These things happened this week.

This has indeed turned out to be a big news week.   There have been other weeks with bigger news stories (presidential elections, the end of a war, 9/11).   But I think this week stands out of the routine as having been very busy with the number of pretty big stories.

1.  It started off with a bang and hoopla over Netanyahu's speech to Congress.

2. The release of a Department of Justice "withering" and "scathing" report on racial bias in the Ferguson, Missouri police department and court system.

3.  The House Republicans gave up and finally passed a clean Homeland Security funding bill, which President Obama has signed into law.   The significance is that House Republicans are so divided, they cannot govern despite their majority.   They could not even pass their own bill of a limited 3 week extension, which paved the way for the Democrat-supported clean bill to be passed.

4.  The flap over Hillary Clinton's emails (which will turned out to be a tempest in a teapot, but the Republicans will milk it for all the political gain they can).

5.  A clash between a federal court order and an Alabama Supreme Court order over whether to provide marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

6.  Oral arguments at the U. S. Supreme Court on the challenge to the legality of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

7.  The senate failed to over-ride President Obama's veto of the immediate approval to build the Keystone pipeline.

8.  ISIS continues to destroy 3,000 year old cultural and religious sites and art treasures in the territories they occupy.

9.  The economy added 295,000 new jobs in February for the 12 straight month of job creation of over 200,000 per month.   The unemployment rate fell to 5.5%, its lowest since well before the 2008 recession.

10.   Another looming scandal involving Chris Christie's administration.   (What week would be complete without one?)

11.  And Saturday culminates with the 50th anniversary of the Selma, Alabama civil rights protest march that turned so bloody with police violence.   There will be a big commemoration in Selma.   President Obama will speak.   Former president George W. Bush and about 100 members of Congress will attend.

And Saturday is not over yet.   Stay tuned.

Ralph