TUESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Attorney General Eric Holder commented publicly on the Najibullah Zazi case today, calling the threat “very serious” and one which “could have resulted in the loss of American lives.”
* Holder added that closing Gitmo would be a lot easier were it not for the politics in Congress.
* The White House still isn’t on board with another stimulus, but the president’s economic team “discussed a wide range of ideas at a meeting on Monday,” and may consider “extending” the first stimulus package in new ways. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), meanwhile, remains an active proponent of a new spending bill.
* Thomas Perez was finally confirmed by the Senate today to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The final vote was 72 to 22.
* A new Gallup poll shows support for health care reform improving, thanks to diminished opposition.
* CNN ran into scandal-plagued Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) on the Hill today. He insists he didn’t do anything wrong.
* And then there were five: Apple walks away from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to combating global warming.
* I wonder what Axelrod and Ailes talked about.
* I’ve always liked Elizabeth Blackburn, and was glad to see her get a Nobel Prize this morning.
* Steve M. read Richard Cohen’s column so I didn’t have to.
* How economic crises close the doors to higher ed.
* Is Keith Olbermann really going to deliver an hour-long “Special Comment” on health care tomorrow night? Should be interesting.
* Beck keeps losing advertisers, here and across the Atlantic.
* Rep. Nathan Deal (R), a gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, learns why “ghetto grandmothers” might be considered offensive.
* It’s a genuine shame to see what’s become of Dick Gephardt.
* MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell occasionally finds odd trivia important.
* And finally, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor took an active role in oral arguments on her first day on the bench. She has, in other words, already said more than Justice Clarence Thomas has uttered in years.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
