WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Libya: “NATO, Arab and African ministers met with Libya’s rebels here on Wednesday in a show of support for insurgents who are seeking to overthrow Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi against a backdrop of division over the pace of coalition air attacks on pro-Qaddafi forces.”
* In related news: “NATO said it had destroyed 12 government tanks around the besieged Libyan city of Misurata on Wednesday, after criticism from within its own ranks that it was not doing enough to stop the Libyan government from shelling and shooting indiscriminately at civilians in the rebel-held portion of the city.”
* House Speaker John Boehner called Paul Ryan’s budget plan “an option worth considering” today, which isn’t exactly a hearty endorsement. The comment drew so much attention, the Speaker’s office felt compelled to later add that Boehner “fully supports” the radical proposal.
* I guess JPMorgan Chase’s prediction that Wall Street reform would crush industry profits was wrong: “JPMorgan Chase kicked off bank earnings season on Wednesday, reporting that first quarter profit surged 67 percent even as problems in its mortgage lending business continued to mount.”
* Despite the amusing prank press release, and the fact that the Associated Press fell for it, GE will not be sending $3.2 billion back into the U.S. Treasury.
* The worthwhile initiative is called “Joining Forces“: “Starting Wednesday, first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, plan to visit four states in two days to raise public awareness of the needs of families of military service members.”
* The budget deal, set to be approved tomorrow, eliminates four “czar” positions. Republicans probably shouldn’t get too excited — the offices in question are already empty.
* Will there be any major Tea Party rallies on April 15 (Tax Day) this year? Apparently not.
* What could that teacher have been thinking? “A fourth grade teacher in Norfolk, Virginia is in trouble for getting a bit too real in a lesson on the Civil War, in which she held a mock auction of black students while letting the white students bid on them.”
* As it should be: more Pell Grants means more students.
* Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), arguably the chamber’s worst member, illegally landed his plane, on purpose, on a closed runway late last year, endangering construction workers doing repairs. In fact, he touched down and then “sky hopped” over six vehicles and personnel working on the runway, before landing for good. The airport manager said he’d “never seen such a reckless disregard for human life in my life.” Inhofe accepted a “program of remedial training” in December as a substitute for legal action.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
