Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The latest from North Carolina: “At least four people were killed Friday after Hurricane Florence crashed ashore on North Carolina’s coast, ripping apart roofs with extreme winds, threatening massive storm surges and requiring dozens of water rescues.”
* Supreme Court fight: “Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Friday denied allegations made by a woman who reportedly said that he had held her down at a party when they were in high school in the 1980s and tried to force himself on her.”
* On a related note, Senate Republicans announced today that the Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination will not be delayed and they don’t expect the accusations to affect his likely confirmation.
* Trade: “President Donald Trump is urging his administration to move ahead with slapping tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, according to a person familiar with the plans. The timing of an announcement remains unclear. Trump met with top aides earlier this week on the tariff issue and directed aides to proceed with plan.”
* Good move: “The Violence Against Women Act, which was set to expire Sept. 30, will be extended through Dec. 7 under a stopgap spending bill released Thursday.” * I have a strong hunch he’s wrong: “Three days after the Trump administration evicted the Palestine Liberation Organization from its offices in Washington, Jared Kushner defended the latest in a string of punitive actions against the Palestinians and insisted that none of them had diminished the chances of a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians.” * Flynn doesn’t seem especially concerned about trying to rehabilitate his public standing: “While he awaits sentencing for lying to the FBI, former national security advisor Michael Flynn will take his awards where he can get them—even if that means appearing alongside Pizzagate pushers and racist YouTubers.” 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
