Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Wall Street: “U.S. stocks plummeted Thursday, along the rest of the world’s markets, as investors reacted to a dour outlook on the U.S. economy from the Federal Reserve and worried about the fate of European banks…. The sell-off was triggered by Wednesday’s gloomy news from the Federal Reserve, which said that it sees ‘significant downside risks’ to the U.S. economy.”
* First-time unemployment claims: “Applications for jobless benefits decreased 9,000 in the week ended Sept. 17 to 423,000, Labor Department figures showed today. Economists forecast 420,000 claims, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey.”
* That’s quite a charge: “Pakistan’s intelligence agency aided the insurgents who attacked the American Embassy in Kabul last week, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate on Thursday.”
* At the U.N.: “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triggered a mass exodus from the U.N. General Assembly’s chamber Thursday with a combative speech that blasted the United States and other Western powers and questioned whether Islamist terrorists were behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks…. He also criticized the Obama administration for killing Osama bin Laden, suggesting that the al-Qaeda leader could have been the star witness at a trial that would reveal the true culprits behind the attacks on New York and Washington.”
* Big Dog on Israel: “Who’s to blame for the continued failure of the Middle East peace process? Former President Bill Clinton said today that it is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whose government moved the goalposts upon taking power, and whose rise represents a key reason there has been no Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.”
* Will the Murray/Hensarling super-committee embrace the idea for CBO jobs scores? Apparently not.
* Labor’s efforts paid off in the Senate last night: “The AFL-CIO and organized labor in general is breathing a sigh of relief after the Senate Appropriations Committee narrowly defeated — in a tie vote Wednesday night — an effort to gut the National Labor Relations Board and prevent it from filing suits against companies that move operations to right-to-work states. ”
* Did the Justice Department buy $16 muffins? Not really, but they myth is likely to endure.
* Great piece from Phil Keisling on “the tax debate we want and need.”
* Daniel Luzer takes a look at how employers talk about unemployment, with an eye towards higher ed.
* The White House’s “We The People” petition site goes live. It seems like a good idea.
* We know Fox News takes liberties with the truth. We know Fox Business plays fast and loose, too. But did you know even Fox Sports misleads viewers? (thanks to reader A.W.)
* Remember the “Ground Zero Mosque,” which wasn’t a mosque and wasn’t at Ground Zero? Well, Park51 opened yesterday, and no one noticed or cared. Civilization appears to be intact; the memory of the 9/11 attacks is unaffected; and the zealots who tried to make this into a story continue to look like foolish.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
