THURSDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* A fifth of Pakistan is currently underwater. The U.N. estimates that “about 14 million people have been affected by the floods, 6 million of them are children, according to the United Nations children’s organization, usually known as Unicef. Estimates of the dead have ranged between 1,200 and 1,600.”
* I sure wish someone would do something: “This morning, the Department of Labor reported that weekly initial jobless claims climbed to the highest level in five months, up 2,000 to 484,000, with last week’s number revised up to 482,000. That was nearly 20,000 higher than economists expected.”
* The Senate reconvened very briefly today, and by unanimous consent, approved a $600 million bill for border security.
* I’m really glad Republicans were prevented from killing off GM: “In a signal moment for the turnaround of the American auto industry, General Motors is edging toward a public stock sale, and its profits are now solid enough that the demanding CEO will step aside, saying his work is done.”
* Jon Chait’s amusing takedowns of Pete Wehner’s propaganda take on a poetic flair.
* A New Hampshire state lawmaker resigned today after joking about Sarah Palin’s death on Facebook.
* The Republican base, meanwhile, continues to use violent rhetoric when lashing out against Democratic lawmakers.
* I feel like I see this sentiment more and more all the time: “A sign of how radical and extremist the GOP now is: on the question of the war on terror (and immigration), some of us are beginning to see the relative moderation and sophistication of George W. Bush.”
* Daniel Luzer: “At what point will Americans just refuse to pay huge sums of money to attend college? It’s hard to tell but this does make for an interesting element to the ‘is college worth it’ discussion.”
* Jon Stewart considered congressional Republicans’ rhetoric on economic policy on “The Daily Show” last night. Responding to rhetoric from House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Stewart said, “That is either the most profound or most retarded statement I’ve ever heard. You know what, actually it’s the most profoundly retarded statement I’ve ever heard.”
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
