Today’s edition of quick hits:
* E. Jean Carroll’s defamation suit: “President Donald Trump’s lawyers want to put the brakes on a lawsuit filed by an advice columnist who has accused him of raping her in the 1990s and is seeking his DNA as possible evidence.”
* DHS: “The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it was suspending New Yorkers’ ability to enroll in Global Entry and other programs that allow travelers to pass quickly through airport security and customs in a move following a state law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.”
* He really seems to have a problem with Puerto Rico: “The White House issued a veto threat Wednesday over a $4.7 billion emergency aid package intended to help Puerto Rico recover from a series of damaging earthquakes.”
* Erik Prince: “The Justice Department has begun reviewing a 10-month-old allegation by the House Intelligence Committee chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), that Erik Prince, an ally of President Donald Trump, repeatedly misled lawmakers during the panel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.”
* Seriously? “It fell to a Fox News host on Wednesday to inform an excited Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) that no, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) can’t be prosecuted and sent to prison or fined for ripping up a copy of President Trump’s State of the Union address. This, after Gaetz called for a House Ethics Committee investigation of Pelosi and a referral of her action to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation.” * On a related note: “The Democratic-led House immediately rejected a Republican resolution disapproving of Pelosi’s tearing up a copy of the State of the Union speech…. The House tabled it on a 224-to-193 vote.” * It was the lowest rated SOTU address in four years: “President Trump put a ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ spin on his State of the Union address on Tuesday…. It was the kind of camera-ready spectacle that can translate into big ratings for afternoon talk-show hosts and prime-time reality shows. This time, though, the Nielsen numbers did not come through.” 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
