Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Some late-breaking news: Donald Trump has announced that OMB Director Mick Mulvaney will be the “acting” White House chief of staff. He didn’t say for how long, and it’s possible the president doesn’t fully understand what “acting” means.
* A heartbreaking tragedy: “A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after she was taken into Border Patrol custody last week for crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally with her father and a large group of migrants along a remote span of New Mexico desert, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.”
* Additional reporting from this afternoon: “A 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection waited an hour and a half before receiving emergency medical care after showing symptoms, officials said Friday.”
* Afghanistan: “The U.S. military says an American service member has died in a non-combat-related incident in Afghanistan, without offering further information. The military’s statement says the incident happened on Thursday and is being investigated.”
* Remember, Hatch said, out loud and on camera, that he doesn’t care whether the president committed crimes or not: “Sen. Orrin Hatch on Friday called his comments earlier in the week ‘irresponsible’ for seeming to brush aside accusations against President Donald Trump.”
* 9th Circuit: “A divided U.S. appeals court Thursday blocked rules by the Trump administration that allowed more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control. The ruling, however, may be short lived because the administration has adopted new rules on contraceptive coverage that are set to take effect next month and will likely prompt renewed legal challenges.”
* Connecticut: “Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was evacuated Friday morning after receiving a bomb threat on the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting that left 26 students and teachers dead.”
* This isn’t a great story for Inhofe: “Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) scrambled to divest himself of Raytheon stock after reports that he bought more than $50,000 worth just days after pressing President Trump to increase defense spending to unprecedented levels.” * Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) sure does seem worried about the prospect of investigative reporting in his state. * I wish I found this surprising, but I don’t: “Chinese telecom giant ZTE is tapping a deeply connected Washington insider, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, as it tries to fend off ongoing concerns that it poses a threat to U.S. national security.” * This is about more than the end of one publication; it’s emblematic of a trend in conservative politics: “The Weekly Standard, a primary voice of conservative Washington that found itself out of step with the Trumpward turn in the Republican Party, is ceasing publication after 23 years, its owners announced on Friday. The cause of death was financial, ideological or personal, depending on who was doing the telling.” 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
