Scientists will begin testing California’s prized kelp for radiation; a former TSA agent spills the agency’s secrets; and Bernie Sanders squashes Michele Bachmann in a debate on “The Situation Room.” These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Scientists to Test Malibu Kelp for Fukushima Radiation In California, kelp is at once admired for its underwater beauty, grumbled over as a beach obstacle and served up on dinner plates.

NYU Silent After Israel Bans Palestinian Student from ‘Coexistence’ Program New York University (NYU) has refused to comment on reports that a Palestinian student in Gaza has been prevented by Israel from traveling to join one of its “coexistence” programs.

Senator Hillary Clinton on Foreign Policy Senator Hillary Clinton has opposed restrictions on U.S. arms transfers and police training to governments that engage in gross and systematic human rights abuses.

Confessions of an Ex-TSA Agent On Jan. 4, 2010, when Jason Harrington’s boss saw his letter to the editor in the New York Times, they had a little chat.

In Mexico, a City’s Scar Becomes its Most Prized Park Jessica Lopez, a four-year old with a shy smile, has suffered severe chronic asthma attacks since she was born.

San Jose State U. Adopts New Policy for Online and ‘Hybrid’ Courses San Jose State University, whose high-profile experiments with online teaching last year drew scrutiny, has adopted a new policy on how “technology-intensive, hybrid, and online courses” may be created and run on its campus.

The Bernie Sanders & Michele Bachmann Yellfest Did you miss this back and forth between uber-conservative Representative Michele Bachmann and liberal Senator Bernie Sanders?

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