Just some quick hits today!

…And the World:

We begin today in Canada, where our neighbor to the North and the Europeans are just about to ink a new Transatlantic free trade agreement.

France is upset over revelations in Le Monde that the NSA has been spying on French citizens according to revelations via Edward Snowden.  Incidentally, Snowden was interviewed by The New York Times recently and said he did not bring any classified information to Russia.

Madagascar is revving up for elections which could finally bring stability to the African island nation.

The Feds:

The White House is confronting head on the problems with the Affordable Care Act’s exchange website.  Meanwhile, polling shows that people are willing to give the exchanges a chance, but time is limited.  Still progressive Markos Moulitsas is not amused and with good cause.  Like POTUS said, don’t break it, fix it!

Early this morning in New Jersey, the first same-sex marriages of the Garden State took place.  Mayors across the state including Cory Booker of Newark, on his way to the Senate, officiated over ceremonies.  Republican Governor Chris Christie, an opponent of marriage equality, had ordered municipal officials to comply with the State Supreme Court’s ruling that denied an injunction until it could hear the matter in January.  Today, Christie dropped his appeal to the state Supreme Court, essentially cementing marriage equality in New Jersey.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Matt Katz, which endorsed Christie, profiles his Democratic opponent, Barbara Buono.  Bizarrely, The Star-Ledger, based in Newark also endorsed Christie after trashing him as everything other than enemy of humanity.  Down south in Virigina, the usually conservative editorial board of The Richmond Times-Dispatch declined to endorse anybody in that state’s gubernatorial race this year.

The State of Things:

In the Boston Mayoral race it is the battle for endorsements!  After a week in which in Rep. Martin Walsh picked up a slew of endorsements from Congress, the State House, the City Council and also-rans in the mayoral preliminary, at-large Councilor John Connolly held his own endorsement event.  The Globe asks what good the endorsements are.

Worcester’s city manager is urging the city council to ease up off the gas on a new foreclosure mediation ordinance.

David Bernstein looks at what Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone’s decision to forgo a gubernatorial campaign means for the Democratic field.

A note of local interest in Massachusetts Democratic Party politics.  A former staffer of Cong. Richard Neal, Matthew Fenlon, is in line to become the Executive Director of the Party.  Fenlon has been a fixture in area politics, working for both Neal’s campaign and office and for both Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey’s senate campaigns.

City Slickers:

Mayor Domenic Sarno announced the implementation of the foreclosure ordinance that regulates foreclosed properties.  The mediation ordinance remains unimplemented, but is apparently next on the to-do list.

At the Council tonight, no change in pawnbroker ordinance while the salaries for the mayor and council went up.  Vote on mayor unanimous.  Council salary vote was 8-5.

Twitter Chatter:

No twitter chatter this week.  Our apologies.  It’s been a hell of a day.  We’ll have it back next week