What I've been reading

• Matt Ridley provides a stark look at hunger in North Korea.

• Sweden's prime minister is calling for new tax cuts. (HT: Taxing Tennessee)

• Tino at Super Economy is involved in quite a tête-à-tête with Bruce Bartlett. This is getting interesting.

• The New York Times says that seats on the Appropriations Committee are now becoming a liability for members of Congress. Let's hope so.

• Kim Strassel notes that a number of Congressional Democrats who have mostly opposed the Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda are, in contrast to many of their Democratic colleagues, in good shape for re-election this fall.