Today's edition of quick hits:
* Baton Rouge: "The U.S. Justice Department will lead a civil rights investigation into the death of a black man shot multiple times by police during a confrontation at a Louisiana convenience store. Graphic cellphone video circulating online, recorded by a witness early Tuesday, appears to show Alton Sterling, 37, being tackled and shot as two cops pin him to the ground before he is killed. Authorities said he was armed."
* Afghanistan: "President Obama said Wednesday he will slow the U.S. troop drawdown from Afghanistan, announcing that some 8,400 troops will remain there when he leaves office next year. 'I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorists again,' Obama said, adding that over the years he has made several 'adjustments' in their strategy."
* An ongoing scandal: "An exhaustive inquiry on Britain's role in the Iraq War delivered a scathing critique of the government, intelligence and 'inadequate' military preparation for what it billed as a failed intervention. The Iraq Inquiry -- also known as the Chilcot report -- took seven years to complete at a cost of around $13.5 million."
* North Korea: "The U.S. is imposing sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and 10 other top officials for human rights abuses. The penalties are escalation of Washington's effort to isolate Kim's government. The Treasury Department says it's blacklisting Kim for human rights violations by his government and the ruling Communist Party."
* GOP leadership vs. Freedom Caucus on guns: "House Republican leaders' plan to hold a vote on a gun-control proposal this week is on hold amid objections from conservatives concerned with the legislation and a broader package of counterterrorism measures."
* Seems like a dumb ruling: "A federal appeals court has ruled that consumers must be allowed to buy certain types of health insurance that do not meet the stringent standards of the Affordable Care Act, deciding that the administration had gone beyond the terms of federal law."
* Interesting report about an under-appreciated story: "A test of America's homeland missile defense system found a problem. Why did the Pentagon call it a success?"
* ISIS is losing territory, which creates different kinds of dangers: "The key takeaway here, then, should not be that these attacks show ISIS is a growing threat. Selling the past week of attacks as a sign of reach and strength, rather than weakness and decline, is handing ISIS the narrative it wants. This perspective doesn't make last week's attacks any less of a tragedy. But being clear about the sources of ISIS's turn to terrorism helps us limit its ability to profit from the murder of innocents."
* Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson is "suing Roger Ailes, claiming the network's chairman and CEO 'sabotaged her career' because she rejected his sexual advances."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.