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Tuesday's Mini-Report

<p>Today's edition of quick hits:*Are sanctions against Iran having the desired effect?</p>

Today's edition of quick hits:

*Are sanctions against Iran having the desired effect? It sure looks like it.

* With this in mind, it's noteworthy Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be adopting a shift in emphasis away from a military confrontation and towards economic remedies.

* Next steps in Libya: "The American military's top-secret Joint Special Operations Command is preparing detailed information that could be used to kill or capture some of the militants suspected in the attack last month in Libya that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, senior military and counterterrorism officials said on Tuesday."

* New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman targets JPMorgan Chase: "The federal mortgage task force that was formed in January by the Justice Department filed its first complaint against a big bank on Monday, citing a broad pattern of misconduct in the packaging and sale of mortgage securities during the housing boom."

* On a related note, Schneiderman said the move "will serve as a template for suits against other issuers."

* The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was part of this move: "American Express will reimburse $85 million to about 250,000 customers to resolve accusations that the company violated federal law in its marketing, billing and debt collection practices, the company and the government said Monday."

* Vice President Biden sympathized with the plight of the middle class, and in the process, gave Romney/Ryan another bouncing ball to chase.

* It's counter-intuitive, but political scientists report the effect of presidential-candidate debates on the larger campaign are "mild, and in most cases, effectively nil." What's more, "what effects do exist are often caused by factors wholly beyond the candidates' control."

* And in light of the news out of Pennsylvania this morning, Ari Berman puts the case in the larger context, noting the Republican voter-suppression laws blocked this year in the courts.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.