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

* On the streets of Tripoli: "Clashes erupted in Tripoli, Libya's capital, on Friday as security forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi used gunfire to try to disperse thousands of protesters who streamed out of mosques after prayers to mount their first major challenge to the government's crackdown."

* U.S. officials eye sanctions: "The United States moved to increase diplomatic pressure on the embattled Libyan government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi on Friday, suspending relations and preparing to impose unilateral sanctions because of the deadly violence the Libyan government has directed at protesters in the country."

* Iraq is not immune: "Demonstrations turned violent across Iraq on Friday, as protesters burned buildings and security forces fired on the crowds. At least 10 people have been killed, including at least two in Mosul and another in Ramadi. Thousands of Iraqis demanding better government services took to the streets in at least 10 cities."

* It continues to be a regional uprising: "Hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out in cities across the Middle East on Friday to protest the unaccountability of their leaders and express solidarity with the uprising in Libya that Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi is trying to suppress with force."

* Excellent advice: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates bluntly told an audience of West Point cadets on Friday that it would be unwise for the United States to ever fight another war like Iraq or Afghanistan, and that the chances of carrying out a change of regime in that fashion again are slim."

* A cowardly move from union-busting Republicans: "Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly took the first significant action on their plan to strip collective bargaining rights from most public workers, abruptly passing the measure early Friday morning before sleep-deprived Democrats realized what was happening."

* Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) wants to gut workers' rights, but that's not all he wants to do.

* The right doesn't want to hear this, but the massive, pro-labor protests in Madison have been remarkably peaceful.

* Polls continue to show support for labor, even if the media screws up the data.

* A must-read from David Cay Johnston: "When it comes to improving public understanding of tax policy, nothing has been more troubling than the deeply flawed coverage of the Wisconsin state employees' fight over collective bargaining."

* The recent GOP assault on women's rights has been relentless: "Virginia took a big step yesterday toward eliminating most of the state's 21 abortion clinics, approving a bill making rules so strict the medical centers would likely be forced to close, Democrats and abortion-rights supporters said."

* Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) suggested this week that union backers in Wisconsin may need to "get a little bloody" to win their fight. Yesterday, he apologized for his choice of words.

* Rachel Maddow reports on Wisconsin. PolitiFact thinks Maddow's wrong. Maddow proves PolitiFact wrong.

* A prime-time shake-up at CNN: "CNN is reformatting 'Parker Spitzer' as an ensemble program with Eliot Spitzer -- and without Kathleen Parker, who has been his co-host for the last four months. Effective Monday, the program will be renamed 'In The Arena.'"

* I'm occasionally surprised Fox News hasn't fired Shep Smith for flashes of reasonableness.

* And Ronald Reagan said he considered "the right to belong to a free trade union" one of "the most elemental human rights." I'll look forward to the right-wing denunciations of this radical leftist.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi's forces struck back on three fronts on Monday, using fighter jets, special forces units and regular army troops in an escalation of hostilities that brought Libya closer to civil war."

* The Pentagon has "begun repositioning Navy warships to support possible action against Libya," at least as part of a "range of options." Also, President Obama used an executive order to freeze of $30 billion in Libyan assets, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. stands ready to offer "any type of assistance" to Libyans seeking to oust Moammar Gadhafi.

* For his part, Gadhafi talked to ABC's Christiane Amanpour today and, with a straight face, denied there were demonstrations against him anywhere in Libya. "My people love me. They would die for me," he said.

* Speaking to the nation's governors, President Obama today urged them not to vilify public workers. "I believe that everybody should be prepared to give up something to solve our budget challenges," Obama said. "In fact, many public employees in your respective states have already agreed to cuts. But let me also say this: I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or when their rights are infringed upon."

* In Wisconsin, a moderate Republican state senator considered a compromise with unions and Senate Democrats. In response, his GOP caucus considered expelling him from the Republican Party.

* If you want to make the job market even worse, pass the Republicans' Medicaid block-grant proposal.

* Hmm: "A group of six senators hashing out a bipartisan plan on deficit and debt reduction will meet for 'very important' discussions on Tuesday, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said Monday."

* Is the high-speed rail project in Florida officially dead? Not quite yet.

* We can add the "Arab youth movements" in the Middle East to the list of things neocons don't fully understand.

* The next time you hear some hacks talking about a presidential "apology tour," remember, they're lying.

* Over the weekend, there was a brief flurry of talk about Roger Ailes getting indicted. It's still possible, I suppose, but the story behind the story is extremely thin.

* Best wishes to Andrew Sullivan as he makes the transition from The Atlantic to The Daily Beast.

* Speaking of online media, Salon.com is on the market, but merger talks with Newser.com have reportedly collapsed.

* I've given up on Rasmussen polls.

* And despite what you may have seen on some far-right sites today, Greg Sargent does not actually advocate violence at the hands of union thugs. Only someone with no familiarity with sarcasm could think otherwise.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's forces appeared to make little headway in a concerted assault on rebels in several cities around the country and in a sustained attack early Tuesday morning in the western city of Zawiyah."

* More on Libya: "Locked in a standoff with forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi, opposition leaders here debated Tuesday whether to request foreign airstrikes against the longtime ruler's military installations and other key facilities."

* House extends shutdown deadline: "The GOP-controlled House handily passed legislation Tuesday to cut the federal budget by $4 billion and avert a partial shutdown of the government for two weeks." (More on this in the morning, including why this was a much-needed win for Boehner.)

* Afghanistan: "Six NATO troops were killed in attacks across Afghanistan on Monday, one of the deadliest days for the international force this winter, military officials said."

* Opening doors in Madison: "A County, Wisc., judge has issued a temporary restraining order to reopen the Wisconsin Capitol building to the public. Capitol access was restricted over the weekend and again this morning, following days in which the building had been crowded with protesters."

* It's curious that the first resignation forced by Issa was one of his own aides: "House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) fired Kurt Bardella, one of Capitol Hill's top press secretaries, after he provided e-mailed correspondence with other journalists to New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich."

* I didn't have the stomach to write about it, but Charles Koch has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today, whining about, among other things, "crony capitalism." For compelling reactions, check out Yglesias and Brad Johnson.

* More than 300 economists, including some Nobel Laureates, agree that deep budget cuts would hurt the U.S. economy. They're right.

* This probably won't help his reputation: "A report published by a British magazine on Tuesday said the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, suggested that British journalists, including the editor of the newspaper The Guardian, were engaged in a Jewish-led conspiracy to smear his organization."

* In a surprise move, Frank Rich is moving from the New York Times to New York magazine.

* Speaking of media, Fox News' Mike Tobin claims he was "punched" by a protester in Madison, Wisconsin. Video evidence suggests he's lying.

* In related news, how offensive is Fox News' Jesse Waters? Even Fox News' Bernie Goldberg won't defend him.

* Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) considers Ciudad Juarez "the most dangerous city in America." Ciudad Juarez is in Mexico.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Germany: "A man armed with a handgun attacked a bus carrying U.S. Air Force troops at Frankfurt airport Wednesday, killing two airmen and wounding two others before being taken into custody, authorities said."

* Libya: "Rebel fighters repelled powerful ground and air assaults on this key oil port Wednesday as forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi launched their first offensive against the opposition-controlled eastern part of Libya."

* Tragedy in Afghanistan: "Nine boys collecting firewood to heat their homes in the eastern Afghanistan mountains were killed by NATO helicopter gunners who mistook them for insurgents, according to a statement on Wednesday by NATO, which apologized for the mistake. The boys, who were 9 to 15 years old, were attacked on Tuesday in what amounted to one of the war's worst cases of mistaken killings by foreign-led forces. The victims included two sets of brothers. A 10th boy survived."

* The Senate approved the measure to keep the government open for two additional weeks today, following a 91 to 9 vote. Soon after, President Obama signed it into law.

* Economic expansion: "A Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday showed that all 12 of the Fed's regions reported growth at a 'modest to moderate pace' and it pointed to a pickup in job creation in each."

* The Ohio state Senate narrowly approved Gov. John Kasich's (R) union-busting measure today, 17 to 16. Six Republicans voted with Democrats, but seven were needed to protect Ohio workers.

* Wisconsin Republicans will now fine Democrats in the state Senate $100 per day until they return. The Dems' paychecks are already being withheld.

* On a related note, Wisconsin Republicans now hope to criminalize prank phone calls. I can't imagine why.

* The U.S. Senate approved a measure to ensure that members of Congress will not receive compensation if the federal government shuts down. The GOP-led House has not yet acted.

* This GAO study has the potential to be a fairly big deal: "With Congress and the White House set to debate the merits of massive spending cuts, federal auditors have identified hundreds of overlapping government offices and programs that if merged or eliminated could save taxpayers billions of dollars. The U.S. government has, for example, more than 100 programs dealing with surface transportation issues, 82 that monitor teacher quality, 80 for economic development, 56 for 'financial literacy,' 20 offices or programs devoted to homelessness and 17 grant programs for disaster preparedness, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday. Among other redundancies, 15 agencies or offices handle food safety, and five agencies are working to ensure that the federal government uses less gasoline."

* Hiring Erick Erickson was arguably the dumbest thing CNN has ever done.

* And finally, "The President's Speech," not to be confused with "The King's Speech," is one of the funniest clips of the week. Thanks to R.G. for passing it along.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi launched renewed airstrikes against two key rebel-held towns Thursday, a day after poorly armed citizens repelled a major government assault on the area."

* No ambiguities from the White House: "President Obama called again on Thursday for the immediate resignation of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and said he had authorized American military airlifts to help transport refugees fleeing from Libya back to their home countries in the region. 'The U.S. and the entire world continues to be outraged by the appalling violence against the Libyan people,' Mr. Obama said after a White House meeting with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico. 'Muammar el-Qaddafi has lost the legitimacy to lead, and he must leave.'"

* Genuinely good news: "New applications for U.S. jobless benefits fell by 20,000 to 368,000 in the week of Feb. 26, the lowest level in nearly three years, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The last time claims were that low was in May 2008."

* Wisconsin Republicans voted for a resolution today "ordering the arrest of the 14 Democratic senators who left the state two weeks ago to avoid a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's controversial budget repair bill." The measure instructions the state Senate sergeant at arms to act "with or without force."

* Ohio's union-busting proposal features an anti-gay provision, which was quietly added in the hopes no one would notice.

* Going after Bradley Manning: "The Army announced 22 additional charges on Wednesday against Pfc. Bradley Manning, the military intelligence analyst who is accused of leaking a trove of government files to WikiLeaks a year ago."

* A health care change the White House won't mind: "The U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal an unpopular tax-reporting requirement affecting small business owners, in what would be the first substantial change to the sweeping health-care package signed into law last year. In a 314-112 vote, the House approved the measure, but the Senate is unlikely to take up the bill as it is currently drafted, adding further delay to the attempt at repealing the measure."

* Scandal-plagued Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) may have skirted criminal prosecution, but the Senate ethics inquiry appears to be intensifying.

* Public support for marriage equality keeps growing -- and there's nothing the right can do about it.

* The NFL has a major labor dispute on its hands, but the White House does not plan to intervene.

* I wonder if Fox News' Mike Tobin realizes how unintentionally hilarious he is, as he pretends to be a victim in Madison.

* The "Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being" report didn't get too much attention this week, but the NYT's Gail Collins brings us up to speed.

* Vermont's not the only state interested in single-payer health care -- some officials in Maryland are thinking along the same lines.

* This is what anti-Muslim hate looks like: "A protest of a Muslim fundraising event in Orange County last month devolved into chants of 'Muhammed was a pervert,' 'you beat your wife and rape your children,' and the like, according to a new video of the demonstration."

* And with Justice Alito as the lone dissenter in yesterday's Westboro Baptist case, the far-right jurist's odd approach to the First Amendment is getting a closer look. Richard Hasen's piece on this is worth checking out.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's government widened its counterattack on its rebel opponents Friday, waging fierce battles to wrest control of the town of Zawiya from rebel troops, attacking an eastern oil town and firing on peaceful protesters after Friday prayers in Tripoli, witnesses said."

* As Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) sees voters abandoning him, are his GOP allies in Madison starting to waver? Maybe.

* Oil prices have reached a 29-month high.

* I wonder how much this will cost taxpayers? Aren't we too broke to defend discriminatory laws in court just to make the GOP base happy? "House Speaker John Boehner said Friday he is launching a legal defense by the House of the federal law against gay marriage, which President Barack Obama's administration has concluded is unconstitutional."

* After an absence that lasted more than four decades, the military's Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is returning to Harvard.

* Finally, evidence of actual voter fraud -- which Republicans have sought for years -- comes to public light. Unfortunately for the GOP, the voter fraud was committed by Indiana's Republican Secretary of State. (thanks to R.S. for the tip)

* Jared Bernstein enjoys job-related charts almost as much as I do.

* If your family likes Big Bird and Elmo, the House Republican agenda is clearly problematic.

* Jared Lee Loughner is now facing 49 federal charges, as Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) continues on the road to recovery.

* Is the jobs picture even better than this morning's data suggests? David Leonhardt makes the case.

* In Wisconsin, the Walker administration would have us believe it will cost $7.5 million to clean up the Capitol after protestors leave. He's almost certainly lying.

* A great pickup for HuffPost: "Media reporter Michael Calderone is moving on from Yahoo after just one year. Calderone confirmed via Twitter that Arianna Huffington has recruited him to join the new AOL-Huffington Post conglomerate."

* In 2003, did Newt Gingrich write a bizarre memo to Donald Rumsfeld, suggesting military strikes in Gaza? Well, sort of.

* And if you missed Jon Stewart's segment comparing school teachers to Wall Street -- and how the right looks at both -- take a few minutes to watch it.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Libyan forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi attacked rebel-held areas again on Monday, bombing the oil terminal of Ras Lanuf and battling to maintain control of a Mediterranean coastal town farther west, the opposition reported."

* Talk of a no-fly zone intensifies: "Britain and France are drafting a U.N. resolution that would establish a no-fly zone over Libya. A British diplomat at the U.N. stressed Monday that the resolution is being prepared as a contingency in case it is needed, but no decision has been made to introduce it at the U.N. Security Council."

* President Obama's warnings to Libyan officials are also intensifying. "I want to send a very clear message to those who are around Colonel Qaddafi," he said at the White House, after a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. "It is their choice to make how they operate moving forward and they will be held accountable for whatever violence continues to take place there."

* Gitmo: "President Barack Obama on Monday lifted a two-year freeze on new military trials at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and suggested Congress was hurting national security by blocking his attempts to move some trials into U.S. civilian courts."

* Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan this morning for an unannounced visit.

* Democrats from Wisconsin's state Senate once again invited Gov. Scott Walker (R) to discuss a resolution to the ongoing labor dispute. The governor refused, apparently because he disapproves of the senator who extended the invitation, state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D).

* Also, without a hint of irony, Walker accused Miller of engaging in secret phone calls with special interest backers. Perhaps the governor no longer remembers the call he accepted from the fake David Koch?

* After a sarcastic comment from Pfc. Bradley Manning about committing suicide with his underwear, Manning has been forced to sleep naked in his cell at the Marine brig in Quantico.

* In the latest installment of the White House White Board, a series I support with some enthusiasm, Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, tackles patent reform.

* The Supreme Court doesn't want to hear from Birthers. Imagine that.

* The National Constitution Center can do some fine work. Inviting John Yoo to a discussion on civility is not the organization's finest hour.

* For the love of god, Mike Huckabee, please stop digging.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi seemed to be gathering momentum as they renewed their onslaught on both the eastern and western fronts on Tuesday, threatening the western city of Zawiyah and conducting airstrikes here in the east after taunting rebels with flyovers and bombing runs near this coastal city's oil refinery."

* Pakistan: "A car bomb exploded near an office of Pakistan's main intelligence agency in the eastern city of Faisalabad on Tuesday, killing 25 people in the type of militant attack that is growing more common in the country's populous heartland."

* Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will replace John Huntsman as the U.S. Ambassador to China: "Locke is the first Chinese-American to be Secretary of Commerce. The former two-term governor of Washington state, Locke's father and maternal grandfather emigrated from China to Seattle. As a partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Locke co-chaired the firm's China practice."

* Are Wisconsin Republicans getting worn down from the fight with unions? Maybe.

* In fact, the number of Wisconsin Republicans reconsidering their support for Gov. Scott Walker's (R) anti-union scheme is growing.

* New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is now picking a fight with state police and firefighters, characterizing them as "greedy" and unconcerned with "the betterment of the public."

* I can't speak to the veracity of the video, but it looks like James O'Keefe caught a former NPR development official -- not a reporter or an editor -- saying intemperate political things. There's not much NPR can do about it now; the guy has already left the network.

* Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) thinks the banking crisis was caused by too much government oversight. The man is practically a caricature of himself.

* Disgraced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) wants a U.S. war with Libya immediately. That's an extraordinarily bad idea.

* What a strange man: "[Former President George W. Bush] spoke at the Desert Town Hall speaker series in Southern California yesterday and banned all media from covering the event. The former president even barred representatives from two of the events' sponsors, a local CBS affiliate and The Desert Sun, who were scheduled to moderate the question and answer period."

* You know who really loves Rep. Pete King's (R-N.Y.) anti-Muslim hearings? Fox News.

* International Women's Day: "2011 marks the 100-year anniversary of International Women's Day. The annual holiday has roots in the American Women's Suffrage Movement and is now celebrated by individuals, organizations and nations around the world. International Women's Day is a time to honor women and raise awareness about the unique obstacles they face around the world. This year's theme is 'Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.'"

* Paul Krugman regularly reads only a handful of blogs. Mine is one of them. It's hard to overstate how cool I think that is.

* And finally, if Alan Simpson would just stop talking -- about any and all subjects -- I'd certainly appreciate it.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Forces loyal to the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, repulsed a rebel push to the west on Wednesday and then counterattacked with airstrikes and increasingly accurate artillery fire on the strategic refinery town of Ras Lanuf, which the rebels have held for several days."

* Post-uprising unity fractures in Cairo: "Thirteen people died in overnight clashes between Christians and Muslims in the worst outbreak of sectarian violence in Egypt since last month's ouster of president Hosni Mubarak, officials reported Wednesday."

* NPR's CEO is shown the door: "NPR said Wednesday that the public radio organization's board had accepted the resignation of its chief executive, Vivian Schiller.... NPR has been consumed by controversy as of late; most recently, a Republican filmmaker released a video on Tuesday that showed one of NPR's fund-raising executives repeatedly criticizing Republicans and Tea Party supporters in a conversation with people posing as prospective donors."

* NPR's Republican detractors don't much care, though, and intend to keep fighting to eliminate every penny of federal aid the network receives.

* On Fox News today, Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) said President Obama will have a "much more difficult time" winning a second term if the union-busting scheme is approved. Isn't this proposal supposed to be about the budget?

* Good for Illinois: "Illinois abolished the death penalty Wednesday, more than a decade after the state imposed a moratorium on executions out of concern that innocent people could be put to death by a justice system that had wrongly condemned 13 men. Gov. Pat Quinn also commuted the sentences of all 15 inmates remaining on death row. They will now serve life in prison with no hope of parole."

* Deadly shooting in St. Louis: "John Perry, a 48-year-old Deputy U.S. Marshal who had been with the agency for nearly 10 years, died at 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday night after being shot during a fugitive apprehension in St. Louis, Mo."

* Karl Rove's American Crossroads GPS isn't above lying in its attack ads. Try not to be surprised.

* The White House's latest moves on Guantanamo are obviously disappointing, but it's worth remembering, "Gitmo isn't open because the administration doesn't want to close it, although its efforts in this area are ripe for criticism. It's still open because Republicans in Congress successfully frightened Democrats in Congress out of giving the administration the necessary funds to close it when they had control of Congress." I'm far more inclined to blame congressional Dems than the president.

* It's hard to know what the New York Times was thinking in its heartbreaking story about a gang rape in Cleveland, Texas.

* I'm beginning to think Fox News' Juan Williams is kind of petty.

* Still trying to rationalize his ridiculously foolish remarks last week, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) now claims he was taken "out of context." He wasn't. Please stop digging, Mike.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi retook this strategic refinery town after an assault by land, air and sea Thursday, opposition leaders and fighters said, an onslaught that sent scores of rebels fleeing along a coastal road and underlined a decisive shift in momentum in an uprising that has shaken the Libyan leader's four decades of rule."

* The West weighs its options: "The United States and Europe took their toughest steps to date to isolate the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi on Thursday, but stopped well short of agreeing to intervene militarily at a time when Libyan government forces are inflicting heavy blows on rebels in the eastern part of the country."

* Defeat was unavoidable in Madison this afternoon: "After police carried demonstrators out of the state Assembly Thursday, Republicans entered the chamber and approved Gov. Scott Walker's bill repealing most collective bargaining by public employee unions." The final vote was 53 to 42.

* The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits climbed, a discouraging reversal after two positive weeks: "There were 397,000 initial jobless claims filed in the week ended March 5, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was up 26,000 from a revised 371,000 the week before."

* House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.) claimed today that, as far as the Justice Department is concerned, "not one terror-related case in the last two years involved neo-Nazis." That's clearly false. He also claims he never said there are "too many" mosques in America. He's wrong about that, too.

* Senate Democratic leaders want to expand the discussion of the budget, so that cuts aren't limited to non-defense discretionary spending. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had a response today: No.

* Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wants Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to resign for saying things that are true. The moral of the story: don't pay too much attention to what Lindsey Graham thinks.

* This is a surprise: "Here are words that you never thought you'd hear a Pakistani general utter about the drone strikes that batter Pakistan's tribal areas: 'A majority of those eliminated are terrorists, including foreign terrorist elements.' That would be yawn-worthy if it came from the CIA, which never misses an opportunity to credit its drone strikes with taking out al-Qaeda and its affiliates. But it was the main message of an official briefing from Maj. Gen. Ghayur Mehmood in Miram Shah. He's the commander of Pakistan's Seventh Division, charged with leading troops in North Waziristan."

* Fascinating quote from Grover Norquist: "The goal is to reduce the size and scope of government spending, not to focus on the deficit." I love it when someone on the right actually tells the truth about conservatives' motivations.

* A former national security official in the Bush administration believes Peter King's hearings might make terrorist recruiting efforts easier. Here's hoping that's not the case.

* House Republicans intend to gut funding for the Special Olympics.

* We're "broke," but Republicans believe we have the funds to waste on defending discriminatory laws against court challenges.

* When Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's (R) teleprompter stops working, she stops working, too.

* American high school teachers think it's important for students to attend college, sort of.

* Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is outraged that her House GOP colleagues aren't quite as dumb as she is.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Japan's devastation: "Japanese police officials said that 184 people were confirmed dead and another 700 were missing, but domestic media quoted government officials as saying that the death toll would almost certainly rise to more than 1,000. Some 200-300 bodies were found along the water line in Sendai, a port city in the northeastern part of the country and the closest major city to the epicenter."

* Scary: "The Japanese government declared an 'atomic power emergency' and evacuated thousands of residents living close to a nuclear plant in northern Japan after a major earthquake, but officials said there had been no radiation leak from the facility and that problems with its cooling system were not critical."

* Pesky government mandates and regulations work: "From seawalls that line stretches of Japan's coastline, to skyscrapers that sway to absorb earthquakes, to building codes that are among the world's most rigorous, no country may be better prepared to withstand earthquakes than Japan."

* Libya: "Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi retook a strategic oil town and pressed toward the country's largest refinery Friday, as once-energetic rebel lines began to crumble before an onslaught of air strikes and tank and artillery fire that sent fighters in a chaotic retreat down the Mediterranean coast."

* A done deal, for now: "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has officially taken away nearly all collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of the state's public employees. Walker signed the bill to do so privately Friday morning. He planned an afternoon news conference in the Capitol."

* On a related note, the state Senate Democrats will return home from Illinois tomorrow.

* Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) has improved so much, she intends to "see off her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, personally during the launching of his shuttle."

* Dashed hopes: "The Maryland House of Delegates has voted to effectively kill for this year a bill that would have allowed same-sex marriage in the state."

* Following his emotional testimony yesterday, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is being smeared and mocked by the right. They're a classy bunch, aren't they?

* Serwer 1, Thiessen 0.

* Lew 1, Krauthammer 0.

* Not only did Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) turn down jobs and economic development when he rejected rail funds, he also, according to a new report from the state Department of Transportation, threw away a project that would have generated a profit for taxpayers.

* CNN sure does pick some strange people to be paid political analysts.

* When Republican officials feel comfortable supporting something they consider "the crazy, give-a-handgun-to-a-schizophrenic bill," there's a problem.

* It's a shame it's even necessary to explain why a whites-only college scholarship is ridiculous.

* Former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) thinks it's crazy to connect intemperate political rhetoric with violent acts -- unless the rhetoric is coming from "union bosses," in which case her previous standards no longer apply.

* Why are Fox News viewers so confused about current events? Because the Republican network tells people they'll "need a prescription for everyday items like aspirin" because of the Affordable Care Act. That isn't even close to true.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* The nuclear crisis in Japan is constantly intensifying: "Japan's struggle to contain the crisis at a stricken nuclear power plant worsened early Tuesday morning, as emergency operations to pump seawater into one crippled reactor temporarily failed, increasing the risk of a wider release of radioactive material, officials said."

* The death toll soars well past 10,000: "What the sea so violently ripped away, it has now begun to return. Hundreds of bodies are washing up along some shores in northeastern Japan, making clearer the extraordinary toll of the earthquake and tsunami that struck last week and adding to the burdens of relief workers as they ferry aid and search for survivors."

* Afghanistan: "A Taliban suicide bomber posing as an army recruit blew himself up in the midst of a crowd outside an Afghan military recruiting center on Monday in the northern city of Kunduz, killing 36 people, including five children, the authorities there said."

* Iraq: "A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives outside a military headquarters on Monday in the city of Kanan, about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad, killing 11 soldiers and wounding dozens, according to local security officials."

* Bahrain: "A military force from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states entered Bahrain Monday in an attempt to restore order in the tiny island nation as anti-government demonstrations escalate."

* Credit where credit is due: "Faced with a situation they don't really know anything about (i.e. nuclear meltdowns) all the cable nets are doing a pretty good job of packing their lineups with nuclear physicists, engineers and others who know how to explain it."

* Remember that nutty Republican in the New Hampshire legislature who said the mentally disabled should be sent to Siberia? He resigned. Good move.

* In the wake of Tucson shootings, Fox News' Roger Ailes encouraged Sarah Palin to stay quiet. Instead she started talking about "blood libel."

* Speaking of the massacre, President Obama has begun carefully initiating a conversation about gun policy.

* A hoax story circulated over the weekend about an Islamic council in Pakistan protesting the use of padded bras. Fox News, which doesn't check such matters, ran the story as fact.

* For years, families in Georgia have relied on HOPE scholarships that guaranteed essentially free tuition to in-state high school students with a B-average who stayed in Georgia for college. Republican policymakers have decided to take some of that hope away.

* CNBC's Larry Kudlow made a startling observation on the air the other day, reflecting on the tragedy in Japan: "The human toll here looks to be much worse than the economic toll and we can be grateful for that." He later apologized.

* I always love it when you guys get quoted for being cleverer than I am.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Japan: "A small crew of technicians braved radiation and fire through the day on Tuesday as they fought to prevent three nuclear reactors in northeastern Japan from melting down and to stop storage pools loaded with spent uranium fuel rods from bursting into flames."

* The next move: "As they raced to avert a potential nuclear catastrophe, Japanese officials said Tuesday that they were considering a risky plan to spray water from a helicopter to prevent new fires in a pool of spent fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant."

* Libya: "Behind tanks, heavy artillery and airstrikes, forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi routed on Tuesday a ragtag army of insurgents and would-be revolutionaries who were holding the last defensive line before the rebel capital of Benghazi."

* A new U.S. alternative: "As Muammar Qaddafi's forces push east and bare [sic] down on opposition rebels, the White House continues to deflect calls for a no-fly zone in Libya, instead offering up an entirely new option Tuesday. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. is trying to find ways to free up some of billions of dollars of assets seized from Libyan leader's government to provide help for the Libyan opposition."

* Bahrain: "Bahrain's king declared a three-month state of emergency Tuesday to quell a Shiite uprising, as clashes spread through the capital and surrounding villages in a showdown that drew in the region's major powers and splintered along its main sectarian faultlines. At least two Bahrainis and a Saudi soldier died, and hundreds of protesters were injured by shotgun blasts and clubs."

* At this point, I'll take the good economic news where I can find it: "The Federal Reserve maintained its ultra-loose monetary policy on Tuesday, saying the economy was gaining traction while flagging potential inflation risks from costlier energy and food."

* Eternal optimism at the Senate Armed Services Committee: "Gen. David H. Petraeus told lawmakers Tuesday that the U.S. and NATO forces he commands in Afghanistan have halted the Taliban's momentum in much of the country, but he predicted difficult fighting ahead as the radical Islamist insurgents try to regain lost territory in a spring offensive."

* In the meantime, the bottom appears to be falling out when it comes to public support for the conflict.

* Senate Republicans won't let the chamber vote on cabinet secretaries until the GOP gets the trade deals it wants. Have I mentioned the ridiculousness of the chamber's dysfunction lately?

* Demonstrating the height of pettiness, Republicans in Wisconsin's state Senate are still trying to punish Democrats, refusing to count their committee votes.

* The jockeying for the next director of the FBI is already underway.

* Serwer 2, Thiessen 0.

* Congratulations to Greg Sargent, the well-deserved recipient of the Hillman Foundation's February Sidney Award for his coverage of the Wisconsin labor protests.

* Good news, says the College Board. Maybe college applications aren't as hard as we thought.

* And finally, Media Matters has a terrific new report, called, "'Where Are The Jobs?' The GOP's Two-Year Campaign Against Job Creation and Economic Growth." Reading it, I found it hard not to wonder if congressional Republicans aren't making a deliberate effort to hold the economy back in order to hurt President Obama.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Bad to worse in Japan: "The chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave a significantly bleaker appraisal of the threat posed by Japan's nuclear crisis than the Japanese government, saying on Wednesday that the damage at one crippled reactor was much more serious than Japanese officials had acknowledged and advising to Americans to evacuate a wider area around the plant than the perimeter established by Japan."

* Libya: "The New York Times said Wednesday that four of its journalists reporting on the conflict in Libya were missing." The fear is they were swept up by Libyan government forces.

* Gadhafi's son boasts: "The Libyan army told people in Benghazi to lay down their arms on Wednesday as its troops advanced closer to the rebel stronghold for what could be the decisive battle in the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi. Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam, speaking to French-based TV channel Euronews, said his troops were near Benghazi and 'everything will be over in 48 hours.'"

* CIA contractor freed in Pakistan: "A CIA security contractor who fatally shot two Pakistani men in January was released Wednesday after relatives of the victims received 'blood money' as compensation and agreed to pardon him, U.S. officials said."

* After successfully attacking collective-bargaining rights, Wisconsin Republicans will be in D.C. tonight for a lucrative fundraiser hosted by corporate lobbyists.

* House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) claims to love transparency and disclosure. Why, then, did he call a witness for testimony without disclosing the witness' generous campaign contributions to Issa?

* Oh good, the right is still trying to pretend the "terror baby" menace is a real problem.

* What kind of person mocks Japanese quake refugees? Look no further than Rush Limbaugh.

* Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) wants to open up state parks for oil and gas exploration, while slashing funding for programs that help low birth-weight babies.

* It's a long shot under the circumstances, but plenty of congressional Dems are serious about repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

* If you've heard Wisconsin Republicans talking about a bus driver who makes $160,000 a year, it's worth learning the truth.

* Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) thinks NPR does bad journalism, but James O'Keefe does good journalism.

* Student debt is a bigger problem than we realized.

* And finally, Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain wants us to know, "It's not Planned Parenthood. No, it's planned genocide. You can quote me on that." He's quite a charmer.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Japan: "Amid widening alarm in the United States and elsewhere about Japan's nuclear crisis, military fire trucks began spraying cooling water on spent fuel rods at the country's stricken nuclear power station late Thursday after earlier efforts to cool the rods failed, Japanese officials said. The United States' top nuclear official followed up his bleak appraisal of the grave situation at the plant the day before with a caution that it would 'take some time, possibly weeks,' to resolve."

* President Obama offered an update this afternoon: "The White House sought Thursday to show it is on top of the Japanese nuclear crisis with a Rose Garden statement and a presidential-ordered review to ensure nothing like the Fukushima Daiichi disaster happens here at home." He also urged an evacuation for Americans living within 50 miles of the facility.

* Libya: "Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi warned Benghazi residents on Thursday that an attack was imminent, as the United Nations Security Council seemed headed for a vote Thursday on a resolution authorizing not just a no-flight zone but additional steps to halt the movement of Colonel Qaddafi's forces."

* The Senate approved the House-passed budget extension this afternoon, with an 87-to-13 vote. It will soon receive the president's signature, and impose a new, April 8 deadline.

* Getting better: "The number of people who filed applications for jobless benefits fell by 16,000 last week to 385,000, the Labor Department said Thursday."

* Of the funds lent to banks through TARP, 99% of the money has been paid back. At the time, it was widely assumed we'd never see that money again.

* James O'Keefe thought he had another big scoop today. As it turns out, his "story" was not only dull, it was common knowledge months ago. (The media really needs to stop taking this guy seriously.)

* Grouping newspaper columnists together by ideology strikes me as a misguided and counter-productive idea.

* I admit I was wrong. I'd hoped that when the Washington Post hired Jennifer Rubin, she'd bring some worthwhile insights from a conservative perspective. That's clearly not happening.

* Those who thought applying to law school would be a great idea are starting to think otherwise.

* In an interesting video, which you'll probably be seeing again, Ronald Reagan proclaimed, "Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost!" It's a reminder of how little Reagan-lovers have in common with Reagan, and if Democrats today said the same thing Reagan said 30 years ago, Tea Partiers would condemn the sentiments as radical liberalism.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Japan: "Japanese engineers battled on Friday to cool spent fuel rods and restore electric power to pumps at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station as new challenges seemed to accumulate by the hour, with steam billowing from one reactor and damage at another apparently making it difficult to lower temperatures."

* Libya: "Trying to outmaneuver Western military intervention, Moammar Gadhafi's government declared a cease-fire on Friday against the rebel uprising faltering against his artillery, tanks and warplanes. The opposition said shells rained down well after the announcement and accused the Libyan leader of lying."

* Good news about the missing journalists: "Four New York Times journalists missing in Libya since Tuesday were captured by forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and will be released Friday, his son, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, told Christiane Amanpour in an ABC News interview."

* Yemen: "Yemen's pro-democracy protests exploded into violence on Friday, as government supporters opened fire on demonstrators in the capital, killing at least 45 people and wounding more than 200. The bloodshed failed to disperse the angry throng of protesters, the largest seen so far in a month of steadily rising demonstrations calling for Mr. Saleh's ouster."

* Pakistan: "Just one day after a CIA contractor was absolved by a Pakistani court of a double murder charge, Pakistan and U.S. relations were plunged into a new crisis Thursday over a CIA-directed drone missile strike that Pakistan said killed at least 36 civilians." (thanks to R.P. for the tip)

* Fiscal conservatives in the GOP think we're broke and can't afford domestic priorities. These same folks aren't worried about funding military operations in Libya.

* President Obama signed the temporary budget extension this morning, giving policymakers three weeks to strike a deal or the government will shut down.

* I'm glad to see Reid take a hard line on this: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday drew a firm line with Republicans, declaring that a controversial Planned Parenthood measure will not be included in any deal on the budget."

* I'm very glad I wasn't asked about reality TV shows on my SAT.

* I've heard some good defenses of the teaching profession. I've never heard one quite as strong as this one.

* Ann Coulter -- remember her? -- is apparently still around saying ridiculous things. Last night, for example, she reflected on the crisis in Japan and told Fox News that "radiation is actually good for you." (thanks to Joanne for the tip)

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

—Steve Benen 5:30 PM March 18, 2011

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_03/028525.php

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

* Libya: "After a second night of American and European strikes by air and sea against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's forces, European nations on Monday rejected Libyan claims that civilians had been killed while struggling to present a united diplomatic front. On the ground in Libya, pro-Qaddafi forces were reported to be holding out against the allied campaign to break their grip. Pentagon officials said there were fewer American and coalition airstrikes in Libya Sunday night and Monday, and that the number was likely to decline further in coming days."

* Japan: "Efforts to stabilize the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima stalled on Monday when engineers found that crucial machinery at one reactor required repair, a process that will take two to three days, government officials said. A team of workers trying to repair another reactor, No. 3, was evacuated in the afternoon after gray smoke rose from it, said Tetsuro Fukuyama, the deputy chief cabinet secretary of the Japanese government. But no explosion was heard and the emission ended by 6 p.m., NHK, the national broadcaster, said."

* They're going to have quite a story to tell: "The Libyan government released four New York Times journalists on Monday, six days after they were captured while covering the conflict between government and rebel forces in the eastern city of Ajdabiya. They were released into the custody of Turkish diplomats and crossed safely into Tunisia in the late afternoon."

* In the nation's first-ever referendum, Egyptians approved constitutional changes that will bring national elections soon.

* House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefly hospitalized in Rome today, but has been released and is reportedly doing fine.

* A big court win for the ACLU: "Civil liberties advocates opposed to the government's expanded wiretapping powers can continue their fight after an appellate court on Monday reinstated a lawsuit challenging an eavesdropping law passed by Congress three years ago. The decision could put the Obama administration in the uncomfortable position of having to argue in support of broad executive authority to conduct surveillance operations -- a position that President Obama, as a presidential candidate, had once opposed."

* The cost of Operation Odyssey Dawn? The first day carried a price tag of well over $100 million in missiles alone.

* Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, a legendary diplomat, died over the weekend. He was 85.

* This guy really isn't all there: "Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) called for a showdown with "Senate liberals" Monday, saying the GOP must not retreat from its plan to slash $61 billion even if it means funding the government just one day at a time."

* Bill Kristol believes the U.S. has never "invaded" a Muslim country, because he has a new spin on the definition of "invade."

* While Georgia has gutted its successful HOPE scholarship program, state Republicans have suddenly discovered "a great deal of state money available for private colleges in Georgia."

* At one moment, Glenn Beck was outraged that President Obama hasn't done more in Libya. Literally 20 seconds later, Beck was outraged that President Obama has done too much in Libya

* And finally, Jonathan Rowe, a former editor and contributing editor here at the Washington Monthly, died unexpectedly yesterday. Our best wishes go out to his family and friends.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: Allied fighters struck targets in Tripoli in a fourth day of airstrikes but forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi showed no signs of ending their sieges of rebel held cities, as the Security Council has demanded, while President Obama spoke on Tuesday with the French and British leaders in an effort to defuse a disagreement among the allies over how to manage the military action against Libya.

* The U.S. fighter jet crash: "An American fighter jet crashed overnight in the first known setback for the international coalition. According to the United States military, an F-15E Strike Eagle warplane went down late Monday 'when the aircraft experienced equipment malfunction.' The aircraft, normally based in England, was flying out of Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy when it crashed. 'Both crew members ejected and are safe,' an American statement said."

* After see his top military commander defect to the opposition, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh offered to give up power by the end of this year. The concession "failed to pacify anti-Saleh protesters, who pressed demands that he step down immediately."

* Japan: "Workers at a leaking nuclear plant hooked up power lines to all six of the crippled complex's reactor units Tuesday, but other repercussions from the massive earthquake and tsunami were still rippling across the nation as economic losses mounted at three of Japan's flagship companies."

* A big court defeat for New Jersey's Republican governor: "Gov. Chris Christie's deep cuts to state school aid last year left New Jersey's schools unable to provide a 'thorough and efficient' education to the state's nearly 1.4 million school children, a Superior Court judge found today."

* The New York Times's Charlie Savage offers a good overview of the argument over whether it's incumbent on the White House to get congressional consent for military strikes.

* After trying to gut Title X, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) insists, "I've never advocated reducing funding for Title X." Is he lying or is he not quite sharp enough to know his own agenda?

* Interesting read on the economy: "Global markets are signaling that sustained economic growth will more than make up for Japan's worst disaster since World War II, rising commodity prices and uprisings throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Interest-rate derivatives, bond sales by the riskiest borrowers and rebounding benchmark stock indexes all show increasing confidence in the economy."

* The next Wisconsin? "Collective bargaining rights would be restricted for many Alaska public employees under a bill introduced Monday by a state lawmaker. Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, said the bill is similar to one passed recently in Wisconsin and aimed at keeping the state on sound financial footing."

* Fox News' Juan Williams isn't just afraid of Muslim Americans. He's also afraid of African Americans.

* There was a big Tea Party convention in Tampa over the weekend. Turnout was abysmal.

* The problem with college pricing in one dramatic graph.

* A touching video on the White House blog about the health care law. It's really worth watching.

* Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) wants to run the state "like a business," but wants constituents with suggestions to send letters through the postal service -- because he doesn't use email. So, where do the emails to the governor go?

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

Tea Party At Its Dregs? Major Convention Attracts Few

With Fox News host Glenn Beck's ratings down and the biggest tea party rally eclipsed by a recent pro-labor rally in Wisconsin, could the tea party be losing steam? One new sign: a big tea party convention in Tampa, FL this weekend — headlined by such conservative favorites as Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Fox News Judge Andrew Napolitano, and former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo — attracted only about 300 people. The Save America Convention's website lists 25 guest speakers, meaning there was one speaker for every 12 attendees. If one includes the 13 musicians and other performers listed as entertainment, that ratio drops to one for every 7 and a half.

Joseph Farah, the founder of the birther news website World Net Daily, who spoke at the event, promised “lots of opportunities for interactivity between participants and presenters.â€

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

* Libya: "Having all but destroyed the Libyan air force and air defenses, the allies turned their firepower Wednesday on the military units loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi that are besieging rebel-held cities."

* Pentagon: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged Wednesday that there is no clear end to the international military enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya, and says no one was ever under any illusion that the assault would last just two or three weeks. He added that the U.S. could turn over control of the operation as soon as Saturday, but could not say how the coalition operation might be resolved."

* A fascinating story about how the U.S. pulled off a major freeze of Libyan assets in just 72 hours.

* Japan: "Radioactive iodine detected in Tokyo's water supply prompted Japanese authorities on Wednesday to warn that infants in Tokyo and surrounding areas should not drink tap water, adding to the growing anxiety about public safety posed by Japan's unfolding nuclear crisis."

* Israel: "A bomb exploded at a crowded bus stop near Jerusalem's main bus station on Wednesday, killing one woman and leaving at least 24 other people injured. It was the worst attack in Jerusalem in four years, putting Israelis on alert and prompting international condemnation."

* Not good: "Purchases of new U.S. homes unexpectedly declined in February to the slowest pace on record and prices dropped to the lowest level since December 2003, adding to evidence the industry is floundering."

* I'm glad someone's saying it: "'I frankly don't understand why policy makers aren't more worried about the suffering of real families,' former Council of Economic Advisors Chair Christina Romer, who left the Administration last fall, said during a discussion at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tuesday. 'I think there are tools we have tools we have that we can use, and I think it's shameful that we're not using them.'"

* Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said most of the emails he received during the recent labor fight urged him to eliminate union rights for state workers. Was that true? Apparently not.

* Ouch: "It's official: Newt Gingrich now has had as many positions on Libya as he's had marriages."

* Arizona state lawmakers still pondering "birther" legislation.

* Daniel Luzer: "Gigantic student loan company Sallie Mae announced Monday that students receiving its loans can now get refunds the same day the school generates such refunds.... The catch? Well, it turns out that in order to receive their own refunds promptly students have to sign up for Sallie Mae Bank's 'Sallie Mae No-Fee Student Checking account with Debit MasterCard.'"

* Fox News takes a great deal of pleasure from bashing CNN. The Republican network seems outraged, though, when CNN bothers to hit back.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Prominent members of the NATO alliance reached a tentative agreement Thursday evening to separate the political and military leadership of the Libyan air campaign, senior Western diplomats said, as allied warplanes delivered a ferocious round of airstrikes on Libyan ground forces, tanks and artillery that seems to have begun to shift momentum from the forces loyal to Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi to the rebels opposing him."

* Earlier in the day, a Libyan plane defied the no-fly zone, and was destroyed by French fighter jets.

* If the Libyan rebel army "consists of only about 1,000 trained men," that's a problem.

* Filling Congress in: "The White House will hold a classified Congressional briefing Wednesday on Libya, aides confirmed. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen and National Intelligence Director James Clapper are among the Obama administration officials slated to address Members of Congress."

* Japan: "Levels of a radioactive isotope found in Tokyo's water supply fell by more than half on Thursday, testing below the country's stringent maximum for infants, even as three workers at the stricken nuclear plant to the north suffered radiation burns as they struggled to make emergency repairs."

* We're actually inching towards a genuinely good number: "Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, evidence that layoffs are slowing and employers may be stepping up hiring. The Labor Department says the number of people seeking benefits dropped 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 382,000 in the week ended March 19, the fourth drop in the past five weeks."

* Portugal: "Portugal's government collapsed Wednesday after the parliament rejected a budget-cutting plan, pushing the country closer to an international bailout and triggering another test of Europe's ability to deal with an ongoing public debt crisis."

* Why did Abdulmutallab buy a ticket to Detroit for his Christmas 2009 terror plot? Because it was a cheap flight.

* Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), still a buffoon.

* When voters elect Republicans, they have to live with the consequences. Take this gem out of Alaska: "Gov. Sean Parnell's appointee for the panel that nominates state judges testified Wednesday that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage."

* Erick Erickson on the administration and Libya: "[I]t's the women's fault.... It's, apparently, the women in the Obama administration who have decided we needed to go to war in Libya.... This is typical. ... [T]his is like women drivers. We're going to war in Libya, we have no plan, we have no map, even if we have a map of war, um, it wasn't going to get read, they were going to pull over and ask the French apparently for help, or at least make the guy pull over and ask the French for help." Remember, CNN actually pays this man money to offer on-air political commentary and analysis.

* If only local reporters took an interest in the implementation of health care policy.

* The wrong way to pay for higher ed: "The American model, funded by individual debt and state appropriations, is more expensive, and the recipe to keep college attendance and graduation low. So it's not just problematic, it is, in the words of many higher education administrators, 'a broken model.'"

* And Fox News' John Stossel argued, with a straight face, "[N]o group in America has been more helped by the government than the American Indians." The things one learns watching Fox News.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Syria: "Military troops opened fire on protesters in the southern part of Syria on Friday, according to news reports quoting witnesses, hurtling this strategically important nation along the same trajectory that has altered the landscape of power across the Middle East and North Africa."

* Libya: "Overcoming internal squabbles, NATO prepared on Friday to assume leadership from the United States of the military campaign against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's forces, senior NATO officials said, while the allied effort won rare military commitments in the Arab world when a Qatari fighter jet flew on patrol with the Western allies and the United Arab Emirates said it would send warplanes to join them."

* Japan: "News signs emerged on Friday that parts of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are so damaged and contaminated that it will be harder to bring the plant under control soon. At the same time, Japanese officials began encouraging people to evacuate a larger swath of territory around the complex."

* Yemen: "As populist pressure mounted for his resignation, President Ali Abdullah Saleh told a large gathering of his supporters Friday that he was willing to hand over power as long as he can leave the nation in 'safe hands.'"

* U.S. economy: "The United States economy grew more quickly in the fourth quarter of 2010 than previously estimated as businesses maintained fairly solid spending and restocked shelves to meet rising demand." GDP was revised up to 3.1%, up from the previous 2.8% estimate.

* G.E. made over $5 billion in profits from its domestic operations. What'd it pay in taxes? Nothing.

* Vermont moves closer to becoming the first state with single-payer health care, with the state House approving a reform bill on a 92 to 49 vote. (Vermont's first-term governor, Democrat Peter Shumlin, ran on a single-payer platform and won.)

* It's not like Michigan has a problem with a struggling economy, right? "Michigan moved Thursday to significantly cut its unemployment program, becoming the first of what could be a flurry of debt-laden states to reduce aid even as high jobless rates persist." If voters didn't want this, they shouldn't have elected Republicans.

* Dear Newt, just stop digging.

* First Frank Rich, now Bob Herbert: "Bob Herbert, a columnist for The New York Times Op-Ed page, is leaving the paper after nearly 20 years. Mr. Herbert's resignation was announced in a memo to Times staff members on Friday. His last column will appear in the paper on Saturday."

* Let's just say some of the Washington Post's reporting on Social Security is ... incomplete.

* I know this has nothing to do with politics, but I'm really glad "Fringe" is getting a fourth season. I love that show.

* Good point: "Trying to making an academic education directly about specific job skills is pretty much impossible. Train students to think critically. That's the talent companies that hire for professional jobs want most anyway. Trying to do anything else at the American college is a waste of time."

* And finally, I have to admit, I feel kind of bad for Doug Hampton. First, family-values conservative Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) slept with his wife. Then, Ensign's parents try to buy him off. And finally, when he tries to get back on track with a lobbying career, he gets indicted, but Ensign doesn't. Ouch.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libyan rebels regain the momentum, for now: "Rebel forces' westward charge was repulsed on Monday by a barrage of tank and artillery fire from forces guarding one of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's most crucial bastions of support, while the American military warned on Monday that the insurgents' rapid advances could quickly be reversed without continued coalition air support."

* President Obama will deliver a speech tonight, at 7:30 eastern, spelling out U.S. policy in more detail.

* Japan: "Workers discovered new pools of radioactive water leaking from Japan's crippled nuclear complex, officials said Monday, as emergency crews struggled to pump out hundreds of tons of contaminated water and bring the plant back under control."

* The Washington Post had an impressive piece over the weekend about Mohammed Bouazizi, who lit himself on fire in Tunisia, and instigated a regional uprising that was hard to predict just a few months ago.

* Remember reports about Michelle Rhee's extraordinary successes as chancellor of D.C. schools? Many of her accomplishments may have been radically exaggerated, to the point where her entire record may now be suspect.

* Indiana: "Indiana House Democrats who fled the state nearly six weeks ago to protest a Republican agenda they considered an assault on labor unions and public education planned to return to the Statehouse on Monday, ending one of the longest legislative walkouts in recent U.S. history."

* Maine's buffoonish governor, Paul LaPage (R), quietly completed the removal of a mural depicting Maine's labor history from the state Department of Labor.

* Well worth reading: "From Poll Taxes To Voter ID Laws: A Short History of Conservative Voter Suppression."

* I didn't realize the system was quite this ridiculous: "From the FT: stock in Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet's company, jumps every time Anne Hathaway, the actress, gets a lot of media play. Why? The claim is that it's the fault of robotrading algorithms, which now account for most of the market, and which sometimes rely among other things on trends in news coverage."

* Getting more people through college will probably mean a focus on non-traditional students, not high school students.

* Dear gullible conservatives, I think Bill Ayers is messing with you.

* Donald Trump isn't just spewing idiocy, he's now spewing idiocy that was popular among extremists in 2007. Ben Smith added, "Trump isn't even up to date on his Birther lunacy."

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* Libya: "Having halted a westward push by rebel fighters, forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi began a counteroffensive on Tuesday, marching eastward to the outskirts of this critical oil town, as an array of diplomats gathered in London to shape a political vision of a post-Qaddafi era."

* Japan: "Japan said Tuesday it was on 'maximum alert' over a crippled nuclear plant where radioactive water has halted repair work and plutonium has been found in the soil."

* Syria: "President Bashar al-Assad accepted the resignations of his cabinet ministers on Tuesday as some protesters began demanding that he also leave, in the most serious threat to his rule since he assumed power a decade ago."

* Cote d'Ivoire: "The UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has released a statement saying forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the country's incumbent leader, opened fire on civilians in Abidjan on Monday, killing about a dozen people."

* Not good: "Housing prices slid in January for the sixth month in a row, putting them barely above the lows reached in the depths of the recession, according to data released Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller Home Price Index for 20 large cities dropped 1 percent from December, putting it only 1.1 percent above its spring 2009 low. The index is down 31.8 percent from its 2006 peak. Analysts expected a rough winter, but not quite so brutal."

* Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) boasted that Republicans have busted state unions "once and for all." But I thought this was about budget issues? The GOP wasn't lying, was it?

* Any chance yet another short-term budget extension might prevent a shutdown next week? No.

* Good point: "Asking why low income people don't make it to America's most exclusive colleges is sort of like asking why low income people don't buy more BMWs. It's because the price of the good largely prohibits the economically disadvantaged from purchasing that good."

* Congrats to Tom Tomorrow on his new role with Daily Kos.

* Once in a while, Karl Rove repeats a lie so bold, even he isn't willing to defend it when pressed.

* And in an amusing twist, Donald Birther Trump thought he was being clever by releasing his birth certificate yesterday. As it turns out, however, this wasn't his actual, official birth certificate. So, what does he have to hide?

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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

* The tide turns in Libya: "Moammar Gadhafi's ground forces recaptured a strategic oil town Wednesday and moved within striking distance of another major eastern city, nearly reversing the gains rebels made since international airstrikes began. Rebels pleaded for more help, while a U.S. official said government forces are making themselves harder to target by using civilian 'battle wagons' with makeshift armaments instead of tanks."

* On a related note, Reuters reported today that President Obama "signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi."

* Japan: "At the Fukushima plant, the fight to cool the reactors and stem their release of radiation has become more complicated in recent days since the discovery that radioactive water is pooling in the plant, restricting the areas in which crews can work. It also puts emergency crews in the uncomfortable position of having to pump in more water to continue cooling the reactor while simultaneously pumping out contaminated water."

* During a floor debate yesterday, Republican Rep. Judy Biggert of Illinois urged her Democratic colleagues to "stop talking about jobs." Sign of the times.

* Fred Kaplan has a closer look at President Obama's speech on Libya, and is largely impressed, calling it "shrewd and sensible."

* Conservatives keep targeting scholars sympathetic to organized labor. This time, it's Michigan's Mackinac Center for Public Policy: "A conservative research group in Michigan has issued a far-reaching public records request to the labor studies departments at three public universities in the state, seeking any e-mails involving the Wisconsin labor turmoil."

* Victims of the January's shootings in Tucson want Congress to fix gun checks. They have more than a little credibility on the subject.

* General Electric is the parent company for NBC. Did that influence NBC News' decision not to report on GE paying no federal taxes last year, despite $5.1 billion in domestic profits? It seems like a fair question.

* The far-right Washington Times' reporting on the National Security Council's Samantha Power was wrong.

* The first close-ups of Mercury. Cool.

* Why did American University turn down a $300,000 grant to help prevent campus sexual abuse?

* This really is amusing -- Sarah Palin's aides demanded that the conservative Daily Caller run a 650-word statement, in its entirety, as a precondition to providing comment in an article. The publication agreed and followed Palin's demands. Today, she whined anyway, because Palin thought her quote should have been higher up in the piece.

* And what's the new Fox News complaint about the White House? Apparently, the Republican network doesn't like this year's Easter eggs. It's always something.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.