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Thursday's Mini-Report, 4.10.14

Today's edition of quick hits.
Today's edition of quick hits:
 
* 50 years later: "President Obama on Thursday paid tribute to the Civil Rights Act a half century after its passage transformed American society and ultimately paved the way for the day when the United States might have an African-American man serve in the Oval Office."
 
* On a related note: "Former President Bill Clinton didn't mention Chief Justice John Roberts. He didn't mention the Republican Party. But in his speech at the summit marking the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, he raked both over the coals for restricting the right to vote."
 
* Indiana: "A federal judge in Indiana has ordered the state to immediately recognize the marriage of Amy Sandler and Niki Quasney, who have been together for 13 years, married last year in Massachusetts, and are raising two kids. Quasney has been fighting stage four ovarian cancer for over five years, having had more than 100 tumors surgically removed in 2009."
 
* Immigration: "The Obama administration is likely to take steps in coming weeks to ease the pace of deportations for some illegal immigrants and is also considering much broader changes if GOP lawmakers continue to block immigration reforms, according to several House Democrats and aides, who met with the new homeland security secretary this week."
 
* Tsarnaev case: "The Russian government declined to provide the F.B.I. with information about one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects that would most likely have led to more extensive scrutiny of him at least two years before the attack, according to an inspector general's report."
 
* It's hard to blame him for feeling frustrated: "Attorney General Eric Holder strayed from prepared remarks to slam the way he was 'treated' by a House committee the day before, calling it evidence of 'ugly and divisive' civil rights challenges facing him and President Barack Obama."
 
* This assessment from Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.) would appear to be at odd with the usual GOP talking points: "The GOP chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday he is satisfied with how the military responded to the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya."
 
* A story worth watching out of Albany: "The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, after sharply questioning Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's decision to shut down a commission formed to investigate political corruption in New York State, said on Thursday he would take up its unfinished work."
 
* Ruth Marcus believes Democrats are right about the Paycheck Fairness Act and Republicans are wrong. She nevertheless wrote an entire column complaining that Democratic rhetoric about the bill bothered her more than Republicans being wrong on the substance. It's Beltway thinking in a nutshell.
 
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.