Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Oh my: “A barrage of bad news including a new record high for oil sent Wall Street plunging Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in nearly two years. Oil’s surge past $140 a barrel was just one of the day’s troubling developments. Warnings of trouble in the key financial, automotive and high-tech industries added up to an increasingly troubled economy.”
* The Supreme Court’s other big decision today: “Wealthy political candidates caught a break Thursday as the Supreme Court struck down a campaign finance rule that benefits their opponents. By 5-4, the court ruled that Congress went too far when it loosened fundraising restraints for politicians facing millionaires who invest in their own campaigns. The court’s majority declared that the campaign-finance double standard violated First Amendment free-speech guarantees.”
* Bloodshed in Baghdad: “The U.S. military said three American Marines and two interpreters were killed in an attack west of Baghdad in Anbar province, Thursday. Iraqi police said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber against a meeting of pro-government Sunni sheiks in the former insurgent stronghold and at least 20 Iraqis were killed as well.”
* Now Mugabe wants to talk: “Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said Thursday that he is ‘open to discussion’ with the opposition, which is boycotting Friday’s runoff vote. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai called Wednesday for talks on forming a transitional authority. Mugabe had until Thursday shown little interest in talks, instead focusing on the election.”
* David Addington won’t answer questions about torture policy, because “al Qaeda may watch C-SPAN.”
* The liberal media strikes again: “Belying any claim to ideological balance, the Washington Post’s opinion page today is firmly tilted to the right with a neoconservative Iraq war architect, two movement conservatives, and an opponent of cap-and-trade. The closest thing to a nominal “liberal” is David Broder, who is seen by many liberals as being the ’embodiment of Beltway values.'”
* The vote on FISA will be delayed until after the July 4th holiday.
* AP: “Federal agents raided Blackwater Worldwide this week as part of an investigation into whether the private security company sidestepped federal laws prohibiting the private purchase of automatic assault rifles, the company said Thursday.”
* I wonder why Democrats have never figured out how to obstruct like this: “Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is planning a ‘Coburn Omnibus’ for July that would wrap most if not all of the bills held by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) into one large measure to be voted on by the Senate, according to a Coburn aide and two Democratic leadership staffers. Coburn is blocking roughly a hundred bills that are generally non-controversial or have broad support…. But in a stroke of legislative creativity that may have no precedent, Reid could lump all of the bills into one package and bring up the Coburn Omnibus for a single vote.”
* Good news in Montana: “Opponents of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban abortion by defining a fertilized human egg as a ‘person’ announced Tuesday the measure has failed to gain enough support to qualify for the November ballot.”
* T. Boone Pickens offered $1 million to anyone who could disprove any of the accusations the Swift Boat liars made against John Kerry. When a group of Swift boat veterans prepared a 60-page report detailing 10 separate lies, Pickens decided he no longer wants to follow through on his offer.
* Brave New Films: “Lieberman Must Go.”
* Jeffrey Rosen has a compelling item defending Obama’s criticism of the Supreme Court ruling on executing child rapists.
* Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will now be known for chemical castrations as well as exorcisms.
* Wow: “On the June 25 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, while discussing the upcoming September 13 football game between Ohio State University and the University of Southern California, Hugh Hewitt referred to the game as ‘probably the last football game we’ll ever get to see before the United States gets blown up by the Islamists under Obama.'” I wonder what would happen if a liberal talked like that about McCain?
* Martian soil is looking pretty good. (thanks to R.K.)
* And finally, Republican obstructionism is annoying, but ironic Republican obstructionism is hilarious: “[T]he only senator holding up ending the HIV travel and immigration ban is none other than Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), serial frequenter of prostitutes in DC and Louisiana.”
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.