Ever since America got rid of those pansy Englishmen by throwing their tea in the harbor and officially switching to coffee, the country has striven for a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Apparently, however, the government doesn't actually talk to the people.

Reason is one of the few media outlets that has been providing extensive coverage of the trial of John Stagliano, who was—until the case was thrown out late this afternoon—facing obscenity charges for producing and distributing porn videos. And what better way to improve our coverage than to put us lowly interns in a room and have us call the offices of every Senator in the land and ask them for their opinion on some of the issues involved in the trial?

We began this journey early yesterday morning, as we arrived in the office bleary-eyed and full of naive optimism. But it didn't take us long to figure out what game these wily press secretaries were playing. In case you've ever considered a career in messing around with journalists and ensuring the public never finds out who your politician is screwing, here a few general pointers.

The number of people filing new unemployment claims dropped sharply last week, according to statistics released today by the Department of Labor. The number of newly unemployed dropped by 21,000 over the previous week to 454,000, the lowest level since early May.

While the economy is certainly not out of the woods yet, these numbers will add fodder to the debate over whether the Senate should approve a bill that would extend unemployment benefits until November 30. Many Democrats have been lining up in support, arguing that unemployment benefits stimulate the economy. And while Republicans have so far been able to postpone the bill's passage, there is probably a good chance that it will be enacted in some form (I suggest never underestimating the government's propensity to engage in costly spending programs).

Yet, a story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal provides further evidence for what many people have been saying for a long time, that extending unemployment benefits is counterintuitive:

FDA regulations imposing tough new restrictions on the tobacco industry came into force today. Among the measures are new constraints on retailers, stringent controls on how companies can market their products, and limitations on what words that can be used in brand names. The FDA was given the authority to regulate tobacco under last year's Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which it has used to bully both retailers and producers.

Among the more draconian of the new rules is a prohibition on using terms such as "light," "mild," or "low" in brand names. These types of laws are generally justified by statistics showing that many smokers believe light cigarettes are better for their health. Yet there appears to be little to no evidence that prohibiting the use of the terms has any effect on this perception. A lot of people believe withdrawal is a valid form of birth control, but that doesn't mean that banning the practice will change anything.

Quite the contrary. A 2008 study published in the journal Tobacco Control looked at a similar piece of legislation in the United Kingdom. It found that misconceptions about the health benefits of light cigarettes initially declined, but eventually rebounded. The net change in perceptions after four years was no greater in the U.K. than it was in the U.S. The study concluded that, "bans on such terms are neither sufficient to eliminate false beliefs, nor do they produce greater effects than non-regulatory measures."

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford

In a story that seems to get stranger by the day, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has admitted to having an extramarital affair.

The odd series of events began developing over the weekend when it became apparent that the governor's whereabouts were unknown and news surfaced that he did not spend fathers day with his children.

The media circus intensified when he failed to show up for work on Monday. The governor's office later issued a statement saying that he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.