Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The latest from Alaska: “A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Alaska on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said, prompting authorities to declare a tsunami warning, which was later canceled. The quake hit about eight miles north of Anchorage.”
* This is a very significant breach: “Marriott International said Friday that the private information of up to 500 million guests may have been accessed as part of a breach of its Starwood guest reservation database, potentially one of the largest breaches of consumer data ever.”
* The latest from California: “Search teams that rushed to Northern California after fire leveled entire towns have completed their work, having checked every burned building in the fire zone for human remains, the authorities said Thursday. But the search of nearly 18,000 fire-ravaged structures — everything from homes, churches, stores and garden sheds — has not resolved the question of why nearly 200 people remain on the list of the missing.”
* Sanity prevailed: “After a day of pressure from members of Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs reversed course on Thursday and announced that it would pay veterans the full amount of benefits they are due under the Forever GI Bill.”
* Hatch Act violations: “A government watchdog agency on Friday ruled that six Trump administration officials violated the Hatch Act after they tweeted support for Republicans or President Donald Trump on their government Twitter accounts, but declined to take disciplinary action.”
* Foreign policy: “For two years, the Trump administration has unabashedly slashed U.S. aid to the Palestinians. Now, amid signs it may finally roll out its long-awaited Middle East peace plan, the administration is scrambling to save what little remaining Palestinian assistance it provides.” * A little behind-the-scenes GOP drama on the Hill: “Jeff Flake is finally taking a stand on the need to protect Robert Mueller — and it’s infuriating his fellow Republicans.” * An inconclusive result: “The Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General has closed two probes into Scott Pruitt’s conduct when he was EPA chief without reaching any conclusions because he resigned as administrator before he could be interviewed, according to a report the agency submitted to Congress on Thursday. The investigations focused on Pruitt’s use of staff members for personal purposes and a condo rental deal he made with a lobbyist.” 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
