* Don't worry, though, BP won't forget about "the small people."

Svanberg is Swedish. Quite normal for folks from non-english speaking countries to confuse "the little guys" with "small people".

THURSDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* A certain Texan's apology notwithstanding, BP CEO Tony Hayward did not have a pleasant experience on Capitol Hill today: "Hayward grew defensive as the accusatory tone of the hearing grew more heated and members of the House panel began asking detailed questions about the design of the company's oil well and the faulty decisions BP engineers and managers made about keeping it under control. As the hearing proceeded, he was unable -- and, occasionally, unwilling -- to answer detailed questions."

* In related news, Hayward should have made a little more of an effort to change his rhetoric from the words he used in his television ad campaign.

* It's almost hard to believe, but Rep. Joe Barton's (R-Texas) top corporate donor is a partner on ... BP's Deepwater Horizon rig.

* The fallout from the raid: "Israel announced Thursday that it will loosen its blockade of the Gaza Strip and allow more goods to enter the territory. The decision came in response to international pressure on Israel to end its siege of the strip following an Israeli raid on a Turkish aid ship that left nine activists dead."

* The number of people filing for unemployment benefits was expected to drop last week. It didn't: "The Labor Department says initial claims for jobless benefits rose by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 472,000, the highest level in a month."

* The Obama administration rolled out new sanctions on Iran yesterday.

* Another good piece from Dahlia Lithwick: "Ignoring Maher Arar won't make his torture claims go away."

* Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) seems to realize that health care costs would go up if the individual mandate -- an idea he used to support -- were scrapped. He doesn't care.

* Shameless: when Fox News aired footage from this morning's hearing with Hayward, the network edited out Barton's apology. Imagine that.

* College enrollment recently saw its largest increase in 40 years. Much of it is the result in a boost in minority enrollment.

* And finally, Bill Randall, a Republican congressional candidate in North Carolina, believes there's a "possibility" that federal officials and BP "colluded" to create the oil spill in the Gulf. He couldn't explain why anyone would want this, and added, "I'm not necessarily a conspiracy person." Randall nevertheless signaled his support for an "investigation," leading me to once again wonder where in the world the Republican Party finds these clowns.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

FRIDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* In the most successful day since the crisis began, containment mechanisms were able to capture 25,290 barrels of oil gushing from the wrecked well in the Gulf yesterday.

* BP CEO Tony Hayward is "being relieved of day-to-day responsibility for managing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill," and the reins will be handed to BP Managing Director. Bob Dudley. I guess this means Hayward can get his "life back"?

* Afghanistan: "Three Americans and a British soldier died in fighting Friday in southern Afghanistan, raising to 34 the number of U.S. troops killed in the war so far this month."

* Faced with opposition from Blue Dogs and the Congressional Black Caucus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday pulled the DISCLOSE Act, the campaign-finance bill pending in the chamber. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen said obituaries for the proposal are "very, very premature."

* It took some Senate scrambling, but the Medicare "doc fix" passed today. It was approved without a roll call vote.

* North Korea: "Bowing to reality, the North Korean government has lifted all restrictions on private markets -- a last-resort option for a leadership desperate to prevent its people from starving."

* In Florida, Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R) has an odd sense of "personal responsibility."

* CIA torture review: "Attorney General said Thursday evening that the Justice Department prosecutor conducting a review of torture of detainees by the CIA, which was launched last August, is 'close to the end of the time that he needs and will be making some recommendations to me,' Main Justice reports."

* C Street members off the hook: "The Office of Congressional Ethics has dropped its investigation into whether several Members of Congress received an improper gift in the form of below-market rent at a Capitol Hill townhouse, five of the lawmakers' offices have confirmed."

* I'd feel better about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) if he stopped making claims with no basis in reality.

* An important argument at the American Constitution Society event yesterday: "Republican senators and conservative jurists found themselves on the defensive after Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) blasted 'conservative activism' on federal courts."

* Great speech from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on immigration and economic policy.

* There was a problem with the live stream this morning, but the video of the entire Monthly/NAF event is now online.

* The "use income to promote diversity" public policy tactic is not easy.

* Even now, the right is still hung up on ACORN. How sad.

* It's seems more than a little bizarre for a state official to use Twitter to announce an impending execution. I get that it's a versatile application, but c'mon.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

MONDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Not surprisingly, Faisal Shahzad pleaded guilty today to the attempted Times Square car-bombing. And to think, we managed to get a guilty plea without torture. Imagine that.

* Not good: oil collection at the Deepwater Horizon wellhead slowed today because of weather and maintenance issues.

* Key 6-3 ruling from the high court: "In a case pitting free speech against national security, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld a federal law that makes it a crime to provide 'material support' to foreign terrorist organizations, even if the help takes the form of training for peacefully resolving conflicts."

* Iraq: "Two car bombs exploded near a government-owned bank in central Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 26 people and injuring more than 53, police said."

* Good move, but the details will matter: "Facing growing pressure from around the world, China's central bank announced Saturday that it is prepared to allow the country's currency to float more freely against the dollar and other foreign currencies, potentially raising the cost of Chinese goods."

* The White House is getting behind the DISCLOSE Act in a more forceful way as the possibility of a vote draws closer.

* German Chancellor Angela Merkel is very wrong about the economy, and is putting the global recovery at risk with her focus on deficits.

* Expectations were low when the Home Affordable Modification Program was approved. The disappointing results, then, were predictable.

* Looks like there will be a Consumer Financial Protection Agency coming out of conference, but it will exist within the Federal Reserve.

* While the Republican establishment throws Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) under the bus over his pro-BP remarks, the GOP caucus isn't exactly united.

* Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is apparently annoying some of his colleagues with his efforts to pass a climate/energy bill.

* I've occasionally given Mika Brzezinski a hard time, but her remarks this morning, marveling at Rudy Giuliani's lies, were terrific.

* The SAT's (many) problems.

* The court's "balls and strikes" metaphor has never really worked.

* Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) not only continues to say truly insane things, he also seems to think he knows something about Socrates and Plato. What an unbelievable clown.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

TUESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Mike Allen thinks all signs point to Gen. McChrystal's ouster. Michael Scherer thinks all signs point to the opposite. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

* There is one report, from Joe Klein citing an anonymous source, that McChrystal has offered to resign.

* Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today that his top commander in Afghanistan "made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment" in his remarks to Rolling Stone.

* Plenty of Republicans have been critical of McChrystal today, but as far as I can tell, only one has said publicly that the president probably ought to fire him.

* Ugh: "Sales of previously built homes dropped in May after huge gains the previous two months, a sign that the federal tax credit that helped energize sales at the start of the selling season has sputtered out sooner than expected."

* OMB Director Peter Orszag will leave his post next month, becoming the first member of the president's cabinet to depart. His 18 months on the job is actually a fairly lengthy run by contemporary standards.

* Good to see this on the radar again: "The Obama administration on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious plan that aspires to end homelessness among some of society's most vulnerable groups within the next decade."

* In a pleasant surprise, the Senate confirmed a whole bunch of pending administration nominees, and three district court judges, in one unanimous vote today.

* Five months after a devastating earthquake, all is not well in Haiti's Port-au-Prince.

* Standing up for health care reform: "President Barack Obama unveiled a package of consumer benefits Tuesday to build support for his health care overhaul within a divided nation and warned Republicans about trying to repeal his landmark law. 'We're not going back,' said a defiant president."

* On a related note, Obama is pushing insurers not to use reform as an excuse to raise premiums.

* New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R)'s economic plan would increase taxes on some in the middle class, and a cut taxes on millionaires. No wonder the right loves him.

* Will Congress pass a budget blueprint this year? Not so much.

* Good news out of the Wall Street reform conference committee on card-swipe fees.

* GAO to investigate for-profit colleges. Should be interesting.

* Big news in the media world: "CNN announced on Monday that it will no longer use content from the Associated Press, ending a business relationship that had been in place since the cable network's inception." CNN will be in a position to act as a permanent AP rival.

* Speaking of interesting media developments, Rolling Stone scored an incredible scoop with its McChrystal story, but handled it incredibly poorly.

* And in case anyone missed it, the major Rolling Stone on McChrystal is, finally, online.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

WEDNESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* A painful setback in the Gulf: "BP suffered another setback in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, when a discharge of liquid and gases forced the company to remove the containment cap that for three weeks had been able to capture a large portion of the oil gushing from its damaged well.... Live video from the seafloor showed oil and gas storming out of the well unrestricted."

* Part of the housecleaning: "The Mineral Management Service is no more. As of today, the agency in charge of overseeing offshore oil exploration-and the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon drilling rig-will be known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. That's the Bureau of Ocean Energy, or BOE, for short."

* Housing: "Today, the Commerce Department reported that sales of new homes, well, went off a cliff after the expiry of the Obama administration homebuyer tax credits. In May, sales were at a rate of 300,000 a year. That is 33 percent lower than in April, when the rate was 446,000, and 18.3 percent lower year-on-year."

* Afghanistan: "June has become the deadliest month of the Afghan war for the NATO-led international military force. An Associated Press count based on announcements by the alliance and national commands shows 76 international service members have died this month. The total includes 46 Americans."

* Senate confirmation of Gen. David Petraeus to take command in Afghanistan is expected "within days." The chamber can move pretty quickly when it wants to.

* Elizabeth Warren came up with the idea of the consumer financial protection agency, and she's fairly pleased with how it's coming together.

* This was the first earthquake I've ever felt in my entire life.

* It's almost as if House Republicans are trying to appear ignorant about health care policy.

* All kinds of interesting media moves today, including the estimable Spencer Ackerman moving from the Washington Independent to Wired; Ron Fournier making the transition from the AP to National Journal; and CNN hiring Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker for a new primetime show.

* Apparently SAT preparation is so popular that it's now showing up in some unexpected places.

* I really don't like it when Glenn Beck talks like this: "I think we're headed for a civil war."

* John Cole noted yesterday what he doesn't understand about contemporary movement conservatism: its proponents are "simply operating in their own made-up fictional universe in which history and the English language mean different things to them than to anyone outside the cult." I have the same thought, literally every day.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

THURSDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* The Senate is getting ready to vote, any minute now, on the tax-extenders/jobs bill. I'll have a report in the morning.

* The BP oil spill disaster shuts down more of the Gulf Coast.

* In a bit of a surprise, the House approved the DISCLOSE Act late this afternoon, 219 to 206. It passed with the support of two House Republicans.

* Slightly better, but not even close to good enough: "This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that initial jobless claims fell by the largest amount in two months.... The new claims number dropped slightly more than economists predicted."

* I guess bipartisanship exists in some areas: "The Senate on Thursday approved tough new sanctions on Iran aimed at discouraging that country's development of nuclear weapons and support of terrorist groups." The vote was 99 to 0.

* President Obama welcomed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the White House -- and to Ray's Hell Burger.

* High court ruling of note: "The Supreme Court Thursday restricted one of federal prosecutors' favorite tools for pursuing corrupt politicians and self-dealing corporate chiefs, and cast doubt on the conviction of former Enron chief Jeffrey Skilling."

* I didn't realize Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was in trouble, but he was replaced yesterday by Julia Gillard. It will be the first time the country's head of state is a woman.

* Former Vice President Al Gore was accused of sexual assault by an Oregon masseuse in 2006, but the matter was dropped by law enforcement officials for lack of evidence. Justin Elliott takes a closer look at the case and available information.

* BP is deeply unpopular.

* Fox News' Greta Van Susteren seems a tad confused about a) her responsibilities as a media professional; and b) the degree to which John McCain knows what on earth he's talking about.

* Taking a look at the efficacy of the nation's vocational programs.

* It's not a real campaign ad, but it's still the funniest campaign ad of the year.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

FRIDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* The news out of the Gulf always seems to be bad: "With a storm threatening to disrupt oil-siphoning efforts at BP Plc's blown-out Gulf of Mexico well, the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday said collection efforts would be suspended five days before the forecast onset of gale-force winds."

* The relief wells still seem to be on track for mid-August, but mid-August isn't exactly soon under the circumstances.

* Only 15 months after the White House first tried to fill the post, the Senate confirmed John Pistole as head of the Transportation Security Administration.

* Good summary of the final Wall Street reform package.

* Good summary of the DISCLOSE Act passed yesterday by the House.

* Someone seems to have trouble following the law: "An investigator has determined former Gov. Sarah Palin's legal defense fund broke state ethics law and said Palin has agreed to settle the matter by having the trust return more than $386,000 to donors."

* Jeffrey Goldberg took a cheap shot at Dave Weigel today; Adam Serwer responds.

* It's a shame the cuts to Army deployment times will take so long to implement.

* What's worse: the notion that Glenn Beck is touting Ezra Taft Benson without knowing who he is, or Glenn Beck touting Ezra Taft Benson and Beck does know who he is?

* What's happening to public colleges?

* Quote of the Day, from "Fox & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade: "It took the president a matter of hours to pick a commander in Afghanistan, so why is it taking months to plug the leaking oil?"

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

LMAO, jeanne ~

Sooz

MONDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* This could get even uglier: "Federal officials are increasingly concerned that high waves from Tropical Storm Alex may interfere with the oil cleanup effort in the Gulf of Mexico, National Incident Commander Thad Allen told reporters in a Monday afternoon briefing."

* Major 2nd Amendment ruling: "The Second Amendment's guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a 5-to-4 decision." More on this from Scott Lemieux, and at his brand-new, stand-alone blog, Adam Serwer.

* Sarbanes-Oxley also fared well at the high court: "The first group established by Congress to regulate the accounting industry survived a constitutional challenge on Monday, emerging only with its members' having a little less job security.... In its ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which established the board and sought to reform corporate America after the Enron and WorldCom accounting scandals." It may seem unrelated, but this matters to legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act.

* Not inspiring confidence: "Top officials in President Hamid Karzai's government have repeatedly derailed corruption investigations of politically connected Afghans, according to U.S. officials who have provided Afghanistan's authorities with wiretapping technology and other assistance in efforts to crack down on endemic graft."

* And in related news: "The chairman of a key House subcommittee said Monday that she would strip $3.9 billion in aid for Afghanistan from next year's spending bill over concerns about rampant graft in the country and alleged efforts by President Hamid Karzai's government to derail corruption probes."

* Shades of the Cold War: Russian spies arrested in the U.S.

* I'm genuinely delighted to see so many Senate Democrats dismiss the "umpire analogy" as it relates to the Supreme Court.

* Not encouraging at all: "Leaders of the world's biggest economies agreed Sunday on a timetable for cutting deficits and halting the growth of their debt, but also acknowledged the need to move carefully so that reductions in spending did not set back the fragile global recovery."

* Slightly improved: "Consumer spending in the U.S. rose in May more than forecast, a sign households are gaining confidence in the recovery and the job market." Personal incomes were up a little, too.

* Former Vice President Dick Cheney was hospitalized over the weekend for medical reasons, and was released earlier today.

* The White House hasn't given up on immigration reform.

* Sen. Daniel Inouye (D) of Hawaii becomes the new president pro tempore of the Senate.

* The Monthly's Daniel Luzer interviews James Kvaal, the next deputy undersecretary of education.

* For all the bizarre theories about the now-defunct Journolist, I can personally attest to the fact that the truth is far more mundane.

* In light of the Dave Weigel mess last week, some Washington Post insiders trashed in-house bloggers to Jeffrey Goldberg. Don't miss Greg's Sargent's beautiful response.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

TUESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* If the seas get too rough, the containment cap would have to be removed altogether: "Tropical Storm Alex is churning through the Gulf of Mexico as it threatens to become the first storm of this region's notorious hurricane season, forcing officials to delay efforts to double the amount of oil that can be siphoned from BP's damaged well."

* Day 2 of the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings.

* Consumer confidence took a sharp and painful turn for the worse in June.

* Maybe now would be a good time to focus more on economic recovery than deficit reduction: "No matter where they look, investors are seeing economic trouble. Stocks and interest rates tumbled Tuesday after signs of slowing economies from China to the U.S. spooked traders who were already uneasy about a global recovery."

* Gen. David Petraeus has another chat with the Senate Armed Services Committee, this time as part of his confirmation hearings for comamnd in Afghanistan. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, meanwhile, is retiring from the Armed Forces.

* They needed a two-thirds majority, and didn't get it: "The House of Representatives failed Tuesday to pass a bill that would extend long-term unemployment benefits through the end of November."

* Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's (D) controversial conviction will get a second look, thanks to a Supreme Court order.

* There's a huge dispute underway between Daily Kos and Research 2000, with the blogging powerhouse accusing the pollster of fraud. Kos expects a lawsuit to be filed "within the next day or two."

* President Obama will speak at the American University School of International Service in Washington on Thursday to emphasize the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

* Short of eliminating all filibusters, abolishing filibusters of conference reports seems like a no-brainer.

* Expanding the spectrum would bring some hope to frustrated cell phone users.

* Is the religious right still upset with Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.) over his proposed "truce" in the culture war? Um, yeah.

* Do state colleges and state prisons really compete for money? Well, sort of.

* And for all the recent hullabaloo about Journolist, it turns out there's "a private RNC-related listserv" -- and it has its leaks, too.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

WEDNESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Could the timing be any worse? "The first major storm of the season in the Gulf of Mexico continued to disrupt oil spill cleanup and containment work on Wednesday, officials said."

* In related news, Alex is now a hurricane, and evacuations are underway in parts of Mexico and Texas.

* Taliban insurgents attacked a NATO air base in Afghanistan yesterday, in an attempt to breach the gate. They failed, and eight insurgents were killed. Two NATO soldiers received minor injuries.

* It seems extremely likely that Elena Kagan will be confirmed fairly easily to the Supreme Court. There are however, a few far-right senators trying in vain to cause a fuss.

* Speaking of confirmation, Gen. David Petraeus was approved today to serve as the new commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The Senate vote was 99 to 0.

* I hope folks will take a few minutes to read this terrific David Leonhardt piece on the economy. It doesn't break new ground, exactly, but it's a fantastic summary of the huge risk policymakers are taking around the globe, gambling that the fragile economic recovery can withstand austerity measures.

* The Senate leadership conceded today that the vote on Wall Street reform will have to wait until after the July 4th recess.

* Shouldn't this have been done a long time ago? "The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday tightened restrictions against 'pay-to-play' practices in the municipal securities market."

* The majority has gone to ridiculous lengths to make Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) happy with this bill, but he still won't publicly commit to voting for it.

* Oh, AIG: "Reversing its oft-repeated position that it was acting only on behalf of its clients in its exotic dealings with the American International Group, Goldman Sachs now says that it also used its own money to make secret wagers against the U.S. housing market."

* No one should count on Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to help pass an ambitious energy/climate bill.

* If the Kagan hearings accomplish nothing else, I'm glad to see the "umpire" metaphor generate serious pushback.

* CNN's Larry King is giving up his prime-time show after an extraordinary career.

* If "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is repealed, the right will rediscover its love of judicial activism.

* Conservatives' confusion over what Journolist was continues to amaze me.

* The nation should spend more on higher education because that investment will result in economic growth. But what if the truth is a little more complicated?

* Andrew Sullivan describes the contemporary right: "[N]o solutions, just anger, paranoia, insecurity and partisan hatred."

* Maybe the political world can get past blaming Bush for his spectacular failures a) after we're no longer dealing with the consequences of Bush's reign of error; and b) after Republicans stop blaming everything on Clinton.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

THURSDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Last night, the House approved the final version of Wall Street reform, with a 237 to 192 vote. Three House Republicans broke party ranks to support the landmark legislation.

* Analysts expected unemployment claims to drop over the last week. They went up: "Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 472,000 in the week ended June 26, the Labor Department said."

* President Obama makes his pitch for immigration reform.

* Not that it'll do much good, but the House today approved extended unemployment benefits for the next five months. The vote was 270 to 153. In the face of a Republican Senate filibuster, it doesn't matter.

* In related news, there are 17 senators -- all Republicans -- who have voted repeatedly against extended benefits, despite double-digit jobless rates in their home states.

* Hurricane Alex, which has begun to dissipate, slams into northern Mexico, killing two.

* Pakistan: "At least two suicide bombers attacked a popular Muslim shrine in the Pakistani city of Lahore late Thursday night, killing 35 people and wounding 175 others, the city's top official said."

* The reasons for worry are mounting: "A slowdown in the housing and construction markets contributed to a sluggish outlook for the economy Thursday, highlighting the significance of government stimulus and job creation."

* Michael Cohen endorses a thesis I've been emphasizing: it's very likely the "real reason" Senate Republicans "are opposing a meager amount of deficit spending to help the unemployed" is that "they really don't want to see the economy improve."

* The late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) was lying in state for most of the day on the Senate floor

* The Obama administration launches Healthcare.gov, which is actually pretty useful, and is off to a productive start.

* Getting a better sense of the important litigation between Daily Kos and Research 2000.

* Local law enforcement in Oregon takes a renewed look at the sexual assault allegations against Al Gore.

* Fox News to give Mike Huckabee a tryout as a daily talk-show host.

* Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) gives Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) a much-needed history lesson.

* The 11 alleged Russian spies arrested this week were apparently surprisingly bad at espionage.

* Which colleges (appear to) offer the best return on your investment?

* The White House announces plans to deal with space junk. Good.

* A poll of 238 presidential scholars puts George W. Bush among the five worst presidents in U.S. history. That seems more than fair.

* There's actually a rather poignant point underlying the Tea Party Jesus site.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

FRIDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Not an easy call: "BP and Obama administration officials are nearing a major decision as they look ahead toward what they hope will be the gulf oil spill endgame: whether to change the cap that is currently capturing a significant amount of oil." (Click the link to see the pros and cons)

* Afghanistan: "Six militants armed with suicide bombs stormed the compound of an American contractor working for the United States Agency for International Development in the northern city of Kunduz on Friday, killing at least four people in an assault that left all the attackers dead, according to Afghan officials."

* Several Republican senators announced their opposition to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan today, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), though none expressed a willingness to filibuster.

* The fate of Wall Street reform became more promising late yesterday when Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who opposed the measure in May, announced her support for the bill.

* Seems like a great, overdue idea: "President Obama on Friday will announce 66 new broadband grants and loans totaling $795 million, part of the administration's continued rollout of Recovery Act grants meant to expand high-speed Internet connections across the country."

* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believes it's time for the Senate to return to majority-rule, calling the filibuster "the 60-vote stranglehold on the future." She's absolutely right.

* Climate scientist Michael E. Mann has been exonerated, more than once, in the trumped up "Climategate" nonsense cooked up by global warming deniers.

* GOP Senate hopeful Rand Paul no longer backs an "underground electric immigration fence," which no one could explain or understand anyway. Paul's campaign called it an error from an aide writing for the website.

* The House ethics committee dismissed allegations against Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) yesterday, following a seven-month review.

* Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) should probably try to remember he opposed the Lily Ledbetter Act.

* Effective yesterday, the terms for student loans just got a little better. It's the result of the major overhaul approved by Democrats in March.

* The only people stranger than Glenn Beck? Glenn Beck's guests.

* And this July 4, take a moment to realize that about a fourth of the population (26%) does not realize who we declared our independence from in 1776. Among the wrong countries mentioned by poll respondents were France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

TUESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Obama administration, as promised, goes after Arizona: "The Justice Department filed suit Tuesday against Arizona, charging that the state's new immigration law is unconstitutional and requesting a preliminary injunction to stop the legislation from taking effect. " Among other things the filing "asserts that the Arizona law would harm people's civil rights, leading to police harassment of U.S. citizens and foreigners."

* With Netanyahu visiting the White House, this was good timing: "The Israeli military said Tuesday that it had indicted "a number of" officers and soldiers for their actions during Israel's three-week offensive in Gaza in the winter of 2008-9, including a staff sergeant accused of deliberately shooting at least one Palestinian civilian who was walking with a group of people waving a white flag."

* Pressing charges against Pfc. Bradley Manning: "An Army intelligence analyst has been charged in connection with the leak of a controversial video of a U.S. helicopter strike and the transfer of more than 50 classified State Department cables, the military said Tuesday."

* If you read far-right blogs or watch Fox News, you may have heard some hysteria about the New Black Panther Party case. Adam Serwer explains what the story is all about.

* Is climate change really worth tackling? Of course it is.

* Only Michael Steele's RNC would pay $12,000 to an unpaid adviser.

* Does technology actually play a role in helping students learn?

* Fact-checking the Sunday shows.

* Believe it or not, there really was a board game called "BP Offshore Oil Strike." The owner of a British toy museum, which houses a copy of the game, said, "The parallels between the game and the current crisis... are so spooky."

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

WEDNESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* NATO airstrike in Afghanistan mistakenly kills five Afghan army allies.

* Iraq: "A suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims at a police checkpoint in Baghdad on Wednesday night, killing at least 28 people and wounding 81 others despite intensive efforts by Iraqi security forces to foil such attacks."

* Not a big surprise: "A British panel on Wednesday exonerated the scientists caught up in the controversy known as Climategate of charges that they had manipulated their research to support preconceived ideas about global warming."

* Businesses are investing less because there's not enough consumer demand. I have no idea why conservatives find this so hard to understand.

* There were three recess appointments today, not just the high-profile one.

* Good move: "The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new rules to limit sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution from power plants. It hopes to implement the rules in 2012."

* The appeal: "The Obama administration has asked a federal court in Louisiana to reinstate the ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the moratorium was a rational response to the unprecedented emergency of the BP oil spill."

* On a related note, President Obama will make visit the Gulf Coast again later this month. It'll be his fifth visit since the disaster.

* The White House isn't equivocating at all in its support for the lawsuit challenging Arizona's anti-immigrant law.

* After stalling for weeks, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R) vetoed state legislation that would have permitted same-sex civil unions.

* In an interesting media move the Huffington Post has bought Pollster.com.

* Speaking of interesting media moves, CNN caved to right-wing activists and fired its Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs over a poorly-worded tweet.

* There are now two House Republicans calling for RNC Chairman Michael Steele's resignation.

* I honestly can't imagine being denied leukemia treatment over a one-cent underpayment.

* Joe Scarborough gets Markos blacklisted from MSNBC. When Liz Cheney gets similar treatment, I'll be impressed.

* Ayn Rand-ish arguments in support of for-profit colleges don't stand up well to scrutiny.

* The July/August 2010 issue of the Washington Monthly is online. Here's the table of contents.

* Former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) slips, accidentally admits that Fox News helps push Republican messages.

* And if you haven't seen it, Terry Savage's bizarre column criticizing kids over free lemonade is one of the stranger pieces I've read in a very long while.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

THURSDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Huge, late-breaking court ruling: "A U.S. judge in Boston has ruled that a federal gay marriage ban is unconstitutional because it interferes with the right of a state to define marriage. U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro on Thursday ruled in favor of gay couples' rights in two separate challenges to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act."

* In the absolute best case scenario, BP believes the relief wells in the Gulf can be completed ahead of schedule. Given BP's track record and credibility, caveat emptor. True or not, a couple of key moments are coming up in the oil spill crisis, including one this weekend.

* The swap: "All 10 of the accused Russian spies held in the United States pleaded guilty Thursday at a hearing in Manhattan, a key step in a reported deal under negotiation with Russia for the largest swap of espionage detainees since the Cold War." The larger diplomatic implications are encouraging.

* It's still obviously too high, but I'll take encouraging economic news where I can find it: "New U.S. claims for unemployment insurance fell more than expected last week, government data showed on Thursday, while the number of people continuing to receive benefits in the final week of June was the lowest in seven months."

* In less-encouraging news: "Over all, same-stores sales for the nation's retailers rose 3.1 percent in June, slightly below expectations. Robert Samuels, senior retail analyst for Phoenix Equities, said in a note to clients that the results were 'lackluster at best.' Analysts characterized the outlook as shaky."

* Key arrests in Norway: "Three suspected al-Qaida members were arrested Thursday morning in what Norwegian and U.S. officials said was a terrorist plot linked to similar plans in New York and England."

* RNC Chairman Michael Steele today vowed not to resign, but he nevertheless continued to lose support from Republican lawmakers.

* If CNN is going to have J. Christian Adams on, it really should let the audience know all about his background.

* Fascinating discussion: Jonathan Cohn bemoans lack of grassroots pressure for climate change legislation; Josh Nelson offers a thoughtful response; Cohn responds to the response. Worth a read.

* Four-star Marine Gen. James Mattis will replace Gen. David Petraeus as head of the U.S. Central Command, overseeing combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

* Oh, good, Fox News and Republicans are talking about "death panels" again.

* On a related note, many high-profile conservatives aren't just wrong about health care policy, they're incoherent.

* Why aren't more low-income students graduating from college?

* Dick Morris is such a hack, even Fox & Friends hosts mock him.

* And in case you haven't heard, one of the more notable right-wing fits of the week has to do with Muslims and NASA. Apparently, conservatives are afraid of Muslims in space or something.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.