursday afternoon after staffers received a package containing a “confirmed” toxic substance, a Grijalva spokesman said.

A suspicious package with swastikas written on the envelope was mailed Thursday to the Tucson office, where about a dozen staffers work. Upon inspection, it was found the package contained a white powder authorities later determined to be toxic, said Grijalva campaign spokesman Adam Sarvana.

There were no reported injuries and staffers were sent home later in the afternoon.

[...]

The incident marked the third security issue at Grijalva’s district offices since he called for an economic boycott of Arizona in protest of the state’s new law cracking down on illegal immigration.

Grijalva’s Tucson and Yuma offices were shut down in April after a man called and threatened to “blow everyone’s head off.” In July, Grijalva’s Yuma office was closed after staff discovered a bullet shattered a window there during the night.

Read the whole thing here.

This post first appeared on Treehugger and was written by Matthew McDermott.

Plenty of studies have shown that climate change is going to affect precipitation and water supplies, but a new one from the National Center for Atmospheric Research starkly lays out how droughts, some so extreme that they are nearly without precedent, may spread throughout many of the world’s most densely populated places by the end of the 21st century. Here’s where it could get devastatingly dry:

images: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

The colors above represent difference levels of the Palmer Drought Severity Index. Positive numbers are when conditions are unusually wet for a region; negative numbers indicate unusual dryness. A reading of -4 is considered extreme drought. Current readings range from +10 to -10, with readings below -6 occurring only very rarely. Keep in mind that the above maps shouldn’t be viewed as hard forecasts, as the actual rise in greenhouse gas emissions as well as natural climatic variations could alter drought patterns.

Only Small Pockets of Globe Experience Little Change in Precipitation
As you can see, by 2030 all of the United States save for the mid-Atlantic States and the Northeast could be in for much, much drier conditions, and under a business-as-usual emissions scenario only New England is spared drought conditions. By 2100, parts of the US could see readings in the -8 to -10 range.

Across the globe much of Latin America, the areas around the Mediterranean Sea, large areas of Southeast and Southwest Asia, Australia, and much of Africa experience extreme drought. By century’s end the Mediterranean could see PDSI readings of -15 to -20. Conversely, Northern Europe, Russia, Canada, and Alaska experience conditions wetter than today.

A few pockets of normal to slightly wetter conditions occur in Argentina, the Horn of Africa, South Asia and East Asia.

Consequences of Climate Change Caused Drought Enormous
Study scientist Aiguo Dai says, “We are facing the possibility of widespread drought in the coming decades, but this has yet to be fully recognized by both the public and the climate research community. If the projections in the study come even close to be realized, the consequences for society worldwide will be enormous.”

On the increased wetness in certain areas, Dai notes, “The increased wetness over the northern, sparsely populated high latitudes can’t match the drying over the more densely populated temperate and tropical areas.”

Read more: UCAR

This post appeared on Food Politics.

On Sunday, a member of the Florence Islamic Center found bacon on the center’s patio spelling out “Pig” and “Chump.”

Mushtaq Hussain, who helped found the center, told police the incident was a hate crime because Islam bars practitioners from eating pork. The police officer on the scene told the AP, “It’s an insult, and I’m sure that’s what it was intended for.”

Yesterday the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on authorities to investigate whether the defacement constitutes a bias-motivated crime.

“We urge the FBI to add this incident to the growing list of possible bias-motivated attacks on American Muslims and their institutions,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

GOP minority whip Eric Cantor went on the Daily Show last night to shill his “Young Guns” book. Jon Stewart spent the interview calling Cantor out on GOP hypocrisy. “It seems like the Republicans’ slogan in this year’s election,” said Stewart, “Is this time we really mean it, baby, please. How can they trust in your vision?”

Watch Stewart school the Republican whip:

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

A Federal Judge has ruled that the military cannot enforce “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, a policy banning openly gay soldiers from serving in the military.

Judge Virginia Philips said that DADT infringes on the fundamental rights of servicemembers and ordered the Department of Defense to “suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding, that may have been commenced under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Act.

The Department of Justice has 60 days to appeal the decision, but is not required to do so by law, the AP reports.

Editor’s Note: Here’s a message from the Coalition for Immokalee Workers, a leading organization in the fight for farm worker rights and just food system.

By leveraging its high-volume purchasing power, the U.S. supermarket industry plays an active role in farmworker exploitation. Publix, Ahold, Kroger and Trader Joe’s all pack a very heavy punch when it comes to their market power in the produce industry. And with great power comes great responsibility – both for the poverty and brutal working conditions from which they have profited for so many years, and for the work of reforming farm labor conditions in their supply chains that lies ahead.

With the four largest fast-food companies (McDonald’s, Yum Brands, Burger King, and Subway) and three largest foodservice providers (Compass Group, Aramark, and Sodexo) having signed Fair Food agreements with the CIW, the focus now falls squarely on the $550 billion supermarket industry. And with the exception of Whole Foods, the natural food leader that signed an agreement with the CIW nearly two years ago, it’s time now for the major grocery chains to step up and bring their considerable purchasing power to the plate. And for that to happen, the Campaign for Fair Food needs you to take action.

Send an email today to the CEO’s of Publix, Ahold, Kroger, and Trader Joe’s to demand they quit stalling and start working with the CIW to protect human rights in their Florida tomato supply chain.

Then, take out your calendar and SAVE THE DATE: This coming spring, farmworkers from Immokalee and allies from across the country will be gathering not once, but twice, for farmworker justice!

Sunday, February 27th, join us in Quincy, Massachusetts, for a protest at Ahold’s U.S. headquarters. Then, following a week-long tour back down the east coast…

Saturday, March 5th, we’ll be back in Tampa, Florida, for a second major protest, this time in Publix’s backyard.

The supermarket giants are the only thing standing between us and a future of respect for human rights in Florida’s fields, between a food industry based on farm labor exploitation and degradation today and a more modern, more humane industry tomorrow. Let’s send them a message – loud and clear – that it’s time for the supermarket industry to join the growing movement for Fair Food.

The good folks at Brave New Films have just produced a new set of short videos revealing the real Carly Fiorina, the former HP exec hoping for a Senate seat. “Carly Fiorina’s politics are more aligned with the Tea Party and Sarah Palin than with every day Californians,” BNF says. “As former Hewlett-Packard CEO, she is responsible for the loss of 30k jobs in California and is now running against Sen. Barbara Boxer.”

One of the latest takedowns of Fiorina from BNF airs the concerns of former HP employees who were among the 30,000 that she laid off. While Fiorina is running on a platform of creating jobs and trying to save California from budget woes, her track record at HP says otherwise. Watch below and see more at Brave New Films.

CBS has a new poll out:

Sarah Palin is viewed unfavorably by nearly 50 percent of Americans, a new CBS News poll finds, a significant challenge for her to overcome should she enter the 2012 presidential race.

Palin is viewed favorably by just 22 percent of Americans, according to the poll – including less than half (44 percent) of Republicans. Twenty-one percent of independents and 6 percent of Democrats view her favorably.

Forty-eight percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Palin. That includes 73 percent of Democrats, 44 percent of independents and 22 percent of Republicans.

Twenty-nine percent said they are undecided or not sure how they feel about Palin, including about one in three Republicans and independents.

Palin’s numbers are far better among Americans who have a favorable view of the Tea Party movement. Sixty-one percent of that group views her favorably, while just 14 percent view her unfavorably. One in four aren’t sure.

Read the whole article here.