Today’s edition of quick hits:
* If this is right, it’s a major development: “The State Department approved and Congress has informally signed off on a $39 million sale of additional Javelin anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, according to three officials familiar with the decision. The sale of 150 anti-tank missiles and two additional missile launchers could be announced later on Tuesday.”
* Violence in Hong Kong: “Hong Kong police shot a protester at close range Tuesday, marking a new level of violence after weeks of demonstrations in the semiautonomous region, and overshadowing the Communist Party of China’s triumphal 70th anniversary celebrations in Beijing.”
* Collins used to condemn the charges against him as “fake news,” but now he’s saying something different: “Former GOP Rep. Chris Collins on Tuesday pleaded guilty to charges related to insider trading, hours after he resigned his New York congressional seat.”
* Trade wars aren’t easy to win after all: “U.S. manufacturing activity tumbled to a more than 10-year low in September as lingering trade tensions weighed on exports, further heightening financial market fears of a sharp slowdown in economic growth in the third quarter.”
* An angle worth watching: “President Trump said on Monday that the White House was ‘trying to find out’ the identity of the whistle-blower whose claims led Democrats to begin an impeachment inquiry last week, even as the whistle-blower’s lawyers have outlined ‘serious’ safety concerns for their client as Mr. Trump has repeatedly targeted him and compared him to a spy.”
* In related news, Chuck Grassley carefully said the right thing: “A top Republican senator Tuesday defended the whistleblower at the center of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry following repeated attacks from President Donald Trump.” * Georgia’s six-week ban: “A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Georgia’s restrictive new abortion law from taking effect, following the lead of other judges who have blocked similar measures in other states.” * A case that generated national attention: “Former Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder Tuesday for fatally shooting her neighbor, Botham Jean, after thinking he was an intruder when she mistakenly entered his apartment.” See you tomorrow.
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
