Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Spain’s political crisis: “Catalonia’s parliament declared independence from Spain on Friday in defiance of the Madrid government, which at the same time was preparing to impose direct rule over the region.”
* A good Trump-Russia story: “Trump donor Rebekah Mercer in August 2016 asked the chief executive of a data-analytics firm working for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign whether the company could better organize the Hillary Clinton-related emails being released by WikiLeaks, according to a person familiar with their email exchange.”
* The list is growing: “A former Republican state Senate candidate from Standish has become the fourth woman to say she was groped by former President George H.W. Bush.”
* Rachel will explain tonight why this is a big deal: “Dana Boente, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, has submitted his resignation, a spokesman confirmed Friday. He plans to serve until a successor is confirmed.”
* Questions about this aren’t going away: “Puerto Rico’s power crisis has improved little a month after Hurricane Marie took out the power grid. As of Thursday, 76 percent of power users still didn’t have electricity. In response, Puerto Rico’s public power company has awarded big contracts to US energy companies with no experience responding to a major disaster.”
* The Coordinator for Sanctions Policy office: “The State Department shuttered an office that oversees sanctions policy, even as the Donald Trump administration faces criticism from lawmakers over its handling of new economic penalties against Russia.” * David Kautter’s background is not without controversy: “The White House named a Treasury official to serve as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, succeeding an IRS commissioner who has drawn the ire of congressional Republicans over his response to the screening of political groups.” * The American Legion is correct: “The nation’s largest veterans organization, whose headquarters are in Vice President Pence’s home state, is calling on President Trump to veto a bill Pence sent to his desk this week.” 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
