Today's edition of quick hits:
* The wildfire crisis in Colorado is getting worse, and the blaze has grown to more than 15,000 acres.
* President Obama will travel to Colorado on Friday to tour areas devastated by the fire.
* Syrian violence: "Syria said Wednesday that rebels stormed a pro-government television station in a Damascus suburb, killing employees and blowing up the station in an audacious predawn assault, but rebels said the attackers were defectors from the elite Republican Guard, considered to be the most loyal core defenders of President Bashar al-Assad."
* The transportation bill may come together after all, but time is running out.
* You might think you understand the basics of the "Fast and Furious" controversy. But what if I told you there was no gun-walking operation and no one allowed guns to cross the border on purpose?
* I'm not overly impressed with the details of the student-loan deal, but I'm glad it's done. I'd be even more glad if I had any confidence in the House to pass it.
* This should be interesting: "Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman of New York has begun investigating contributions to tax-exempt groups that are heavily involved in political campaigns, focusing on a case involving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce."
* The center-right editorial board of the Washington Post believes Antonin Scalia is bringing "partisan discredit" to the high court, and E.J. Dionne Jr. makes a compelling case that Scalia should resign.
* I remember Obama pushing for this a few years ago: "A four-team playoff for college football has been formally approved by a presidential oversight committee, a dramatic change for the sport that will begin in 2014 and continue through the 2025 season."
* And leave it to Doonesbury to capture the difference between government service and private equity in just eight frames.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
Why did the republican's wait so long to reach an agreement on the highway bill?Could it be they know it will take time to inject the money into the economy.And while they're waiting they hit the President with all that pac money,hoping they can defeat him.If they can defeat him the job's picture improve's dramatically in 2013,making them look like heroes.If the Pres.win's they benefit because they reached an agreement on the bill. Either way it's a win.I'm probably giving them to much credit but I put nothing past a corrupt congress.
I read the fortune article on Fast and Furious. It sounded to me the US atty was blocking the ATF at every turn. What could Holder be hiding?
Shooter, the U.S.Attorney involved was a Republican appointee.
No, he wasn't. Check his wiki.
Shooter
You rely on Wiki? Wow!
Shooter, what about those asst. U.S. Attorneys who had been there many years and withheld information from U.S. Attorney burke?
What happened in the past may be relevent, and the Fortune article may be true. If it is, why didn't Holder reveal it after months of testimony. Why would the DOJ first deniy the operation, then retract the denial. There are still too many questions, and the last minute Executive Order just adds to the suspicion something is being covered up.
In common with others on the right, Scalia is devoid of conscience and incapable of shame. He will never resign. He (for starters) should be removed from the court by whatever means are necessary to do so.
NRA alarm doesn't make sense if gun walking story is true but it makes perfect sense if the FORTUNE article is true. The flood of guns into Mexico and this country is a result of lax gun laws in Arizona. For damage control, the NRA and their supporters have decided to put the blame for the violence and deaths on the agency that is trying to stop the flood.
It isn't just Arizona. The weekend gun shows in TX are also a source. Heck, even gun stores can sell assault weapons with no serious checking done.
Just a really really big THANK YOU to Rachel for her eye opening show last night. The entire production was excellent. As a Montanan, I thoroughly appreciated the press on such important and big issues as the broken promise to our Vets (VoteVets new ad), dark money and the implications on the state level, the interview with Senator Tester, but most of all, the revelation that the U.S. FEC will be asked to look into 501(c)(4) orgs who have been violating the IRC regulations regarding campaign ads. Your reporting is PRICELESS and, I'm convinced, is helping to save our democracy.
center-right editorial board
Why do you use the word "center" when describing the WaPo editorial board? The only other major newspaper with a more right wing editorial board is the WSJ, and they've been somewhere to the right of Francisco Franco for all living memory.