Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Long-awaited findings: “A federal investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, launched in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd, found that the police department and the city itself engage in a ‘pattern or practice’ of excessive force and racial discrimination that violates both the United States Constitution and federal law.”
* A big ruling in Iowa: “The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday issued a split decision on a proposed six-week abortion ban in the state, allowing the procedures to remain legal until about the 20th week of pregnancy. The six justices on the state’s high court issued a 3-3 decision, failing to reach a majority regarding whether to overturn a lower court decision that had blocked GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds’ effort to reinstate a six-week abortion ban that had been passed in 2018. The split decision leaves that lower court’s decision in place.”
* Guilty: “The gunman who opened fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, killing 11, was found guilty Friday on all 63 federal charges — some of which are punishable by death — for his role in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. The verdict in Robert Bowers’ trial was announced after a jury deliberated for five hours over two days.”
* The latest Jan. 6 sentence: “A 24-year-old moved to Maryland to work for the National Security Agency six months before joining the attack on the U.S. Capitol with followers of a movement whose founder is known for espousing white supremacist views, according to court filings. Paul Lovley was sentenced Tuesday to two weeks incarceration for illegally demonstrating in the Capitol.”
* In light of acting Labor Secretary Julie Su’s successful work, maybe the Senate can confirm her cabinet nomination now? “The Longshore union and employers of 22,000 dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports on Wednesday said they have reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, ending 13 months of talks and easing supply chain worries.”
* More progress for consumers: “Two of the biggest U.S. ticket sellers plan to change how they display prices to concertgoers, the White House said Thursday, moves aimed at simplifying the process of buying tickets. The Biden administration announced commitments by Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit as well as SeatGeek to make pricing more transparent on their ticket-buying platforms later this year.” * Ridiculous: “A South Carolina teacher’s AP lesson that would have used Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2015 memoir ‘Between the World and Me’ was shut down after students complained the material made them uncomfortable and could violate state laws by discussing systemic racism.” * Encouraging, incremental progress: “Every time a new cancer treatment approach emerges, oncologists and over-excited journalists have a habit of declaring that a cure for cancer is imminent. What’s happening now is different. Rather than a single breakthrough therapy or discovery, a variety of scientific advances are exerting downward pressure on cancer mortality in new ways and at the same time. As a result, the landscape for many cancer patients has changed tremendously in just the past five years. The Cancer Moonshot, a multi-billion-dollar initiative championed by President Biden, aims to cut the cancer death rate by 50 percent in the next quarter century. The goal is lofty, but recent progress against cancer means it’s now less far-fetched than it might have once seemed.” 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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