Today's edition of quick hits:
* Cairo: "Egyptian protesters scaled the walls of the United States Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and pulled down the American flag during a demonstration over what they said was a film being produced in the United States that insulted the Prophet Muhammad, witnesses said."
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems pretty unhappy about the Obama administration's reluctance to draw "red lines" over Iran's disputed nuclear program.
* For all of his occasional goofiness, Vice President Biden's 9/11 comments in Shanksville, Pa., were quite touching. David Kurtz had a good item on this.
* Biden also seemed to have a good time at an unannounced stop at the local volunteer fire department in Shanksville after his remarks.
* Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping seemed likely to take the reins as China's top leader in a matter of weeks. He appears, however, to have gone missing, and hasn't been seen in public in nearly two weeks.
* Chicago: "With negotiators trying to hammer out an agreement that would end Chicago's teachers strike, one of the key sticking points is how to evaluate whether a teacher is doing a good job, an issue that has riled school boards across the U.S. in recent years."
* I suspect he's right: "House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that he's not confident Congress can reach a budget deal and avoid a downgrading of the U.S. debt rating."
* Obama is just not good at radical communism: "The Dow Jones industrial average closed Tuesday at its highest level in nearly five years."
* President Obama has named more women to the federal judiciary than any president ever has in one term.
* And Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) had some unpleasant things to say about gay Republicans last week. Does he regret using language he concedes was "very harsh"? Apparently not.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.