WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Most of the chamber’s Republicans had already left for their home districts, but the House passed the Zadroga 9/11 health bill. Around the same time, the Senate approved some more judicial nominees, and agreed to adjourn for the year.
* The defense authorization bill cleared both chambers this afternoon and is on its way to the president’s desk. The House also approved the Senate’s version of the food-safety bill, and that will await President Obama’s signature, too.
* Third quarter GDP growth was just a little better than previously estimated.
* Gitmo: “President Obama’s advisers have been drafting an executive order that would set up a system for periodically reviewing the cases of Guantanamo prisoners whom courts have approved for detention without trial, officials said.”
* Adam Serwer scrutinizes the Gitmo plan, and concludes it’s not at all encouraging — though it’s still preferable to Bush’s policy.
* The Obama administration’s next step in looking out for health care consumers: “In a move to protect consumers, the Obama administration said Tuesday that it would require health insurance companies to disclose and justify any rate increases of 10 percent or more next year.” (It’s the subject of the latest episode of the White House White Board — and yes, I really do love the White House White Board.)
* More of this, please: “The Obama administration is expected to roll out a major greenhouse gas policy for power plants and refineries as soon as Wednesday, signaling it won’t back off its push to fight climate change in the face of mounting opposition on Capitol Hill.”
* It would have been entirely understandable for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), still recovering from surgery for prostate cancer, to not come to work today. He showed up anyway. Good for him.
* When banks break into families’ homes and steal their belongings, that’s not O.K.
* This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
* One more addition to the list of lame-duck successes: the Shark Conservation Act.
* Fresh off his DADT victory, the president reemphasizes his support for passing ENDA and repealing DOMA.
* A strong column from Dana Milbank on the GOP contingent that makes up “the Petulant Party.”
* Kaplan has a very bad week.
* Rick Perlstein considers what Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s (R) “amnesia” tells us.
* On a related note, Fox tried desperately to cover for Barbour, but failed in humiliating fashion.
* In still more Fox-related news, describing Elie Wiesel as a “Holocaust Winner” is probably the most spectacular chyron fail of all time.
* And finally, a reminder to conservative media types: taking on Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is generally a very bad idea. He’s much smarter than you, and he doesn’t mind making you look foolish.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
