Morning Constitutional – 14 April 2010

Good morning, everybody. Richard Dawkins may want to arrest the Pope, but here\’s your morning constitutional:

Hundreds have been killed by an earthquake in western China on Wednesday. The earthquakes hit China\’s Qinghai province, home mostly to ethnic Tibetans.

Another sign the economy is rebounding: Retail sales rose for the third straight month in March by 1.6 percent, a higher rise than economists expected.

In the first congressional election since the health care reform bill passed into law, Florida state Sen. Ted Deutch, Democrat, easily beat the Republican, Ed Lynch, who had tried to make the special election a referendum on health care and stimulus spending.

A federal judge has ordered a southern Mississippi school district to stop segregating its schools. Seriously.

The deposed president of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, said he would formally step down so long as his and his family\’s safety is guaranteed. However, the country\’s new leader, Rosa Otunbayeva, as adopted a tougher stance, declaring that he must go into exile alone or possibly face arrest.

President Obama will announce a new space plan on Thursday, increasing NASA\’s budget by $6B with an eventual goal of going to Mars.

Poland\’s ruling party announced Wednesday that president elections will take place on 20 June.

In the U.K., according to a new survey, home prices in Tory districts are the most expensive, while Gordon Brown is the party leader who has seen the biggest increase in house prices in his home district. However, houses in his home district are still are among the cheapest in the U.K.

The U.S. and Russia on Tuesday signed an agreement calling on each side to dispose of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium.

President Obama will push for an overhaul of finance regulations as he meets with lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday.

Finally, if you hate cilantro, it\’s not your fault.