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Friday's Mini-Report, 6.19.15

Today's edition of quick hits.
Today's edition of quick hits:
 
* Gut-wrenching: "Relatives of some of the people gunned down at a historic black church in Charleston faced the accused shooter in an emotionally wrenching court hearing Friday -- and told him they forgive him."
 
* He confessed: "Dylann Storm Roof appeared in court for the first time Friday afternoon and was charged with murder shortly after confessing to the shooting massacre that left nine people dead at an historic black church here."
 
* He's right: "President Obama believes the Confederate flag 'belongs in a museum,' the White House said Friday amid calls for it to be taken down, following a mass shooting in South Carolina."
 
* Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said today of the Confederate flag, "It works here, that's what the Statehouse agreed to do." Works for whom?
 
* A temporary evacuation: "A major gathering of conservative political activists where multiple Republican presidential candidates spoke was interrupted Friday after an apparent threat was made against the conference."
 
* Have I mentioned lately how dangerous bank runs are? "Desperate Greeks expressed fears for their future Friday as more than $1.1 billion was withdrawn from banks in a single day, pushing the country closer towards a default."
 
* Fuel efficiency matters: "The Obama administration on Friday announced plans to tighten fuel-economy standards for heavy trucks, buses and vans, taking aim at a transportation sector that contributes a quarter of the greenhouse-gas pollution emitted by U.S. vehicles each year."
 
* Syria: "The global chemical weapons watchdog says that waste created on board a U.S. ship that destroyed toxic chemicals from Syria's stockpile has been successfully disposed of."
 
* The Economist: "Those who live in America, or visit it, might do best to regard them the way one regards air pollution in China: an endemic local health hazard which, for deep-rooted cultural, social, economic and political reasons, the country is incapable of addressing. This may, however, be a bit unfair. China seems to be making progress on pollution."
 
* You may not believe this, but it's real and not a joke: "In the wake of the June 17 mass shooting in a Charleston, S.C. church, Fox News contributor Erick Erickson claimed that Americans can no longer distinguish "normal from crazy and evil from good," citing society's acceptance of transgender people like Caitlyn Jenner."
 
* If you're unfamiliar with Juneteenth, it's not too late to read up: "June 19 is Juneteenth: the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, came under authority of the Union Army orders ending slavery. Today, it's a holiday filled with parades, good food, and references to struggles of the past and present."
 
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.