Today’s edition of quick hits:
* White House: “One of President Donald Trump’s personal valets, who works in the West Wing serving the president his meals among other duties, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the closest the virus is known to have come to the president, a White House official said.”
* Remember Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni? “The Supreme Court on Thursday threw out the convictions of two key players in the so-called Bridgegate case that rocked the administration of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.”
* This story isn’t going away: “Sen. Richard Burr was not the only member of his family to sell off a significant portion of his stock holdings in February, ahead of the market crash spurred by coronavirus fears. On the same day Burr sold, his brother-in-law also dumped tens of thousands of dollars worth of shares. The market fell by more than 30% in the subsequent month.”
* Seems sensible: “Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to bar weapons from being taken into the state Capitol after anti-lockdown protesters showed up with firearms, she told NBC News in a wide-ranging interview.”
* Florida: “Acting under intense pressure from a coalition of Florida news organizations and open-government advocates, the state Wednesday evening released a list of every Florida fatality documented by a medical examiner resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The information was so riddled with holes, however, that it sparked as many questions as answers.”
* I’d recommend keeping expectations low: “The White House is considering another delay in the deadline for filing federal taxes along with additional measures aimed at providing economic relief for Americans that can be adopted without legislation from Congress, two people familiar with the discussions said.”
* RBG: “After being treated on Tuesday for a gallbladder infection at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged on Wednesday. ‘She is doing well and glad to be home,’ according to a Supreme Court press release.”
* Chuck Grassley put a two-year hold on this guy: “The Senate on Wednesday easily approved President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the country’s top counterintelligence official, after a nearly two-year wait. Lawmakers voted 84-7 to make William Evanina the first Senate-confirmed director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.” * Sinclair Broadcast Group “will pay a record $48 million civil penalty to resolve three outstanding FCC investigations, the FCC said Wednesday. But the agency will not revoke the broadcaster’s licenses, as some had sought.” * I actually think he might be right about this: “Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin late Wednesday offered his support for a proposal that would move the Secret Service back to the Department of Treasury. Mr. Mnuchin said the Secret Service’s role in financial and counterfeiting investigations would align closely with the Treasury’s role to ensure ‘the integrity and stability of our financial system.’” 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."
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