MONDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Haiti: “Troops, doctors and aid workers flowed into Haiti on Monday and officials said billions of dollars more will be needed following the quake that killed an estimated 200,000 people and left many still struggling to find a cup of water or a handful of food.”
* Afghanistan: “A team of militants launched a spectacular assault at the heart of the Afghan government Monday, with two men detonating suicide bombs and the rest fighting to the death only 50 yards from the gates of the presidential palace. The attacks, the latest in a series targeting the Afghan capital, paralyzed the city for hours, as hundreds of Afghan commandos converged and opened fire.”
* Iraq: “Saddam Hussein’s notorious cousin ‘Chemical Ali’ was convicted Sunday of crimes against humanity, receiving a death sentence for his involvement in a poison gas attack on Halabja — one of several hanging over him.”
* Policymakers in Washington will transition from health care to financial regulatory reform.
* Fact-checking the Sunday shows.
* PhD salaries are still sinking.
* Scott Horton has quite a story about the suspected cover-up of Gitmo detainees who died in 2006 after being subjected to torture.
* South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) may have some steep legal bills, but much to his chagrin, he can’t stick taxpayers with the tab. Sanford will “have to tap his campaign fund to pay $28,000 in legal bills after the state attorney general’s office denied a request to use taxpayer money to pay the bills.”
* Utah’s Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack (R) resigned over the weekend, following a DUI arrest. (thanks to V.S. for the tip)
* It looks like the New York Times will soon start charging for content. (As I recall, the last experiment on this front, “TimesSelect” didn’t go well.)
* President Obama delivered a pretty fascinating speech yesterday on “Martin Luther King and the Challenges of a New Age” at the Vermont Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
* And finally, in light of the significance of the day, I’d recommend taking some time to read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” again. As thoughtful as any piece of writing in the 20th century, King’s correspondence represents the most powerful summary of his vision available.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
