Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Watch this space: “A Republican aide said talk is that negotiators could strike a deal soon, as early as today or tomorrow, angering Republicans who feel shut out of the talks, but that the bill would be expected to pass. The source said the dynamic was not set in stone and could change at any time, however. A second Republican aide said a deal tomorrow is most likely, in time to come to the floor Tuesday.”
* SCOTUS: “The Supreme Court on Thursday significantly weakened a landmark water pollution law by ruling that an Idaho couple’s property does not include wetlands subject to federal oversight under the law. The ruling, in which all the justices agreed in the outcome but differed on the legal reasoning, concluded that Mike and Chantell Sackett’s land does not fall under jurisdiction of the 1972 Clean Water Act, so they do not require a federal permit to build on the property.”
* Following up on Stewart Rhodes’ sentence: “Kelly Meggs, a fellow Oath Keepers member … was also sentenced by Judge Mehta Thursday, to 12 years in federal prison. Mehta said Meggs did not pose the same continuing threat as Rhodes and a shorter sentence was more appropriate. The 12-year sentence for Meggs is the third longest handed down for a Jan. 6 defendant.”
* A case out of Indiana that I’ve been following: “A disciplinary hearing is underway in Indiana to decide whether to penalize a doctor who spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, has accused Dr. Caitlin Bernard of failing to report child abuse and violating patient privacy by speaking to a reporter about the young girl’s case.”
* This is unsustainable: “Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions will apply to Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr.’s elevation to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his spokesperson told NBC News.”
* Bannon’s upcoming trial: “Steve Bannon, the conservative strategist and longtime ally of Donald Trump, will stand trial next May on charges that he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S. southern border, a judge said Thursday. Bannon’s trial in the ‘We Build the Wall’ case will start May 27, 2024, right after the former president is scheduled to stand trial in the same Manhattan courtroom in an unrelated criminal case.” * Impressive wins for Minnesota Democrats: “[T]he president’s party — technically the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party — just wrapped up 100 days of legislating on school funding, access to abortion, time off for new parents, marijuana legalization, new restrictions on guns and myriad other Democratic priorities.” * Incredible: “A 40-year-old man whose legs are paralyzed is able to climb stairs, move over ramps and switch from standing to walking, thanks to implants in his brain and spinal cord that pair with external devices to translate his thoughts into movement. The experiment was part of a proof-of-concept study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.” 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."
Latest Post
Recommended
