Today’s edition of quick hits:
* He’ll accept “a little” delay: “President Donald Trump said Monday that he is willing to accept that it might take longer to get a vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh because of an allegation that Kavanaugh assaulted a girl while both were in high school, but added that it was ‘ridiculous’ to ask whether Kavanaugh had offered to withdraw.”
* Devastation in the Philippines: “Rescue operations are underway in the Philippines as 49 people remain missing after Super Typhoon Mangkhut triggered a massive landslide in the country’s north, destroying hundreds of homes. Fifty-four people have been confirmed dead so far as a result of the typhoon, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson said Monday.”
* Hurricane Florence: “Authorities in North Carolina and South Carolina said Monday that at least 23 deaths have been blamed on the storm, a number that has steadily risen each day as rain has pounded the region and floodwaters have spread throughout both states.”
* Identifying Texas’ suspected serial killer: “A U.S. Border Patrol agent is suspected of being a serial killer after he was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping in rural Webb County, Texas, authorities announced Saturday.”
* Syria: “Russia’s defense minister said on Monday that Syria would refrain from launching an offensive on Idlib Province, the last major rebel stronghold, after the presidents of Russia and Turkey agreed to establish a ‘demilitarized zone’ there to avert a potentially catastrophic military confrontation.” * Coast Guard: “A member of a U.S. Coast Guard team responding to Tropical Storm Florence in South Carolina appeared to flash a white power hand gesture in the background as a captain was being interviewed Friday by MSNBC. The man has since been removed from the Florence response operations and the incident is under investigation, said Coast Guard Lt. J.B. Zorn.” * Jay Goldberg represented Donald Trump in his two divorce cases. The lawyer now has a memoir coming out and the president isn’t pleased. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
