Today’s edition of quick hits:
* An emotional return: “The bodies of four Americans killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, earlier in the week were returned to the United States and honored in a somber ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Friday.”
* Unrest spreads: “The violently anti-American rallies that have roiled the Islamic world over a video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad expanded on Friday to nearly 20 countries, with demonstrators storming the American Embassy in Tunisia in a deadly clash and protesters in Sudan’s capital broadening the targets to include Germany and Britain.”
* Knocking down ugly talking points: “The White House on Friday said a report stating the president failed to act on knowledge of a potential attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya was ‘absolutely wrong.’”
* The Republicans’ contribution to the process: “Army operations and maintenance would lose nearly $7 billion next year, and the Navy more than $4 billion under a looming series of automatic cuts in federal spending. Educational achievement and special education programs would be shaved by $2.3 billion. Hospital insurance would fall $5.6 billion. And, particularly relevant at a moment that world attention is focused on the continuing attacks on United States embassies and consulates abroad, diplomatic programs and embassy security would lose $1.2 billion.”
* A development worth watching: “The Obama administration asked YouTube to review the trailer for the anti-Muslim film ‘Innocence of Muslims,’ officials confirmed Friday.”
* Nearing a resolution in Chicago: “Five days into the teachers’ strike that has halted classes for 350,000 public school students across this city, leaders on both sides of a contract fight said Friday afternoon that they had an outline in place for an agreement that could clear the way for schools to reopen Monday.” * Really, Cavuto? “Fox’s Neil Cavuto and his guest used Tuesday’s attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya to push for more domestic drilling and construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. But experts say that neither will reduce our vulnerability to price spikes, and that the only way to achieve true energy security is to use less oil.” * And in case anyone heard the allegation, the truth is clear: U.S. Marines at the U.S. embassy in Cairo were not prohibited from carrying live ammunition. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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