Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest reporting on the latest airplane incident: “At least 18 people were injured Monday after a Delta Air Lines plane appeared to have overturned upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Footage posted on social media and broadcast from the airport shows a surreal scene — the plane flipped completely upside down as emergency workers evacuated passengers and attend to the crash site.”
* At the FAA: “The Trump administration fired hundreds of employees with the Federal Aviation Administration over the weekend, just weeks after a fatal crash in Washington, D.C., exposed understaffing at the agency. The union representing the employees called the firings a ‘hastily made decision’ that would increase the workload of a workforce already stretched thin.”
* Devasting flooding in Kentucky: “Severe flooding has wreaked havoc across Kentucky, leading to more than 1,000 rescues as emergency teams race to help those trapped by rising waters. At least nine fatalities have been confirmed, with officials warning the death toll will likely rise as search-and-rescue efforts continue.”
* Is there a defense for this? “An IRS employee who is affiliated with the Department of Government Efficiency is expected to seek access to an IRS system that houses sensitive taxpayer information, according to an administration official. The access would be to the Integrated Data Retrieval System, which allows IRS employees to access taxpayer accounts.”
* Counterterrorism news: “President Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign assistance has threatened programs intended to counter al-Shabab bombmakers, contain the spread of al-Qaeda across West Africa and secure Islamic State prisoners in the Middle East, according to U.S. officials and aid workers.”
* An intensifying outbreak: “A fast-growing measles outbreak has infected dozens in Texas and New Mexico as officials suspect the highly contagious disease continues to spread. In just two weeks, an outbreak in northwest Texas jumped from two cases among unvaccinated children in Gaines County to 48 people across four counties, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. All cases are among people, mostly children, who weren’t vaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. More than a dozen people have been hospitalized for measles as of Friday.” * The Republican offensive against the FBI continues: “The F.B.I. issued an unusual, biting rejoinder to a cabinet secretary on Friday, saying that her remarks accusing the bureau of corruption were ‘deeply irresponsible.’ The pushback from one federal agency to another came after the secretary, Kristi Noem of the Homeland Security Department, suggested this week that F.B.I. special agents leaked details ahead of immigration arrests being conducted on the West Coast.” * An extraordinary report: “Jan. 28 began as a normal day for “Marcus Doe,” an employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He boarded a shuttle, bound for his desk at the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa. His children got on their school bus heading a different direction. Within hours, everything changed. Violent political demonstrations erupted and protesters attacked the U.S. Embassy. By the end of the day, most staff were told to evacuate.” See you tomorrow.
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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