Today's edition of quick hits:
* Following a no-confidence vote from the Sanford city commission, Police Chief Bill Lee Jr. has "temporarily" stepped down from his post. It's the latest development in the controversy surrounding the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.
* A small-business bill is on its way to the White House: "The Senate on Thursday passed an amended version of House Republicans' Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, a bill supporters say would generate jobs by easing capital formation regulations for small companies."
* An insider-trading bill, too: "In a sweeping bipartisan vote, the Senate approved legislation Thursday that formally bans lawmakers and all senior federal workers from making financial trades based on inside information gleaned from their oversight work."
* The hopes of the South Sudanese fade away: "[T]he government has taken the well-worn path of many other rebels-turned-leaders. Corruption and nepotism are pervasive, public services are negligible, and on a recent visit to Juba there was more evidence of demolition than of reconstruction."
* A story to watch: "The American intelligence community warned in a report released on Thursday that problems with water could destabilize countries in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia over the next decade."
* Want to imagine health care reform without an individual mandate? Take a long look at New Jersey.
* Susan G. Komen for the Cure hasn't recovered from its public-relations fiasco yet.
* And if Karl Rove no longer cares about context, then it's fair game to say he's endorsed President Obama's re-election.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
