Today's edition of quick hits:
* Diplomacy in Afghanistan: "Seeking to break an impasse on a broader strategic arrangement, the United States agreed Friday to greatly accelerate its transfer of imprisoned insurgents to Afghan government control, but will retain a veto over which ones can be released."
* Syria: "The top United Nations relief official offered a somber view on Friday of the aid crisis caused by the uprising in Syria, saying she had witnessed horrific destruction during her two-day visit there and had encountered resistance by the government to accept her emergency aid proposal, in which U.N. relief workers would gain unrestricted access to stricken areas."
* Shutting down Japan's nuclear industry: "All but two of Japan's 54 commercial reactors have gone offline since the nuclear disaster a year ago, after the earthquake and tsunami, and it is not clear when they can be restarted."
* Has Rush Limbaugh's loss of advertisers done real damage? Consider his "dead air" problem.
* Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) push for judicial confirmations can't come soon enough.
* Remember former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R)? She's apparently still around, saying very strange things on national television.
* Chris Hughes' new role atop The New Republic strikes me as very encouraging.
* As a scandal forces South Carolina's lieutenant governor to resign, it's worth taking stock and acknowledging just how many controversies have plagued the state's political leaders.
* And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has another clip to add to his list of heated confrontations with voters. This time, he got into a shouting match with a law school student, who is also a former Navy SEAL, whom Christie called an "idiot." (Update: here's a more detailed account of what transpired between the governor and the student, named William Brown.)
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.