— Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is condemning violence in Syria as “unconscionable,” “after claims that 78 people were massacred by pro-government militia in Qubair village on Wednesday.”
— Republican state senators in New York are “not satisfied with a proposal by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to decriminalize the open possession of small amounts of marijuana.”
— Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in Afghanistan on Thursday that “the U.S. and the NATO coalition was running out of patience with Pakistan when it comes to cracking down on militant groups.”
— The Bipartisan Policy Center shows what we spend on staying healthy vs. health care:
— And finally: Obama and Romney appeared in a pre-taped segment for the CMT Music Awards and were “asked to pick a better host for the show — deciding between country singer Toby Keith and actress Kristen Bell.” Romney picked both and joked, “see, I just put two people back to work. You’re welcome America”: