WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* NATO airstrike in Afghanistan mistakenly kills five Afghan army allies.
* Iraq: “A suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims at a police checkpoint in Baghdad on Wednesday night, killing at least 28 people and wounding 81 others despite intensive efforts by Iraqi security forces to foil such attacks.”
* Not a big surprise: “A British panel on Wednesday exonerated the scientists caught up in the controversy known as Climategate of charges that they had manipulated their research to support preconceived ideas about global warming.”
* Businesses are investing less because there’s not enough consumer demand. I have no idea why conservatives find this so hard to understand.
* There were three recess appointments today, not just the high-profile one.
* Good move: “The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new rules to limit sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution from power plants. It hopes to implement the rules in 2012.”
* The appeal: “The Obama administration has asked a federal court in Louisiana to reinstate the ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the moratorium was a rational response to the unprecedented emergency of the BP oil spill.”
* On a related note, President Obama will make visit the Gulf Coast again later this month. It’ll be his fifth visit since the disaster.
* The White House isn’t equivocating at all in its support for the lawsuit challenging Arizona’s anti-immigrant law.
* After stalling for weeks, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R) vetoed state legislation that would have permitted same-sex civil unions.
* In an interesting media move the Huffington Post has bought Pollster.com.
* Speaking of interesting media moves, CNN caved to right-wing activists and fired its Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs over a poorly-worded tweet.
* There are now two House Republicans calling for RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s resignation.
* I honestly can’t imagine being denied leukemia treatment over a one-cent underpayment.
* Joe Scarborough gets Markos blacklisted from MSNBC. When Liz Cheney gets similar treatment, I’ll be impressed.
* Ayn Rand-ish arguments in support of for-profit colleges don’t stand up well to scrutiny.
* The July/August 2010 issue of the Washington Monthly is online. Here’s the table of contents.
* Former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) slips, accidentally admits that Fox News helps push Republican messages.
* And if you haven’t seen it, Terry Savage’s bizarre column criticizing kids over free lemonade is one of the stranger pieces I’ve read in a very long while.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
