Today's edition of quick hits:
* The latest out of Arkansas: "At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a tornado ripped through Central Arkansas on Sunday evening, authorities said Monday. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said Monday that 10 people were confirmed dead in Faulkner County, three in Pulaski County and one in White County."
* More storms: "Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant told Wolf Blitzer that as many as four tornadoes have been spotted on the ground in his state. The National Weather Service confirmed there is 'multiple tornadic activity' in Mississippi, with a threat of the storms moving across to Alabama."
* Sanctions: "The United States on Monday imposed additional sanctions against Russian government officials, businessmen and companies deemed close to President Vladimir V. Putin, accusing Moscow of failing to live up to its agreement to defuse the crisis in Ukraine. The Obama administration ordered travel bans and asset freezes for seven Russian individuals, including two said to be in Mr. Putin's inner circle, and froze assets for 17 companies. Thirteen Russian companies will face additional restrictions as the government will cut off the export or re-export of American-made products to them."
* Almost on cue, the right started complaining: "Republican lawmakers on Monday blasted President Obama's new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia as a weak and ineffectual response to Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine."
* Don Sterling controversy: "Tensions boiled over Monday as the NAACP rescinded plans to honor Clippers owner Donald Sterling with a lifetime achievement award and major companies pulled sponsorship deals for the Los Angeles basketball team following the release of audio recording of a racist rant by a man identified as Sterling."
* Incidentally, in a story like this, I tend to think partisanship is irrelevant, but the right became heavily invested over the weekend in Sterling's party affiliation. If this is going to be the topic of discussion, let's at least stick to reality: "Not that Sterling's broader political views or party affiliation have much to do with the controversy over his insanely racist comments, but here's a news flash for those conservatives eager to bring up the topic: He's a Republican."
* Education: "The Obama administration announced Friday that it was developing ratings of teacher preparation programs to make them more accountable for their graduates' classroom performance.... By this summer, the administration will propose rules for evaluating all teacher training programs, using metrics that could include the number of graduates placed in schools, as well as pass rates on licensing exams, teacher retention rates, and job performance ratings."
* Google: "Bowing to pressure from abortion-rights groups, Google is removing advertisements from its site for 'crisis pregnancy centers' that discourage people from having abortions."
* I wouldn't have guessed this: "Mosquitos kill more humans than any other animal, including humans."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.