Today’s edition of quick hits.
* I’ll have more on this in the morning: “The Justice Department will appeal a judge’s ruling for a special master to look at the documents seized during the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, according to a notification filed Thursday. The Justice Department will file their appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the filing said.”
* In Ukraine: “Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ukraine Thursday for an undisclosed trip, his third visit to the country since Russia launched its invasion in late February. He landed in the country after an overnight flight and met with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, just hours after Ukraine’s military chief publicly warned of the threat of Russia using nuclear weapons in the conflict.”
* Memphis’ mass shooting: “A 19-year-old man was in custody in a series of shootings, including one broadcast on social media, that left four dead, three wounded and the city of Memphis on edge late Wednesday, police said.”
* A stunning story out of Nevada: “Police arrested a Nevada politician in connection with the slaying of a Las Vegas journalist who had written stories about the county official, officials said Wednesday.”
* Quite a disclosure: “A court opinion unsealed Tuesday evening marks what appears to be the first time the federal court in Washington has disclosed the FBI and Justice Department’s use of a domestic terrorism measure in the USA Patriot Act to obtain a search warrant connected to their sweeping probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.”
* These circuit court nominees are some of the most important confirmations: “The Senate on Wednesday confirmed John Z. Lee, an Illinois attorney, to a judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit — making him the first Asian American to join that court.”
* Policy choices matter: “Food insecurity for households with children declined to its lowest rate in two decades last year, the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday, as government assistance programs continued to blunt the effect of the coronavirus on the economy.” * NPR found a copy of Dinesh D’Souza’s new book, despite the fact that his publisher abruptly pulled the book from shelves shortly before its formal release. It appears that there are some legal concerns surrounding the far-right provocateur’s election conspiracy theories. * And there was some news in the U.K. today: “Queen Elizabeth II, whose 70-year reign spanned wars, a pandemic, 14 U.S. presidents and the winding down of Britain’s vast empire, has died. Her eldest son, Charles, is now king.” 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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