Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The lack of an apology was noticeable: “A senior Taliban commander has described the attempted assassination of activist Malala Yousafzai as ‘shocking’ and urged her to return home to Pakistan. In an open letter to the young education campaigner, Adnan Rashid said he wished the attack by Taliban militants had ‘never happened.’”
* NSA: “Top Obama administration officials, appearing before a House committee to defend controversial government surveillance programs, ran into tough questions Wednesday from lawmakers of both parties, who expressed deep skepticism about the bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records and other communications.”
* We’ve seen false-starts before, but the search for a bipartisan solution on immigration reform in the House is reportedly nearing a resolution.
* Kerry in Jordan: “Making his sixth trip to the Middle East as secretary of state, John Kerry arrived here Tuesday to try to bolster the prospects for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.”
* Samantha Power’s nomination as the next United States ambassador to the United Nations appears to be on track, and Thomas Perez’s Labor Secretary nomination was cleared today for an up-or-down confirmation vote.
* Heartbreaking: “A prominent gay rights activist in Cameroon was tortured and killed just weeks after issuing a public warning about the threat posed by ‘anti-gay thugs,’ Human Rights Watch said.”
* Ezra Klein and Sarah Kliff take a deep dive into the White House plan to sell the Affordable Care Act and produce a fascinating, nuanced report. * Lindsey Graham gets some pushback: “The U.S. Olympic Committee said Wednesday it ‘strongly’ opposes calls for a U.S. boycott of the Winter Games in Russia, saying it would only hurt American athletes.” * Things like this always seem to happen in Florida: “A drone crashed Wednesday at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Fla., WJHG reported — for the second time in a week. A QF 4 drone crashed by U.S. Highway 98 on the east side of the base, closing the highway to traffic for up to 24 hours, according to WJHG…. Tyndall destroyed another drone over the Gulf of Mexico last week, where vacationers on a nearby beach witnessed the crash, according to WJHG.” Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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