Today's edition of quick hits:
* Philippines: "On the fifth day after the storm, desperation gave way to anarchy in parts of the Philippines. Police exchanged fire with apparent looters, and eight people were crushed to death when a hungry mob stormed a warehouse full of rice. Destroyed roads and other logjams tied up aid."
* Related news: "Typhoon relief gridlock threatened to paralyze rescue operations in the most devastated part of the Philippines on Wednesday, with aid piling up but few ways to distribute it, plentiful gasoline but no merchants willing to sell it, and an influx of emergency volunteers but no place to house them."
* Gun violence: "A Pittsburgh high school was locked down and police were seeking 'one to multiple' gunmen after three students were shot near the school just as students were streaming home for the day, authorities said."
* It's amazing no one was injured: "An improvised explosive device blew out windows and ignited a small fire at the Jackson County prosecutor's office in Medford, Ore., Wednesday, but authorities said the damage could have been far worse had it ignited a large propane tank at the scene."
* Iraq: "A series of bomb blasts and gunfire attacks swept Iraq on Wednesday, mostly targeting Shiites who were marking one of their holiest religious events. At least 27 people were killed in nine attacks that stretched to the northern cities of Tikrit and Mosul and to the regions west of Baghdad and Falluja."
* Congress could ruin a delicate diplomatic moment: "The Obama administration is pressing the U.S. Senate not to slap even tougher sanctions on Iran, with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry both visiting Capitol Hill on Wednesday to make a personal pitch against imposing stricter penalties aimed at curtailing Iran's nuclear program."
* Imagining what would be possible were it not for the Republican-led House: "Staking a major investment in early-childhood education -- and in defiance of federal austerity -- a group of lawmakers is proposing to offer free preschool to all 3- and 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families."
* This story just keeps getting worse: "CBS News says it is conducting a 'journalistic review' of its flawed, retracted report on the September 2012 Benghazi attacks. The parameters of that review will demonstrate whether the network is truly interested in determining how 60 Minutes broadcast such a flawed report."
* Powerful: "A pair of immigrant teenagers confronted Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at a Capitol Hill diner on Wednesday morning, telling him their parents were in danger of deportation because of the House's inaction on immigration reform." Boehner told them the resolution is "hard." In reality, it doesn't have to be -- bring the bill to the floor, let the House vote.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.