FRIDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* More bloodshed in Baghdad: “Bombs exploded near five Shiite mosques around Baghdad within 45 minutes on Friday as worshipers attended prayer services, killing at least 29 people in what appeared to be a coordinated attack against followers of the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr, Iraqi officials and a Sadr aide said.”
* “Cash for clunkers” received a strong enough reception that it started to run out of money. The House voted today, with plenty of Republican votes, to direct an additional $2 billion into the program.
* The House tackled executive salaries, too: “The House of Representatives approved legislation today that would give shareholders of companies the right to cast advisory votes on executive compensation and empower financial regulators to limit pay that they deem inappropriate. The bill, which passed 237-185, came in response to public outrage over lavish pay received by executives at Wall Street firms that took billions in emergency aid from the government.”
* Gen. Stanley McChrystal is bringing a new U.S. strategy to Afghanistan, but he still wants a lot more boots on the ground.
* Sen. Chris Dodd (D) of Connecticut announced today that he’s been diagnosed with a treatable form of prostate cancer. He will stay in the Senate, will seek re-election, and is confident about a full recovery.
* Congress will investigate fraudulent letters sent to lawmakers during the cap-and-trade debate.
* New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo with the Quote of the Day: “When the banks did well, their employees were paid well. When the banks did poorly, their employees were paid well. And when the banks did very poorly, they were bailed out by taxpayers and their employees were still paid well.”
* Media Matters is going after Lou Dobbs with ads — to be aired on CNN.
* House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) doesn’t buy into the Birther conspiracy theory, which he blames on liberal bloggers and MSNBC.
* A right-wing activist group is distributing advice to conservatives on how to disrupt public events and harass Democratic lawmakers. Stay classy, conservatives.
* Peggy Noonan remembers Richard Nixon a lot differently than the rest of us.
* Megan McArdle argues against national health insurance. Ezra Klein was going to respond, but had trouble: “In 1,600 words, she doesn’t muster a single link to a study or argument, nor a single number that she didn’t make up (what numbers do exist come in the form of thought experiments and assumptions). Megan’s argument against national health insurance boils down to a visceral hatred of the government.”
* And finally, I thought National Review‘s Andy McCarthy couldn’t be a bigger embarrassment. I stand corrected.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
