Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) tried Thursday to pass by unanimous consent a treaty that recognizes the rights of people with disabilities worldwide.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) objected to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a treaty proposed by the United Nations that would require approval from two-thirds of the Senate. 

“They're trying to cover their behinds,” Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) told The Hill.

The U.S. government made a $70,000 ad buy on Pakistani TV condemning the anti-Islamic video that has sparked protests across the Middle East and led to the U.S ambassador to Libya’s death.

As tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Thursday, the State Department announced it had bugun running a series of public service announcements that feature clips of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the film.

Purchases like this are regularly made in places like Pakistan, said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

Eight top-ranking House Republicans are pressing the White House not to release “the blind sheikh” from prison, saying that it would be “a sign of weakness” by President Obama.

The administration has repeatedly stressed that it has no intention of freeing Omar Abdel-Rahman from federal prison. But rumors to that effect sprang up last week after a news article said the unrest at the U.S. Embassy in Egypt was initially motivated by calls for “the blind sheikh’s” release.

Rahman was convicted for his role in planning an attack on New York City in 1993 and is serving a life sentence, but he has remained popular in Egypt, where a group of supporters continue to call for his release.

In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder this week, eight heads of House committees and subpanels pressed the administration not to appease the acts of violence in Egypt by releasing Rahman.

Asked specifically if al Qaeda was behind the attack, Obama replied, “Well, we don’t know yet.”

The president of Malawi, Joyce Banda, used her keynote address Thursday at a Capitol Hill reception for the African diplomatic corps to thank Congress for this summer's vote renewing a trade deal that allows African countries to export textiles to the United States duty-free.

“Congress has demonstrated a resolve to assist the people of Africa, especially the thousands of women employed in the textile industry,” Banda said. “Africa needs partnership, not patronage.”

She called for more investment in her small southeast African country, saying doing so is in America's interest.

“Africa is indeed on the rise,” she said. “There is increasing optimism about Africa.”

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Witnesses told CBS News there was not a peaceful protest at the consulate before the attack, as the administration claims.

The State Department is warning U.S. citizens to “defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan” in the wake of anti-American protests fueled by an online video that denigrates Islam.

The travel warning updates last month's advisory that merely warned Americans against travel to the country. Hundreds of demonstrators protested in the capital, Islamabad, on Thursday and tried to approach the U.S. Embassy before being repelled by police armed with tear gas and batons, The Associated Press reports. 

The protests are expected to be even larger on Friday, Muslim's traditional day of prayer. The Pakistani government has called a national holiday so people can protest, the AP reports.

“Protests have taken place across Pakistan against the United States, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and NATO,” says the travel warning, which doesn't mention the "Innocence of Muslims" film. “There have also been widespread demonstrations and large political rallies condemning drone strikes, Pakistan's ongoing energy crisis and Pakistan's July 3, 2012, decision to reopen NATO transit routes to Afghanistan. These protests and demonstrations are likely to continue. U.S. citizens in Pakistan are strongly urged to avoid protests and large gatherings.”