Today’s edition of quick hits:
* As far as Secretary of State John Kerry is concerned, when it comes to diplomatic efforts with Iran, the “window is still open.”
* Iran is taking a less constructive approach: “Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected any idea of bilateral talks with the United States on Thursday, in a speech in which he seemed to dismiss the views of Iranian officials — including the country’s foreign minister — who had advocated for such negotiations.”
* The California manhunt continues: “Dozens of police officers were going door-to-door on a snowy California mountain, searching 200 abandoned cabins for ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, suspected of killing three people in a revenge-fueled rampage he mapped out in an online manifesto.”
* Did the economy contract in the fourth quarter? Maybe not: “The U.S. trade deficit shrank in December to its narrowest in nearly three years, suggesting the economy did much better in the fourth quarter than initially estimated.”
* When Clinton talks, Dems listen: “Former President Bill Clinton visited here on Friday morning to rally House Democrats at their annual retreat. And while he injected a healthy dose of energy into the crowd – which thanked him with a long standing ovation, longer than the one given to President Obama the day before — Mr. Clinton also dispensed some tough love.”
* Super Bowl blackout: “The company that supplied electricity to the Super Bowl took the blame Friday for the power outage that brought the big game to a halt, explaining that a device designed specifically to prevent a blackout failed and plunged the game into darkness.”
* Menendez defends himself: “Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) defended his relationship with Florida doctor and political donor Salomon Melgen in an interview with Univision on Friday, saying he didn’t do anything on his friend’s behalf that he doesn’t regularly do for others.” * I don’t care about Chris Christie’s weight; I care about his temperament: “A former White House doctor who publicly suggested Chris Christie needs to lose weight says that the New Jersey governor phoned her to yell about the comments.” * Is it odd that Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) considers newspapers his “greatest fear“? Yeah, I’d say that’s pretty odd. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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