Today's edition of quick hits:
* The deadly violence in Iraq continues to escalate, with nearly 40 people killed in attacks over the last two days.
* Ricin threat: "A threatening letter was mailed to President Obama that is similar to two letters containing poisonous ricin sent to Mayor Bloomberg and his anti-gun group, officials confirmed Thursday. The letter, first reported by NBC 4 New York, is being tested for ricin. It was received Wednesday at an off-site facility, and did not reach the White House, according to the Secret Service."
* I don't see how this ends well: "President Bashar al-Assad of Syria displayed a new defiance in a television interview broadcast on Thursday, warning Israel and suggesting that he had secured plenty of weapons from Russia as his opponents falter politically and Hezbollah fighters infuse force into his military campaign."
* DOJ: "A growing number of news organizations invited to meet this week with Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the Justice Department's guidelines governing security leak investigations that involve reporters are refusing the invitation citing the meetings' off-the-record status."
* Toronto: "Mayor Rob Ford held a brief press conference Thursday afternoon to address two staffers who resigned from his office in the wake of multiple reports he was filmed smoking crack. Ford characterized the staffers' departures as a result of them finding other unspecified jobs.... Ford ignored multiple questions reporters shouted about the alleged crack video at the press conference."
* Affordable Care Act: "More than 100 insurance plans have asked to sell their products through ObamaCare's new insurance exchanges -- a development the White House touted Thursday as evidence people will have a range of plans to choose from once the healthcare law is fully implemented."
* A change of plans for Adam Kokesh: "The activist who threatened to lead an armed march on Washington July 4 has canceled the event but is urging people to converge on the 50 state capitals to protest gun regulations, according to a recent appearance on an Internet talk-show."
* A long way to go: "American households have rebuilt less than half of the wealth lost during the recession, according to a new analysis from the Federal Reserve, hampering the country's economic recovery."
* Greeley will be missed: "Andrew M. Greeley, a Roman Catholic priest and a prolific writer whose outpouring of sociological research, contemporary theology, controversial novels and no-holds-barred newspaper columns regularly challenged reigning assumptions about American Catholicism, was found dead on his Thursday at his home in Chicago. He was 85."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.