R&D: Brazil’s Presidential Race Heads to a Runoff, One of New York’s Senate Races Becomes Tighter, and the Impact of Elena Kagan’s Recusals

Here is your R&D for October 4th:

Brazil election goes to runoff after Rousseff falls short from the Los Angeles Times
Brazil’s frontrunner, Dilma Rousseff, failed to win 50% of the vote in Sunday’s general election and will have a runoff with Jose Serra in four weeks to determine who will be the country’s next president.

Could Kirsten Gillibrand Lose in New York? from RealClearPolitics
New York’s Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who replaced Hillary Clinton when she left for the State Deparment, was expected to easily win re-election several months ago.  However, recent polls show that the race is tightening.  Could she lose?

Recusals could force newest justice to miss many cases from the Washington Post
Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court’s newest justice, has recused herself from a myriad of cases confronting the Court in its newest term.  Find out what cases she is not going to hear and how that may impact the Court’s decisions.

Who are Nigeria’s Mend oil militants? from the BBC
Don’t know what Nigeria’s Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is all about?  This article from the BBC gives you some background on the organization.

Combating Afghanistan’s ‘Malign Governance’ from the Council on Foreign Relations
How can the U.S. combat corruption in the Afghan government?  This Council on Foreign Relations interview with Stephen Biddle tries to answer that question.