WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Scary stuff: “Federal law enforcement authorities have arrested a Northern Virginia man in connection with an alleged plot to carry out a series of terrorist bombings at stations in the Washington Metro system, according to a federal indictment. Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Ashburn, conspired with people he believed to be al-Qaeda operatives to attack the stations at Arlington National Cemetery, Pentagon City, Crystal City and Court House, the indictment said.”
* Indonesia: “The death toll from a tsunami and a volcano rose to more than 300 Wednesday as more victims of Indonesia’s double disasters were found and an official said a warning system installed after a deadly ocean wave in 2004 had broken from a lack of maintenance.”
* I probably wouldn’t characterize this as progress: “An intense military campaign aimed at crippling the Taliban has so far failed to inflict more than fleeting setbacks on the insurgency or put meaningful pressure on its leaders to seek peace, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials citing the latest assessments of the war in Afghanistan.”
* This tragedy would be even worse without ongoing conservation efforts: “A growing number of creatures could disappear from the earth, with one-fifth of all vertebrates and as many as a third of all sharks and rays now facing the threat of extinction, according to a new survey assessing nearly 26,000 species across the globe.”
* No, state of Arizona, you can’t require documents proving citizenship for new voter registration.
* The White House hosted a discussion with representatives of LGBT organizations and senior administration officials yesterday, discussing DADT repeal. President Obama stopped in unexpectedly “to directly convey to the participants his personal commitment on this issue.”
* Not again: “Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey, put a second and final stop on Wednesday morning to the most expensive public works project under way in the country, a proposed rail tunnel under the Hudson River that could have doubled commuter-train service to Manhattan.”
* It pains me to see that we have to endure another phony debate about non-existent “voter fraud.”
* House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana might give up his leadership post in advance of a silly presidential campaign.
* Rep. Darrel Issa (R-Calif.) has described President Obama as “one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times.” Ruth Marcus wrote today, “If Issa believes this, he is deranged. If he doesn’t and is saying it anyway, he is dangerous.”
* Todd Lally, a Republican congressional candidate in Kentucky, hasn’t personally witnessed gender discrimination, and therefore, suspects it doesn’t exist.
* Substance abuse within the Iraqi Security Forces is a real problem.
* What happens when a college student gets a scholarship, but it’s too short?
* And Ralph Reed, who inexplicably feels comfortable showing his face in public, is launching campaign ads that are almost a parody of themselves.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
