FRIDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* A governing deal in place in Baghdad? “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq appeared almost assured of a second term in office on Friday after winning the support of an anti-American Shiite Islamic movement whose return to political power could reshape relations with the United States…. [A]t a time when public frustration and extremist violence have mounted, it could still take weeks or months more for Mr. Maliki to secure reelection and form a new government.”
* As the diplomatic efforts continue, today marks an unflattering milestone: “Iraq on Friday will surpass the record for the country that has gone the longest between holding parliamentary elections and forming a government, experts say.”
* Rahm Emanuel gets an emotional send-off from the White House, as Pete Rouse gets to work. (It’s still unclear just how long Rouse’s tenure is intended to last.)
* Horrifying beyond words: “American scientists deliberately infected prisoners and patients in a mental hospital in Guatemala with syphilis 60 years ago, a recently unearthed experiment that prompted U.S. officials to apologize Friday and declare outrage over ‘such reprehensible research.’”
* Pakistan: “Political upheaval in Pakistan and a sudden rupture in relations with the United States have heightened the Obama administration’s concern about the stability of a crucial partner in its Afghanistan war strategy.”
* Crisis in Quito*: “Ecuador’s military staged a spectacular rescue Thursday night to free President Rafael Correa, who was holed up in a hospital for more than 12 hours by a police uprising that threatened the nation’s stability.”
* Remember the flash crash? “A trading firm’s use of a computer sell order triggered the May 6 market plunge, which sent the Dow Jones industrial average tumbling nearly 1,000 points in less than a half-hour, federal regulators said Friday…. The firm’s trade, worth $4.1 billion, led to a chain of events the ended with market players swiftly pulling their money from stock market, the report said.”
* Daniel Luzer: “[T]here’s something wrong with encouraging everyone to get a BA. But there’s something very wrong with the fact that our country doesn’t really offer much for high school students who aren’t going to earn a BA.”
* R.I.P., Neil Alan Smith.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
*Corrected
