Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Counter-terrorism: “Yemen has confirmed that a top member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was killed in a weekend airstrike that U.S. officials say was conducted by the CIA, another sign that the U.S. drone campaign in Yemen is gaining momentum.”
* Mad cow: “The U.S. Agriculture Department confirmed on Tuesday that it detected a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the nation’s fourth, in a dairy cow in central California.”
* A former BP drilling engineer was arrested today “on charges of intentionally destroying text messages sought by federal authorities as evidence in the wake of the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.”
* Murdoch media scandal takes a dramatic turn: “The long-running tabloid newspaper scandal that has shaken Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire appeared on Tuesday to have reached into the heart of Prime Minister David Cameron’s government.”
* Good move: “The Senate on Tuesday voted down a Republican-backed motion meant to block a National Labor Relations Board rule that speeds up union elections.”
* Perhaps Rush Limbaugh should stop talking about Sandra Fluke.
* Are President Obama’s executive orders as problematic as George W. Bush’s? Not really.
* It’s not SOPA, but the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is causing a stir and it’s poised for House passage this week. * With postal “reform” efforts still pending on Capitol Hill, Matt Taibbi takes a look at the anti-union politics driving the initiative. * Planetary Resources, Inc: “A newly unveiled company with some high-profile backers — including filmmaker James Cameron and Google co-founder Larry Page — is set to announce plans to mine near-Earth asteroids for resources such as precious metals and water.” * And President Obama took his message on student loans to North Carolina today, and appeared quite fired up. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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