Today’s edition of quick hits.
* AP: “The Pentagon on Monday announced upcoming deployments of more than 42,000 troops, including 25,000 active duty Army soldiers who would be sent to Iraq beginning in the fall to replace troops scheduled to come home by year’s end. The deployments would maintain a level of 15 brigades in Iraq, or roughly 140,000 troops — the number military leaders expect will remain on the warfront at the end of July, once the currently planned withdrawals are finished.”
* Recent developments with the EPA are the biggest scandal no one seems to know about: “The head of the Environmental Protection Agency reversed himself on whether to grant California’s request to impose a 30-percent reduction in vehicle tailpipe emissions by 2016 after talking to White House officials, a report released Monday said…. The report said Johnson reversed himself and had initially planned to grant the waiver. Johnson ‘was very interested in a full grant of the waiver’ in August and September, said Jason Burnett, an associate deputy EPA administrator. Later Johnson shifted to supporting a partial grant of the waiver and then ultimately reversed himself, denying it on Dec. 19, Burnett said.”
* Big ruling from the Supreme Court: “The Supreme Court today upheld Congress’s most recent attempt to prosecute those who would promote child pornography, ruling that the law did not violate free speech guarantees.”
* Encouraging news on Ted Kennedy: “Senator Edward Kennedy, the head of one of America’s legendary political families, ‘is not in any immediate danger’ and will undergo tests in the coming days after suffering a seizure yesterday, his doctor said. ‘Preliminary tests have determined that he has not suffered a stroke and is not in any immediate danger,’ Larry Ronan, Kennedy’s primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in an e-mailed statement.”
* Oh my: “A soldier used the Quran — Islam’s holy book — for target practice, forcing the chief U.S. commander in Baghdad to issue a formal apology on Saturday.”
* House Minority Leader John Boehner told George Stephanopoulos yesterday that his leadership post is secure, as is Tom Cole’s role atop the NRCC. That he was even asked suggests rumors of Republican discontent are pretty strong.
* I wonder about the legality of something like this: “One of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s top financial supporters offered $1 million to the Young Democrats of America during a phone conversation in which he also pressed for the organization’s two uncommitted superdelegates to endorse the New York Democrat, a high-ranking official with YDA told The Huffington Post. Haim Saban, the billionaire entertainment magnate and longtime Clinton supporter, denied the allegation. But four independent sources said that just before the North Carolina and Indiana primaries, Saban called YDA President David Hardt and offered what was perceived as a lucrative proposal: $1 million would be made available for the group if Hardt and the organization’s other uncommitted superdelegate backed Clinton.”
* The Bush gang seems more than a little peeved about this: “The White House on Monday sent a scathing letter to NBC News, accusing the news network of ‘deceptively’ editing an interview with President Bush on the issue of appeasement and Iran.”
* Thank you, Gov. Sebelius: “A bill requiring Kansas voters to show photo identification in 2010 elections was vetoed today by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The measure — HB 2019 — was similar to a measure she threatened to veto during last year’s legislative session. Last year’s measure failed, but this year’s version passed through the efforts of the Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Sebelius is a Democrat. In her veto message, the governor said the bill created a roadblock that prevents citizens from voting.”
* Absolutely fascinating report on a test to measure the Bradley Effect and socially-desirable results.
* I remember a time when Geraldine Ferraro was a serious, respected trailblazer in the Democratic Party. It’s a genuine shame to see how far she’s fallen in such a short time.
* On a related note, as much as I admire Sean Wilentz’s scholarship, I can’t imagine what he’s thinking when he praises Fox News’ campaign coverage.
* Can you imagine being the only kid in your graduating class?
* And finally, if you haven’t see The Real McCain 2, take a minute to check it out. It’s a little too long for TV, but as web videos go, it’s pretty devastating.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.