WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* House honors Tucson victims: “Shaken by the attempted assassination of their colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, and the killing of one of her aides, House members reconvened at the Capitol on Wednesday to honor the dead and the wounded in the Arizona shooting rampage and to begin reviewing security concerns with law enforcement officials.”
* The memorial service in Tucson will be held tonight at the University of Arizona, starting at 8 p.m. eastern, and is expected to draw more than 14,000 attendees. President Obama is expected to speak for 10 to 15 minutes.
* Dept. of Bad Timing: “Speaker John Boehner will host a cocktail party for the Republican National Committee at the same time that President Barack Obama will be addressing the nation at the memorial service for victims of the Tucson shooting.”
* Lebanon: “Hezbollah and its allies forced the collapse of the government here on Wednesday, deepening a crisis over a United Nations-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of a former prime minister.”
* A man targeting Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) with death threats was taken into custody today, and faces federal charges. (thanks to reader H.S. for the tip)
* The National Climatic Data Center reports that 2010 was tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record for global surface temperature. “Nine of the Earth’s 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001, and all 12 of the warmest years have occurred since 1997.”
* Massive flooding has effectively shut down Brisbane, Australia’s third-largest city. To date, 16 people have been killed, 43 are missing, and thousands have lost their homes.
* An official in the Arizona Republican Party resigned this week, fearing potential violence from Tea Party activists.
* One year after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, much of the country remains in rubble.
* Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), reflecting on Saturday’s shooting, said, “I wish there had been one more gun there that day in the hands of a responsible person.” (There was — the man holding that gun very nearly shot an innocent man.)
* Franks also said, “If every person in the world was like Sarah Palin, there probably wouldn’t even be need for government because no one would be in danger of any kind.” I have no idea what that means.
* People who live in glass houses shouldn’t use teleprompters.
* Daniel Luzer: “Thought going to college would be a sensible way to get a good job? Well it looks like for the most sought-after positions in the country, only a few schools — only five of the more than 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States — will do.”
* There’s nothing wrong with saying, “Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them.” But when the speaker insists that same principle doesn’t apply to Muslim Americans, then it’s best not to take her seriously.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
