June 28, 2011 5:30 PM
Tuesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Three suicide bombers in Kabul: “Several attackers stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Tuesday night, and witnesses said shooting and a loud explosion were heard as Afghan security forces rushed to the scene.â€

"And on a related note, former News Corp. President Peter Chernin conceded that "no one" even "pretends" that Fox News' opinion shows are "news and factual." Good to know."

He obviously hasn't read anything in some of the other message boards...

June 29, 2011 5:30 PM
Wednesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Greece avoids default: “The Greek Parliament backed Prime Minster George Papandreou's bitterly contested package of austerity measures on Wednesday, clearing the way for crucial international lending to stave off default over the summer. But thousands of Greeks took to the streets in protest, and some clashed violently with police officers, who responded with tear gas.â€

June 30, 2011 5:30 PM
Thursday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Applications have been above 400,000 for 12 straight weeks: “The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was mostly unchanged last week, evidence that the struggling economy isn't generating many jobs. The Labor Department says unemployment benefit applications ticked down 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 428,000.â€

July 01, 2011 5:30 PM
Friday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* A deal by Aug. 2 will be too late: “The White House believes it must strike a budget deal with Congress by July 22 to avoid a risk of defaulting on the national debt, Democratic officials briefed on the negotiations said Thursday, as Senate leaders canceled a recess next week to try to break the deadlock with Republicans.â€

July 05, 2011 5:30 PM
Tuesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* President Obama has no interest in a short-term extension on the debt ceiling, and will host congressional leaders for a White House negotiating session on Thursday. Obama also appeared to reset the clock on the timeline: he now wants a deal within “two weeks.â€

July 06, 2011 6:00 PM
Wednesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

As Daniel noted earlier, my power was out for much of the afternoon, but it's back, and I figured I might as well go ahead and post the quick hits I'd worked on earlier. There's a little less content than usual, but after three hours without a connection, that's to be expected, right?

* As far as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is concerned, “Don't Ask, Don't Tellâ€

July 07, 2011 5:30 PM
Thursday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* EPA targets emissions: “The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday issued new standards for coal-burning power plants in 28 states that would sharply cut smokestack emissions that have polluted forests, farms, lakes and streams across the eastern United States for decades.â€

July 08, 2011 5:30 PM
Friday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said yesterday there was a 50-50 chance a debt deal would be complete within 48 hours. He's not saying that anymore.

* House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met privately with President Obama this morning, and is weighing her options about what kind of role to play in the process.

* No small allegation: “Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said Thursday he believes the Pakistani government ‘sanctioned' the killing of a prominent Islamabad reporter, Syed Saleem Shahzad, who was murdered in May.â€

July 11, 2011 5:30 PM
Monday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Is Italy next? “Throughout Europe's debt crisis, Italy has largely managed to steer clear of the troubles that engulfed its more profligate Mediterranean neighbors. But the contagion that started in the euro zone's smaller countries is suddenly moving to some of its largest. As Greece teeters on the brink of a default, the game has changed: Investors are taking aim at any country suffering from a toxic combination of high debt, slow growth, and political dysfunction — and Italy has it all, in spades.â€

[i]* Tie the knot to get the benefits: “Now that same-sex marriage has been legalized in New York, at least a few large companies are requiring their employees to tie the knot if they want their partners to qualify for health insurance.â€

July 12, 2011 5:30 PM
Tuesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Afghanistan: “Ahmed Wali Karzai, the powerful half brother of the Afghan president and the linchpin of the security and power structure in southern Afghanistan, was shot twice in the head and killed Tuesday by a close family associate.â€

"As the Murdoch media scandal intensifies by the day, Paul Krugman is right to note, 'At this point it's starting to look as if News Corp is better viewed as a criminal enterprise than as a media organization.' "

It's about time someone with a bit of public profile actually has the intestinal fortitude to acknowledge it publicly.

Krugman frequently stands alone.

and he is often correct.  he is one of the few moderate conservative voices out there, and i respect him for it.

July 13, 2011 5:30 PM
Wednesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* The Federal Reserve has options to help the economy. Chairman Ben Bernanke said today he would be prepared to use them if the economy worsens.

* Mumbai: “Three bomb blasts shook the city of Mumbai at the height of the evening rush hour on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people in what Indian officials called a coordinated terror attack on the country's economic capital.â€

July 14, 2011 5:30 PM
Thursday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Still high, but better: “The Labor Department says that weekly applications [for unemployment benefits] dropped 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 405,000, the lowest level in almost three months.â€

July 15, 2011 5:30 PM
Friday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* A big step in Libya: “The United States formally recognized the rebel leadership in Libya as the country's legitimate government on Friday…. At the meeting, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that Colonel Qaddafi's government no longer had any legitimacy, and that the United States would join more than 30 countries in extending diplomatic recognition to the main opposition group, known as the Transitional National Council.â€

July 18, 2011 5:30 PM
Monday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* In case there were any doubts, the Obama White House really doesn't like “Cut, Cap, and Balance,â€

July 19, 2011 5:30 PM
Tuesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Plenty of drama in London: “In a grueling afternoon of testimony before lawmakers, Rupert Murdoch and some of the most senior figures in his family's media empire apologized profusely on Tuesday for the phone hacking scandal that has convulsed British public life, even as they insisted they had not ordered or tried to cover up illegal newsgathering practices at their newspapers and were not directly to blame.â€

[i]* The Affordable Care Act will get more popular thanks to advances like these: “Virtually all health insurance plans could soon be required to offer female patients free coverage of prescription birth control, breast-pump rentals, counseling for domestic violence, and annual wellness exams and HIV tests as a result of recommendations released Tuesday by an independent advisory panel of health experts.â€

July 20, 2011 5:30 PM
Wednesday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* White House flexibility: “President Obama would consider a short-term measure aimed at raising the nation's debt ceiling and avoiding a default by Aug. 2 if it were coupled with agreement on a ‘larger deal' to reduce the deficit, his spokesman said Wednesday. The White House later clarified that Obama could accept a slight extension of the debt limit by ‘a few days' to allow a long-term deficit-reduction and debt-ceiling deal to work its way through Congress.â€

July 21, 2011 5:30 PM
Thursday's Mini-Report
By Steve Benen

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Europe: “After weeks of uncertainty that revived fears about the foundations of the euro, European leaders on Thursday clinched a new rescue plan for Greece that could push the country into default on some of its debt for a short period but would give Europe's bailout fund sweeping new powers to shore up struggling economies.â€