Today’s edition of quick hits:
* This was supposed to be reassuring: “Greece has enough money to pay pensions, salaries and bondholders through mid-November, the finance minister said Tuesday.”
* Europe’s steep climb: “Europe has had a rough ride since Greece confessed it falsified its books to join the euro. Now the economic situation is set to worsen, as the sovereign debt crisis that erupted in early 2010 threatens to send the euro zone into its second recession in three years.”
* Good: “The Ford Motor Company agreed to add 12,000 jobs and invest $6.2 billion in its United States plants in a new four-year labor contract with the United Automobile Workers union, the company said Tuesday. It also will give most workers guaranteed bonuses of at least $12,000, raise entry-level wages by several dollars an hour and move some work to the United States from other countries. Ford said the jobs and investment numbers included 6,250 jobs and $1.4 billion that it had previously announced.”
* Not good: “New orders for U.S. factory goods fell in August for the second time in three months, suggesting a possible softening in the manufacturing sector which has carried the economic recovery.”
* With a vote of 352 to 66, the House of Representatives managed to keep the government’s lights on through mid-November. GOP leaders were surprised when 53 Republicans voted against the spending measure.
* Remember, that’s our taxpayer money: “House Republicans have agreed to a new contract to pay a private law firm up to $1.5 million to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which bans same-sex marriage on the federal level. The amount is three times the figure originally agreed upon between the House and the firm Bancroft PLLC.”
* Will the House Republican leadership allow the chamber to vote on the Senate’s bill on Chinese currency manipulation?
* Sounds fair: “Warren Buffett will happily make his tax returns public, but under one condition — Rupert Murdoch has to do it, too.”
* Some on the right believe the jobless shouldn’t “build a personal brand as an unemployee.” Andy Sabl explains why that’s offensive and ridiculous.
* Congressional Republicans aren’t done going after education: “Changes proposed by Republicans to the House funding bill would cut Pell Grants for part-time students.”
* And RedState’s Erick Erickson argued last night that the Washington Post, over the last couple of days “has written more words” on the story about Rick Perry’s leased hunting ranch “than they ever wrote on the Jeremiah Wright story, for its entire existence.” In reality, the Post has devoted roughly 4,000 words to Perry’s ranch. It’s published at least 46,000 words about Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
