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Every month University of Alabama in Huntsville
climatologists John Christy and Roy Spencer report the latest
global temperature trends from satellite data. According to
Christy, 2013 was the fourth warmest year since the satellite data
era began in 1979, trailing only 1998, 2010 and 2005. Just in time
for the launch of the annual United Nations’ climate change
conference in Warsaw in November, the World Meteorological
Organization reported that 2013 was on track to be the
seventh warmest year since 1850.

Below are the newest satellite data updated through December
2013:

Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.14 C per
decade

December temperatures (preliminary)

Global composite temp.: +0.27 C (about 0.49 degrees Fahrenheit)
above 30-year average for December.

Northern Hemisphere: +0.27 C (about 0.49 degrees Fahrenheit)
above 30-year average for December.

Southern Hemisphere: +0.26 C (about 0.47 degrees Fahrenheit)
above 30-year average for December.

Tropics: +0.06 C (about 0.11 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year
average for December.

Go here
to download monthly satellite temperature data since 1978.

On New Year’s day,
The New York Times published an editorial calling for
the U.S. to offer NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden “a plea bargain
or some form of clemency.” On the same day, the London-based
newspaper The
Guardian published an editorial arguing that Snowden
should be offered “the pardon he deserves.”

Last night, BuzzFeed reported that an increasing number of
members of Congress are coming round to the idea that the
government should work on a clemency deal that gets Snowden, who is
currently in Russia, back to the U.S.

From
BuzzFeed:

“I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s more of a whistle-blower
than a villain,” Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern told BuzzFeed.
“I’ve kind of wrestled with his actions for quite some time because
part of me would like to think that in this country there is a
process in place where people can do the right thing and not get
punished for it. The more I learn about his particular case I’m not
sure there was a process in place where he could have presented
what he found out and actually changed things.”

“I’d rather have him in the U.S. than have him in Russia, and
maybe there is an opportunity to work out some sort of a deal,” he
added. “I think the outrage people in the administration have
expressed toward Edward Snowden ought to be more focused on how the
NSA broke privacy laws.”

McGovern tweeted on Thursday that the Times editorial was
“thoughtful” and that he “agreed with much of it.”

Florida Rep. Alan Grayson went further, tweeting simply “Give
him clemency,” along with a link to a story about Snowden.

Democratic Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont said the U.S. should be
“flexible” with Snowden and was sharply critical of the NSA’s
actions.

Of course, not all members of Congress believe that Snowden
should be offered clemency in order to get him back to the
U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) denounced the
Times editorial, saying that the newspaper is “a
‘blame America first’ rag,” and that “They go out of their way as
to be apologists for terrorists,” which is rich coming from a man
who has spoken out in support of terrorists himself, as long as
they were of the
Irish republican variety. 

Watch King’s comments below:

Gun
registration had always seemed like the “line in the sand” — a
proposal that would so offend the nation’s gun-rights advocates
that they would bring out their full political muscle to stop it.
Yet, points out Steven Greenhut, a California law mandating
government record-keeping for all new long-gun purchases goes into
effect on Jan. 1 and few people even seem to know about it.

View this article.

Gun
registration had always seemed like the “line in the sand” — a
proposal that would so offend the nation’s gun-rights advocates
that they would bring out their full political muscle to stop it.
Yet, points out Steven Greenhut, a California law mandating
government record-keeping for all new long-gun purchases goes into
effect on Jan. 1 and few people even seem to know about it.

View this article.