Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Today’s mass shooting in Illinois: “Multiple people have been injured at a manufacturing plant in Aurora, Illinois, on Friday and a shooter has been apprehended, authorities said.”
* Look for oral arguments in this case in April: “The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday that it will take up the battle over a citizenship question for the coming census, agreeing to hear and decide the case before the court’s term ends in late June.”
* In related news: “U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to the court on Friday for the first time after weeks of recuperating from lung cancer surgery and missing oral arguments in January, a court official said on Friday.”
* Roger Stone’s case: “A federal judge issued a gag order in the Roger Stone case Friday, saying attorneys and witnesses for the former Trump campaign adviser and prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller may not speak publicly about Stone’s prosecution for lying, witness tampering and obstruction.’
* This was unexpected: “White House press secretary Sarah Sanders acknowledged on Friday that she’s been interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office.”
* This will probably be interesting: “A Connecticut judge has ruled that Infowars host Alex Jones must undergo a sworn deposition in the defamation case brought against him by family members of Sandy Hook school shooting victims.”
* Fortunately, this faced no opposition: “The Senate on Thursday unanimously backed a bill to make lynching a federal crime, a step cast as righting a historic wrong after nearly 100 years of failed attempts.” * Noted without comment: “Supporters of former Sen. Orrin Hatch are asking the Utah Legislature to donate $2 million of taxpayer money to help fund a new center in Hatch’s name in Salt Lake City.” * And shortly after declaring a national emergency, Donald Trump left town for a trip to his private golf resort in Florida, which a cynic might see as evidence that the emergency isn’t quite real. 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
