Today’s earlier-than-usual edition of quick hits.
* Breaking news this afternoon: “Longtime National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre announced his resignation Friday, Fox News Digital has learned.”
* A major policy shift: “The Food and Drug Administration has allowed Florida to import millions of dollars’ worth of medications from Canada at far lower prices than in the United States, overriding fierce decades-long objections from the pharmaceutical industry.”
* A sensible ruling: “A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Jan. 6 defendants can be found culpable of ‘disorderly’ or ‘disruptive’ conduct inside the Capitol even if they weren’t personally violent or destructive. The decision is a victory for the Justice Department in cases against hundreds of defendants charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly and disruptive conduct, one of the staple charges that has been applied to nearly every member of the mob that entered the halls of Congress.”
* An important trip: “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is returning to the Middle East this week with the goals of getting Israel to curtail attacks that are killing thousands of Palestinian civilians and preventing the war from spreading across the region. But previously unreported details of a clash between Mr. Blinken and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel point to the challenges ahead.”
* A dangerous trend: “Federal law enforcement recorded a ‘deeply disturbing spike’ in threats against government workers and public servants in recent months, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters Friday. This week alone, officials are investigating bomb threats that forced evacuations at several courthouses and state capitols across the country. The attorney general said federal officials also arrested and charged a man for threatening to kill a congressman and his children.”
* In related news: “More than 500 gun purchases have been blocked since a new gun law requiring stricter background checks for young people went into effect in 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, the day after a school shooting in Iowa left a sixth-grader dead.” * Any chance they’ll also hold House Republicans who defied congressional subpoena in contempt? “House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after the president’s son defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition last month.” * Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi on the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack: “The threat to our democracy is real, present, and urgent. The parable of January 6 reminds us that our precious democratic institutions are only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with their care. We all share a responsibility to preserve American democracy, which Lincoln called ‘the last best hope of earth.’” Have a safe weekend.
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."
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