Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Mueller’s future: “The firing of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has long been a red line for most Republicans in Congress who are trying to work with their president. But it’s a red line they’d rather not act on — and now, with news that President Trump actually made moves to do it, they may be forced to.”
* Davos: “President Trump’s swipe at the ‘fake’ news media Friday at the World Economic Forum prompted some hissing and booing from the audience. During a question-and-answer session with the forum’s founder after his main speech to the group, Trump said it wasn’t until he became a politician that he realized ‘how nasty, how mean, how vicious and how fake the press can be.’”
* At the same event, Trump focused on the crowd size — a frequent topic of interest for him — saying his audience was the largest ever in Davos.
* According to Donald Trump’s lawyer, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has interviewed “more than 20 White House officials, including eight members of the White House Counsel’s Office.” That sounds like a lot.
* In related news: “Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his office have interviewed at least one member of a Facebook team that was associated with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Wired magazine reported on its website on Friday.”
* If you still haven’t received a flu shot, get one: “This year’s flu season is now more intense than any since the 2009 swine flu pandemic and still getting worse, federal health officials said on Friday.”
* Keep an eye on this one: “President Donald Trump managed to defeat the first lawsuit challenging his receipt of business profits while in office, but knocking out the second case over his alleged violations of the Constitution’s emoluments clauses may not be so easy.” * Hillary Clinton “resisted her campaign manager’s call to fire an aide accused of sexual harassment during her 2008 campaign, NBC News has confirmed.” * Rebekah Mercer, “a supporter of President Trump and an influential donor to conservative causes — including groups that deny climate science — is under renewed pressure to step down from the board of New York City’s most prominent science museum, the American Museum of Natural History.” 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
