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Monday's Mini-Report, 8.4.14

Today's edition of quick hits.
Today's edition of quick hits:
 
* Breaking news out of the Middle East, where a senior Israeli official confirmed to NBC News that the country has accepted an Egyptian proposal for a 72-hour cease-fire starting tomorrow morning.
 
* Related news: "An Israeli airstrike killed a militant leader in the Gaza Strip on Monday just before Israel began a unilateral seven-hour cease-fire for large parts of the devastated Palestinian enclave, and two attacks on Israelis in Jerusalem killed one person and injured four others, including a soldier."
 
* Still more: "Pressured by its Western allies to stop killing Palestinian civilians in Gaza, worried about potential unrest in the West Bank and reluctant to hand Hamas any concessions, Israel is moving toward a unilateral conclusion of the conflict, which would not provide any decisive ending."
 
* Toledo's water crisis: "The ban of drinking water in northwest Ohio was lifted early today, after tests of Toledo water showed safe levels of the toxin microcystin. Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins announced at a 9:30 a.m. news conference that all tests in the city showed non-detectable levels of the toxin, meaning that a ban of consumption of the water that had been in place since early Saturday morning was lifted."
 
* A big deal that won't get enough attention: "Secretary of State John Kerry kicked off the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit on Monday, declaring that 'this is a moment of amazing opportunity for Africa.' Kerry urged businesses and African leaders to tap into the continent's commodities and human resources, noting that six out of ten of the world's fastest-growing economies are in Africa."
 
* NYC: "A patient at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York is being tested for the Ebola virus. The male patient came to the hospital's emergency room early Monday morning with a high fever and gastrointestinal problems, the hospital said in a statement. The man had recently visited a West African country where Ebola has been reported, according to the hospital; he has 'been placed in strict isolation' and is being screened for the virus."
 
* Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wants to give the Violence Against Women Act a little touch-up.
 
* The execution of an innocent man? New evidence revives concerns about the Texas case of Cameron Todd Willingham.
 
* A gem from Brian Beutler: "The right's obsession with Obama's 'lawlessness' has nothing to do with the law."
 
* George Will, who appears to have hit a severe rough patch over the last several years, now believes "identity politics" is troublesome and inappropriate -- except when George Will does it.
 
* About time: "President Obama will sign the $16.3 billion bill to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs during a visit to Fort Belvoir in Virginia on Thursday, his administration said Monday."
 
* Glenn Beck now concedes he said "stupid things" during his Fox News tenure. Finally, an area of agreement.
 
* Former White House Press Secretary James Brady died this morning at the age of 73: Brady, the press secretary to former President Ronald Reagan, was shot and seriously wounded in 1981 during an assassination attempt on the commander-in-chief. Brady and his wife, Sarah, consequently joined the fight for sensible gun control laws and established the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence."
 
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.