Today's edition of quick hits:
* Claiming responsibility: "Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen formally claimed responsibility on Wednesday for the deadly assault a week ago at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people, saying that the target was chosen by the Qaeda leadership and referring to attackers as 'two heroes of Islam.'"
* Probably not what the terrorists had in mind: "In some places, vendors reported that their allotment of the [new issue of Charlie Hebdo] had sold out before daybreak, and demand was so intense that copies of the newspaper were being offered on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Some vendors drew up waiting lists of customers in anticipation of new supplies for a print run that could reach five million, compared with 60,000 before the attacks."
* Scary, but there was never any real danger: "Federal authorities have filed charges against an Ohio man who they say wanted to attack the U.S. Capitol. But they told NBC News that the man, identified as Christopher Cornell, was dealing with an undercover agent the entire time and was never in a position to carry out his plan."
* Boehner: "House Speaker John Boehner's office on Tuesday thanked police for their efforts after a report that a bartender who had served the Ohio congressman has been indicted after threatening to poison him."
* More on this tomorrow: "A GOP plan to gut President Obama's unilateral actions on immigration passed through the Republican-led House Wednesday in a largely symbolic vote tied to crucial funding for the Department of Homeland Security."
* More on this tomorrow, too: "The House on Wednesday easily passed legislation to ease back some of the banking regulations adopted after the financial crisis, with 29 Democrats shrugging off President Obama's veto threat to join united House Republicans."
* Holder's latest move: "In a bid to shore up his legacy on press freedom issues as he prepares to leave office, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday that he's making some changes news media organizations had requested to Justice Department policies on investigations involving reporters."
* Secret Service: "The Secret Service has decided to remove four of its most senior officials while a fifth has decided to retire, the biggest management shake-up at the troubled agency since its director resigned in October after a string of security lapses, according to people familiar with internal discussions."
* The White House's ambitious environmental agenda keeps progressing: "In President Obama's latest move using executive authority to tackle climate change, administration officials will announce plans this week to impose new regulations on the oil and gas industry's emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, according to a person familiar with Mr. Obama's plans. The administration's goal is to cut methane emissions from oil and gas production by up to 45 percent by 2025 from the levels recorded in 2012."
* Small victories: "The West Virginia Board of Education voted Wednesday to change newly-agreed upon science standards and make them once again available for public comment, an act that came after pressure from parents and others in the state who felt that the standards didn't accurately portray the science of climate change."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.