WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The latest out of Haiti, where the national government appears to be paralyzed.
* Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the devastation in Haiti as a tragedy of “biblical proportions.”
* Digby posted a list of relief/humanitarian agencies on the ground in Haiti.
* U.S. and Russia are “really close” to a new arms treaty, replacing START, which has expired.
* According to the Federal Reserve, there is economic growth in 10 of its 12 districts.
* Wall Street CEOs on the defensive: “Challenged by a skeptical special commission, top Wall Street bankers apologized Wednesday for risky behavior that led to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. But they still declared it seemed appropriate at the time.”
* The New York Post has very odd priorities.
* Harry Reid thinks it was a waste of time pleading with Olympia Snowe to be reasonable on health care reform. He’s probably right.
* One of the right-wing founders of the Tea Party movement is pulling out of the Tea Party Convention. These fissures really do matter.
* The South Carolina state House voted today to censure it’s scandal-plagued governor, Mark Sanford (R).
* On health care reform, the Senate wants state-based exchanges; the House wants a national exchange. President Obama is siding with the House — and he’s right.
* African Americans are more optimistic about their prospects for the future in the Obama era.
* Google may give up on China altogether.
* The story of President Obama’s first veto sounds like an interesting topic, but it’s not really.
* The U.S. military is under the impression that it’s under no obligation to clean up the environmental messes it’s leaving in Iraq. The news echoes a point we here at the Monthly reported recently.
* Why college rankings never change much.
* I sometimes get the impression that Shep Smith should move to a real network. Today was one of those days.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
