Ted Cruz Is Running for President
The freshman Senator kicked off the week with his announcement, making him the first major candidate to declare a White House run. Cruz started his campaign with a speech at the ultra-conservative Liberty University. The Tea Party favorite is widely thought to be a long-shot candidate, with some speculating that Cruz will pull the Republican presidential field to the right. He is the first major candidate to declare a White House run.
Why Cruz is controversial: Cruz's penchant for rhetorical exaggeration makes him a rock star among his supporters, but alienates him from the mainstream. His leading role in the 2013 government shutdown earned critiques from other Republicans. Cruz's recent climate change denials drew the ire of California Governor Jerry Brown who said that the Texas senator is "absolutely unfit to be running for office" on Meet the Press.
Little-known Tedbits: Questions about the Canada-born senator's presidential eligibility have already been answered. During his time at Harvard Law School, Cruz was seen as an outsider. Among his controversial stances, Cruz believes the tunes to "Amazing Grace" and the theme to Gilligan's Island are interchangeable.
Outstanding Question
Will losing that winter weight make you happier? Americans spend billions of dollars a year on weight loss, but a new study shows that many who lose weight are worse off psychologically than before. Unhappiness after weight loss may be a reason many struggle to keep weight off. A meta-analysis of studies shows that physical activity, not BMI, may be a better indicator of overall health.
Shameless Sharebait
From the Vault
In March, 1914, H.L. Mencken wrote about the state of the daily newspaper:
"I assume here, as an axiom too obvious to be argued, that the chief appeal of a newspaper, in all such holy causes, is not at all to the educated and reflective minority of citizens, but frankly to the ignorant and unreflective majority."
Snapshot
Verbs
Singapore mourns, Chinese Internet boom fades, Hillary and Benghazi examined, Tunisian top cops sacked, Brian Williams reappears, The Interview air drop delayed, human excrement mined, and Nazi hideout found.
This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/the-atlantics-end-of-day-wrap-up-32315/388448/
