Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Greece: “Greek leaders frantically tried to steer their country away from default on Tuesday by passing a deeply unpopular new property tax. Greece has said it will run out of money to pay its many bills by mid-October if it does not receive more aid before then. But the country’s European creditors have questioned whether politicians were serious about meeting fiscal targets set as part of a $150 billion rescue package approved in 2010.”
* Related news out of Germany: “Faced with the prospect of humiliation by her own party, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on Tuesday showed some of the passion for saving the euro that her critics complain had been missing, beseeching German legislators and voters to support aid to Greece for their own good.”
* A possible nightmare in Libya: “U.S. officials had once thought there was little chance that terrorists could get their hands on many of the portable surface-to-air missiles that can bring down a commercial jet liner. But now that calculation is out the window, with officials at a recent secret White House meeting reporting that thousands of them have gone missing in Libya.”
* Fighting continues: “Libyan revolutionary forces battled their way into the eastern outskirts of Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte on Tuesday, trying to link up with anti-Gadhafi fighters besieging the city from the west, commanders said.”
* In case there are any lingering doubts, there won’t be a shutdown this week: “A Cantor spokeswoman, Laena Fallon, told The Hill that the House would approve a one-week stopgap measure by unanimous consent on Thursday.”
* Leading White House officials, including Vice President Biden, continue to slam Republicans over booing a gay U.S. Army soldier serving in Iraq.
* The “Occupy Wall Street” protests lead to questions about excessive force from local law enforcement.
* Bill O’Reilly hates NPR … unless it’s helping him promote his book.
* Another one? “Despite vanishing interest and non-existent results from his previous three hearings, House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R-NY) is planning a fourth investigation into the Muslim community for some time in late October.”
* Andy Rooney will end his lengthy career on “60 Minutes” this week, and will make the formal announcement in his 1097th essay at the end of the broadcast.
* Rush Limbaugh, who seems to have a serious problem regarding race, believes President Obama “talks honky around white people.”
* And speaking of ugly intolerance, Sheriff Joe Arpaio was asked this week “why” he is “racist against Latinos.” Arpaio responded, “Well, I’m not going to get into my personal life.”
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
