Thursday's Mini-Report

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Neil Heslin, who lost a son in the Sandy Hook shootings, fears Congress "doesn't have the guts" to approve new measures to reduce gun violence. His frustration is both palpable and understandable.

* Republicans who've invested so much energy in saying he's anti-Israel probably won't care for this: "President Obama was awarded Israel's Presidential Medal of Distinction Thursday, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to receive the honor."

* Syria: "The Syrian civil war is threatening the 39-year-old cease-fire between Syria and Israel, as fighting along a separation line between the two countries is undermining the United Nations' capacity to monitor the terms of the truce, according to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki moon."

* In related news: "Senate Armed Services Committee chief Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) joined with Senate Republicans on Thursday to demand that President Obama take military action to end the Syrian civil war."

* Cyprus: "The euro currency union, a centerpiece European policy for a generation, edged toward a rupture on Thursday when the region's central bank said it was ready to pull the plug on Cyprus."

* Good idea: "Two Michigan Democrats have called for a review of Michigan's emergency manager law shortly after a manager was appointed to improve Detroit's financial state. The lawmakers, Reps. John Conyers and Gary Peters, sent a letter on Thursday to General Accounting Office Comptroller Gene Dodaro requesting an investigation into potential abuse of the law."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

* Maybe Congress should have thought of this sooner and passed the postal-reform bill that lawmakers ignored: "The financially beleaguered U.S. Postal Service suffered a setback in its plan to end Saturday delivery of first-class mail as Congress on Thursday passed legislation requiring six-day delivery."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

* The universe looks great for its age: "Astronomers released the latest and most exquisite baby picture yet of the universe on Thursday, one that showed it to be 80 to 100 million years older and a little fatter, with more light and dark matter than previously thought, and perhaps ever so slightly lopsided."

* Stay tuned: "Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a leading negotiator in talks on immigration reform, says the Senate Gang of Eight is on track for a deal by the end of March."

* I'd like to think reasonable, fair-minded people can agree that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is an embarrassment to herself, her constituents, and the Congress.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.