FRIDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Abdulmutallab’s court proceedings get underway: “The 23-year-old Nigerian man accused of trying to bomb a Northwest flight on Christmas Day was arraigned on Friday in a Detroit courtroom. He said little during the hearing and stood mute while his lawyers entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.”
* Did a misspelling play a role in Abdulmutallab having a visa?
* Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain in his cabinet post at least through 2010.
* H1N1 is now only widespread in one state: Alabama.
* Marriage equality approved by Portugal’s parliament.
* The economic benefits of health care reform may be pretty dramatic.
* House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) noted today that it’s “not fair to blame any one person or political party for all job losses.” That’s a nice change of pace, but didn’t he spend all of 2009 making the opposite argument?
* As if he didn’t have enough trouble, RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s “Honest Injun” comment is still drawing heat.
* It’s almost certainly unfair to characterize Jon Gruber as some kind of shill for the administration, but his HHS contract should have been disclosed.
* Michael Gerson believes it’s entirely appropriate for media professionals to proselytize during on-air news broadcasts — and if you disagree, you’re “intolerant.”
* After weeks of GOPers accusing President Obama of not saying something he did say, Giuliani is lauding Obama for saying something he didn’t say.
* Alec MacGillis makes the case against the excise tax. Ezra Klein responds.
* Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan Biden, the vice president’s mother, died today. She was 92.
* Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), quite a hack.
* Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera, quite a sellout.
* Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch agrees that “the vast majority of Muslims” are “not terrorists.” That’s the good news. The bad news is, Koch, who’s become increasingly nutty in recent years, believes “hundreds of millions” of Muslims are terrorists.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
