Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A devastating and deadly typhoon: “The Philippines declared a national state of emergency Thursday, after a deadly typhoon swept through vulnerable low-lying communities in the country’s center, flooding streets and prompting an urgent search and rescue effort. By Thursday afternoon, officials said Typhoon Kalmaegi had killed at least 114 people in the Philippines, where it was also known as Typhoon Tino.”
* A big ruling on food aid: “A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to find the money by Friday to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. on Thursday was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit.”
* The usual justices come through for the White House again: “The Supreme Court’s Republican-appointed majority has agreed to let the Trump administration implement its new passport policy, which has been opposed by a group of transgender and nonbinary Americans.”
* The case against the man known as “sandwich guy” ends in an acquittal: “Sean Dunn was found not guilty by a Washington, D.C., jury of a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a federal officer with a sandwich, The Associated Press reported. The verdict in the case of the man who became a folk hero in the nation’s capital follows a D.C. grand jury’s refusal to approve a felony indictment against him — seemingly a much rarer occurrence prior to Donald Trump’s second presidential term.”
* A striking rebuke: “A federal judge castigated the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday for its aggressive use of force during an illegal immigration crackdown in Chicago in recent weeks, banning the use of tear gas and other crowd-control weapons ‘unless necessary to stop the immediate threat of physical harm.’ Judge Sara L. Ellis, of Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, said that government officials, including the senior Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, had repeatedly lied about their own tactics and the actions of protesters.” * Take a few minutes to read about the meltdown inside a prominent conservative organization: “The Heritage Foundation is erupting in open revolt against its president, Kevin Roberts, as the right-wing think tank struggles to deal with internal and external anger over his defense of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.” * It’s such a weird White House: “Photographers and reporters have spotted a new sign labelling the Oval Office at the White House. The sign, printed in gold, cursive lettering, echoes the visual brand of President Trump’s hotels and clubs. It is unclear if the fixture is temporary or part of a larger effort to renovate the West Wing.” I’ll be off tomorrow, but I’ll see you Monday morning.
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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