Today’s edition of quick hits:
* It took a while, but the Senate this afternoon approved the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), with a 68 to 31 vote. All 31 opponents were Republicans.
* The VAWA debate on the Senate floor included these emotional remarks from Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).
* Afghanistan: “An Afghan soldier fatally shot an American service member and a local interpreter in southern Afghanistan, officials said Thursday, the latest in a string of attacks against U.S. and other foreign forces by their Afghan partners.”
* It’s a good thing the Obama administration didn’t listen to Republicans on U.S. auto policy: “Chrysler put its dark days further behind it Thursday, reporting its strongest quarterly results in 13 years.”
* The Hague: “A U.N.-backed court on Thursday convicted ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor of war crimes during a conflict that left 50,000 dead. He is the first former head of state to be found guilty by an international tribunal.”
* The Senate’s postal-reform bill was approved last night on a 62-to-37 vote. It’s not great.
* Osama bin Laden’s widows and children, detained by Pakistani security forces last year, are being deported to Saudi Arabia.
* A U.S. Marine who making disparaging remarks about President Obama on Facebook has been thrown out of the Corps (thanks to reader R.S. for the tip). * Rupert Murdoch admitted today there was a “cover-up” of the phone-hacking practices at one of his British media outlets. He also acknowledged News Corp’s cooperation with an ongoing Justice Department investigation in the U.S. * Fox News’ Monica Crowley, ostensibly a political and foreign affairs analyst for the network, seems to have an odd sense of humor, at least as far as Sandra Fluke is concerned. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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