Mid Day Mainstream Roundup

Here’s what people are talking about around the country and world today:

Ecoterroism in Seattle? [CNN]- The ‘Street of Dreams” was in flames this morning north of Seattle as 5 multi-million dollar homes burned in the subdivision. A sign with the letters “ELF”, which could stand for the Earth Liberation Front- a group the FBI has labeled ecoterroists- was found on site.

“How the sausage gets made” [The Politico]- This one’s for our political junkies: ever wonder just how high stakes and micromanaged political news gets? The Politico’s John F. Harris breaks down the hub-bub over one story this weekend. At stake: Obama’s progress- or lack thereof- with winning Catholic voters. Ultra-nerdy. High in fiber. [Ed. note: I loved this article!!! Its about the minutia, but don't be frightened, its very well told.]

NIN drops new album, Ghosts I-IV, out of the blue [Idolator]- Trent Reznor follows Radiohead’s lead and releases his new album- a two hour, 36 track experiment- online. Will more big acts follow suit as they abandon their record label contracts?

Putin’s handpicked successor wins Russian election in landslide [Bloomberg]- In a un-shocking un-twist that everyone paying attention saw coming (unlike last week’s episode of Lost) Dmitry Medvedev- former aide to the popular Russian President Vladimir Putin- won the Russian presidency in a landslide. Putin will now more into the role of Prime Minister, with expanded powers.