THURSDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* At Ground Zero: “President Obama laid a wreath of red, white, and blue flowers at ground zero on Thursday, honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 2001 terrorist attacks and marking the death of its perpetrator, Osama bin Laden.”
* This is cause for genuine concern: “The number of people applying for unemployment benefits surged last week to the highest level in eight months, a sign the job market may be weakening. The Labor Department says applications rose by 43,000 to 474,000 in the week ended April 30, the third increase in four weeks.”
* Pakistani officials tell the U.S. not to make a habit of raiding their country without permission.
* POTUS to meet Team 6: “President Obama will meet members of the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden when he visits a military base Friday in Kentucky. The Associated Press, citing an anonymous source, reported the meeting will occur during Obama’s previously announced visit to Fort Campbell in Kentucky.”
* Syria: “Backed by tanks, Syrian security forces raided a restive Damascus suburb Thursday morning, arresting scores of people in a broad campaign that targeted men between the ages of 18 and 50, human rights groups and activists said.”
* White House budget talks: “Vice President Joe Biden said talks on a long-term budget deal will resume next week, following an initial meeting Thursday to set up the group. The first meeting included a general discussion of rival proposals, Democrats leaving the meeting said, and the only agreement made was to meet again Tuesday.”
* Agreed: “Too many of today’s conservatives are unable to celebrate a pure victory for America because of who was at the helm when it happened. That’s disturbing.”
* Judge Jack McConnell was confirmed late yesterday on a party-line vote, 50 to 44. The vote came soon after a GOP filibuster was defeated.
* Right-wing pseudo-historian David Barton was on “The Daily Show” last night, spewing a lot of nonsense. It just wasn’t possible for Jon Stewart to fact-check every claim during their discussion, but Right Wing Watch detailed Barton’s most glaring errors (Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV).
* Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has a new definition for the GOP: “Get Old People.”
* Daniel Luzer: “A few colleges are now starting to treat binge drinking like a public health problem, rather than just a campus discipline problem.”
* America’s Worst Sheriff: Joe Arpaio faces a new corruption scandal.
* Fox host Eric Bolling seemed to endorse the idea of torturing a variety of public officials, including President Obama.
* And as disgusting as it is that this incident occurred, I’m glad the district acted: “A Southeast Texas school has put a teacher on leave pending an investigation into an allegation that he asked an American-born Muslim student if she was grieving because her ‘uncle’ had died, referring to Osama bin Laden, a school district spokeswoman said Wednesday.”
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
