Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Bloodshed in Baghdad: “Fifty-three people were killed and 125 were wounded in two bomb attacks Thursday evening in a Baghdad commercial district, an Interior Ministry official said. A roadside bomb exploded first, around 7 p.m., in the central Baghdad district of Karrada, killing and wounding a number of people, the Interior Ministry official said. As others gathered to help the wounded, a suicide bomber amid the crowd detonated an explosive vest, killing and wounding many more, the official said. The majority of causalities occurred during the second attack, the official said.”
* A deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem, too: “A gunman infiltrated a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem and opened fire in a library Thursday night, killing at least seven people, officials said. Police commander Aharon Franco told reporters at the scene that “an Israeli army officer nearby” then shot the gunman dead. Rescue workers said at least 10 people were wounded…. In Gaza, the Islamic militant Hamas praised the attack but stopped short of claiming responsibility. Thousands poured into the streets to celebrate, firing rifles in the air.”
* Good news from the Hill: “After more than a decade of struggle, the House on Wednesday passed a bill requiring most group health plans to provide more generous coverage for treatment of mental illnesses, comparable to what they provide for physical illnesses…. ‘Illness of the brain must be treated just like illness anywhere else in the body,’ said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California. Supporters of the House bill, including consumer groups and the American Psychiatric Association, said it would be a boon to many of the 35 million Americans who experience disabling symptoms of mental disorders each year.”
* More discouraging economic news: “Home foreclosures soared to an all-time high in the final quarter of last year and are likely to keep on rising, underscoring the suffering of distressed homeowners and the growing danger the housing meltdown poses for the economy. ‘Clearly it’s the worst it’s been,’ chief association economist Doug Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press.”
* A reminder of yet another reason not to torture — civilized countries won’t accept evidence beaten out of suspects: “The Canadian government is no longer using evidence gained from CIA interrogations of a top Al Qaeda detainee who was waterboarded.”
* A report from the IRS shows that America’s top 400 wealthiest income-tax payers — the Fortunate 400 — “now control 1.15% of the nation’s income — twice the share they controlled in 1995. Over the same period, however, the average income tax paid by this same group has fallen from 30% to 18%. That’s due mainly to the Bush tax cuts.” McCain wants more of the same.
* TP: “[Yesterday], a bipartisan group of 14 senators introduced a bill ‘to stop regulators from easing media-ownership rules in the nation’s 20 largest cities.’ The 32-year old ban — whose loosening is being pushed by Bush’s FCC chairman — is meant to ‘keep major media companies from monopolizing newspapers and broadcasters in their market.'”
* I genuinely wonder sometimes if watching Fox News can make someone dumber: “On America’s Newsroom, while discussing a video clip of Sen. Hillary Clinton drinking a beer on the campaign plane, Bill Hemmer asked Fox News’ ‘body language expert’ Tonya Reiman: ‘[I]s that an honest moment, a moment of levity?’ Reiman replied: ‘You know, the only thing that struck me as odd is, she’s holding the beer with her left hand, and she’s a righty. And if you think about how you would normally take a sip, it’s a little bit awkward to drink with your nondominant hand, unless you have a reason to be doing that.'”
* Remember that White House press conference from five years ago tonight?
* Good post on the latest nonsense from global warming deniers.
* There’s been quite a bit of talk about whether the Clinton campaign intentionally darkened Obama’s skin tone for one of its ads. I’m not sure what to think of the controversy, but it’s drawing some pretty close scrutiny.
* And Dan Froomkin had an interesting observation today: “You’ll never guess who was the most excited about yesterday’s endorsement. As of this writing, there’s no mention of it on the home page of McCain’s Web site. There’s no mention of it all on the Republican National Committee’s home page. In fact, I can’t find any mention whatsoever of the event on either Web site at all. (It’s like: Bush Who?) But on the Democratic National Committee Web site, the lead headline blares: ‘Bush Endorses John McCain as His Successor.’ ‘Since the event was held in the middle of the afternoon we fear that some Americans may miss George Bush’s assurances that John McCain would continue the Bush Administrations failed economic and foreign policies,’ the DNC explains. ‘As a public service we’ve posted a video of the press conference for voters to see.'”
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.