Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Progress in Europe: “Under growing pressure from nervous financial markets, the leaders of France and Germany reached a difficult compromise agreement Monday to seek mandatory limits on budget deficits among debt-laden European governments.”
* There’s some growing optimism about the Eurozone crisis, but we don’t know if, or how long, it will last.
* Iran: “The huge explosion that destroyed a major missile-testing site near Tehran three weeks ago was a major setback for Iran’s most advanced long-range missile program, according to American and Israeli intelligence officials and missile technology experts…. It is still unclear what caused the explosion.”
* Short of a formal apology: “President Obama phoned the president of Pakistan on Sunday to offer ‘condolences’ for the deaths of two dozen soldiers killed in NATO airstrikes along the Afghan border, the White House said.”
* Russia: “Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party saw its parliament majority weaken sharply in Sunday’s vote despite allegations of widespread violations.”
* An Occupy clash in Washington: “The Occupy D.C. campaign, largely peaceful since its launch two months ago, turned confrontational Sunday when police detained 31 protesters during a tense day-long standoff in McPherson Square.”
* I’m very glad Obama saved this industry over Republican objections: “The U.S. auto industry is seeing demand recover faster than anticipated, with carmakers headed toward their best annual performance in three years at sales of 12.8 million vehicles.”
* Institutional racism: “White criminals seeking presidential pardons over the past decade have been nearly four times as likely to succeed as minorities, a ProPublica examination has found. Blacks have had the poorest chance of receiving the president’s ultimate act of mercy, according to an analysis of previously unreleased records and related data.”
* The White House hasn’t given up on Richard Cordray’s nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
* No one wants to hear this, but the climate crisis is becoming increasingly severe.
* Add heath care policy to the list of things George Will probably shouldn’t write about.
* New GOP freak-out target: Howard Gutman, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium.
* Should the ATF be folded into the FBI?
* The debate over “premium support” in a nutshell.
* The Other 1%: Who has the most student loan debt?
* When PolitiFact considers a statement that’s true for its Lie of the Year award, there’s a problem.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
