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Wednesday's Mini-Report, 5.3.17

Today's edition of quick hits.
Today's edition of quick hits:* Spending deal: "The House voted to approve a roughly $1.1 trillion spending bill which includes more than $15 billion in defense spending and $1.5 billion in money for U.S. border security. The measure is expected to come up for a vote later this week in the Senate ahead of a deadline to keep the government open past Friday."* Afghanistan: "At least eight Afghan civilians were killed and three American soldiers wounded on Wednesday when a suicide bomber attacked an American military convoy during the morning rush hour in Kabul, officials said."* This will probably receive about 1% of the chatter about that paid speech the former president is scheduled to give: "Former President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he and Michelle Obama would personally donate $2 million to support summer jobs for Chicago young people this year."* On a related note: "In their first joint appearance since leaving the White House, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama offered the first glimpse of the planned Obama Presidential Center in Chicago."* That's quite a swamp: "[T]hree months after Trump moved into the White House, at least nine people who worked on his transition have registered as lobbyists, highlighting holes in the president's pledge to keep people from cashing in on government service."* When it comes to Comey and the election, I suspect there was plenty of nausea to go around: "FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday that it makes him 'mildly nauseous' to think his decision to reopen the bureau's investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails just days before the election could have impacted voters, but added he would make the same choice again."* Overtime matters: "The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would allow employees to swap overtime pay for 'comp time,' a rules change congressional Republicans have tried to push through for more than two decades."* The limits of Trump's influence: "President Donald Trump on Tuesday seemingly called for an end to the legislative filibuster in the Senate.... Senate Republicans responded by rejecting Trump swiftly and decisively."* This should've been more controversial: "The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Jay Clayton, a Wall Street lawyer with decades of experience helping companies to weather regulatory scrutiny, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission."* Stunning punishment for laughter: "A jury on Wednesday convicted three Code Pink activists on charges related to a protest at the confirmation hearing of Jeff Sessions for attorney general -- including a Virginia woman who said all she did was break out in laughter. Each of the three protesters faces up to 12 months in jail, $2,000 in fines, or both, depending on the outcome of a June 21 sentencing hearing."* There will always be something funny about this: "Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump was 'directly involved' in the search for the person who, using the official National Park Service account, retweeted side-by-side comparisons of the crowds at Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony and former President Barack Obama's 2009 ceremony, CBS News has confirmed."Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.