Today's edition of quick hits:
* A degree of progress? "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani repudiated his predecessor's Holocaust denials on Wednesday, saying the Nazis 'committed a crime against Jews' but that the question of 'scale' should be left to historians."
* A brutal quake in Pakistan: "The death toll from a devastating earthquake in western Pakistan rose to 327 on Wednesday, as soldiers and rescue workers scrambled to reach victims in one of the country's remotest areas. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in New York, ordered officials to expedite relief efforts for victims of the country's deadliest earthquake since 2005, when about 70,000 people died in an earthquake that struck the northwestern mountains."
* Chilling footage: "Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis acted alone and there is no indication he was trying to target specific individuals when he shot and killed 12 people during his bloody Sept. 16 rampage, the FBI said on Tuesday."
* Wait, you mean the right was wrong about Benghazi? "The State Department's watchdog says it has found no evidence of any bias in the independent audit of the attack in Benghazi, Libya, contradicting Republican allegations that it was set up to protect Hillary Clinton."
* Buckle your seatbelt: "Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) warned Wednesday that the odds of a government shutdown are at their highest level in years."
* Economic leadership: "California has become the first state in the nation to commit to raising the minimum wage to $10 per hour, although the increase will take place gradually until 2016 under a bill signed into law by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday."
* This will be awfully tough to live down: "Florida's attorney general apologized on Tuesday for delaying a long-planned execution earlier this month so she could attend a fundraiser -- for herself."
* Want to read a full transcript of Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) long, inconsequential speech? Sure you do.
* USPS: "The United States Postal Service said Wednesday that it has proposed increasing the price of first-class mail to 49 cents from 46 cents, beginning in January, to help raise revenues for the cash-strapped service."
* And here's a tip for AIG's Robert Benmosche: try not to compare public complaints about AIG bonuses to nooses "in the Deep South" during segregation. It's not a good idea.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
