Today’s edition of quick hits:
* President Obama took a compelling economic message to Austin, Texas, this afternoon.
* He also still wants an increase to the minimum wage.
* Syria: “As new reports of violence flowed from Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned leaders in Europe and the Middle East on Wednesday to lay the groundwork for a conference between rebels and the Syrian government, sponsored by the United States and Russia, that he hoped would begin within a month.”
* As the Senate Judiciary Committee considers comprehensive immigration reform, so far, so good.
* A necessary discussion: “In a sign that the White House is increasing its focus on the problem of sexual assault in the military, one of President Obama’s closest advisers met with a group of Congressional lawmakers on Thursday morning to discuss their legislative strategy for addressing the issue.”
* Soon, there will be 12: “A pivotal vote Thursday in the Minnesota House positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow gay marriages and the first in the Midwest to pass such a law out of its Legislature.”
* Good answer: “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday refused to apologize for calling Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) a ‘schoolyard bully.’ Asked whether he’d respond to Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) request that he apologize, Reid offered a terse ‘no.’”
* The new Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting and Registration Supplement, generally considered “the gold standard for analyzing turnout” in elections, is now available to the public. All of the news is bad for Republicans. * Keep an eye on this one: “Calling the business practices of the television industry an ‘injustice being inflicted on the American people,’ Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation Thursday he said will give consumers more choice and control over their pay-TV services.” * 100k and counting: “Blueprints for what’s being called the world’s first 3-D printed handgun have been downloaded more than 100,000 times since the controversial files were published online earlier this week, developers say.” * Sleazy: “Rep. Steve Stockman is raffling off an AR-15…. Stockman, Texas Republican who is more likely to generate liberal outrage than successful legislation, will also benefit from the emails garnered from the raffle, which his campaign can add to their mailing list.” Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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