So I wound up watching most of the game last night, and other than the degree of Ohio State’s domination (no telling what the score would have been without all the OSU turnovers), it didn’t surprise me. We’ll now see if this was the first of many commercially successful but not completely regular-season-invalidating four-team playoffs, or if the money-lust leads to a quick expansion to 8 or 16 teams.
Here are some midday news/views snacks from the chafing dish:
* Elizabeth Warren issues her first future-tense disavowal of a 2016 presidential campaign in interview with Fortune. This should squelch speculation she’s about to leap into the race.
* Senate clears way for final vote on Keystone XL Pipeliine by 63-32 vote, enough to stop filibuster but not enough for veto override.Ten Democrats plus Angus King voted for the bill.
* Kahlenberg praises Obama’s community college initiative as way to spur racial and economic diversity at those institutions.
* Roundup on right-wing parties’ exploitation of Paris murders across Europe.
* Another embarrassment for Steve Scalise: he helped lead charge against bill apologizing for slavery while a young state legislator.
And in non-political news:
* Fossil of prehistoric “sinister dolphin” predator found in Scotland. Scarier than Nessie.
As we break for lunch, here’s the other song Dylan first recorded on this day fifty years ago: “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” It’s from a performance a few months later in Manchester, England.
