What with the NYSE suspension of trading, the shutdown of United flights for a while, the crashing of the Wall Street Journal website, and the financial jitters in Europe and Asia, the conspiracy theorists have had a very good day.

Here are some remains of that day:

* Senate clears–on unanimous vote–first circuit court nominee of 2015. But no, Republicans aren’t dragging their feat on judicial confirmations! Perish the thought!

* CNN releases transcript of first HRC national TV network interview, which you’d think the entire First Amendment was designed to produce.

* At Ten Miles Square, Alison Gash argues that marriage equality will not be complete until same-sex couples’ parenting rights are guaranteed.

* At College Guide, Jason Delisle explains how Senate Republicans cut Pell Grant funding even as they increased the maximum individual grant.

* At Republic 3.0, Anne Kim discusses the one carbon tax proposal–from Maryland Democratic Rep. John Delaney, that could actually attract bipartisan support.

And in non-political news:

* At TNR, Chloe Angyal dissects the insecure masculinity of “bro country” music.

That’s it for Wednesday. We’ll close with a song that exemplifies the Dave Clark 5’s head-slamming-before-its-time style: “Bits & Pieces.”

Selah.

Independent since 1969.

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Ed Kilgore, a contributing editor of the Washington Monthly, is a columnist for New York.