The U.S. Commerce Department's under secretary of technology, Phil Bond, said "excit[ing] kids" about science and math "as early as elementary school" is a good way to counter the movement of high-tech U.S. jobs overseas.

Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber spoke with The Hill recently about their new book Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing Is Turning America Into a One-Party State.

The agribusiness giant Monsanto will donate $50,000 to the Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Consortium. AITC is a "grassroots program coordinated by the United States Department of Agriculture," designed "to help students gain a greater awareness of the role of agriculture ... so that they may become citizens who support wise agricultural policies," according to AITC's website.