Today’s edition of quick hits:
* This afternoon, President Obama made it official, nominating James Comey to lead the FBI. (In the process, we were reminded that Comey is, in fact, quite tall.)
* Starting the clock: “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., moved to bring the Senate’s immigration debate to close Friday…. Reid now appears to have plenty of votes from Republicans to overcome a filibuster led by GOP conservatives such as Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas. The test of that assumption will come June 24 at 5:30 p.m.”
* Brazil: “More than a million protesters marched in the streets late Thursday, according to Brazilian news reports, in the biggest demonstrations yet…. The mass protests thundering across Brazil have swept up an impassioned array of grievances — costly stadiums, corrupt politicians, high taxes and shoddy schools — and spread to more than 100 cities on Thursday night, the most to date, with increasing ferocity.”
* Gun violence: “A man armed with a shotgun shot one person outside a North Carolina law firm Friday before darting across a busy street and wounding three others outside a Wal-Mart before officers subdued him, police said.”
* Colorado: “A massive wildfire threatened a tourist town in Colorado’s southwestern mountains on Friday, as its roughly 400 residents emptied out ahead of the fast-burning blaze fueled by hot, windy weather.”
* A lively gathering, I’m sure: “President Obama will hold his first-ever meeting with the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) — the group charged with ensuring the executive branch balances privacy and civil liberties needs with its national security efforts — on Friday, according to a senior administration official.”
* “Like a Christmas wish list for Halliburton“: “Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said Friday that the new border security amendment added to the immigration reform bill in the Senate is nothing more than a gift to defense contractors, but the Senate Judiciary Committee will still hold his nose and support the legislation.”
* Learning what minimization procedures are: “The top secret documents published today detail the circumstances in which data collected on US persons under the foreign intelligence authority must be destroyed, extensive steps analysts must take to try to check targets are outside the US, and reveals how US call records are used to help remove US citizens and residents from data collection.” * I’m glad to see St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard explain what Ben Bernanke got wrong. * Today I learned who Paula Deen is. Oh my. * And finally, watching Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) think he can match wits with political scientist Norm Ornstein was certainly an odd sight. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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