Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Tom Bossert, Donald Trump’s former top homeland security adviser, told NBC News today, in reference to the coronavirus outbreak, “We are 10 days from the hospitals getting creamed.”
* The volatile market: “Wall Street rebounded by the closing bell on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up almost 5 percent, or 1,164 points. Markets had surged in early trading, before sliding into red. The whipsaw action came just one day after a historic rout that saw the blue-chip index drop by 2,013 points, the most ever.”
* A key 2-1 ruling at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals: “A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that House Democrats are entitled to get materials gathered by a grand jury during former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of the Trump campaign and Russian election meddling in 2016.”
* Donald Trump lashed out at the Federal Reserve via Twitter again today, calling it “pathetic.” He also condemned Fed Chairman Jay Powell by name, despite the fact that the president chose him for the post.
* Afghanistan: “American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, the U.S. military confirmed Monday, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal.”
* Seems problematic: “The Trump administration on Monday initiated a change in the way that U.S. manufacturers will be allowed to export some firearms, ammunition, and gun components, relaxing federal requirements for such transfers.”
* A story worth watching: “The State Department is pushing to designate at least one violent white supremacist group as a foreign terrorist organization, an unprecedented move that national security experts say would be a big step toward fighting a growing threat on U.S. soil.” * A changing landscape: “Dick’s Sporting Goods will stop selling guns at 440 additional stores this year, escalating the company’s methodical elimination of firearms from its stores. The move follows a series of decisions at Dick’s to scale back gun sales. A few days after the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in February 2018, the company announced it would stop selling semi-automatic weapons like the one used in the event.” * Remember him? “Disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker wants you to know that, as long as you’ve got his branded ‘Silver Solution’ on your side, the novel coronavirus epidemic sweeping the globe doesn’t stand a chance. If only those pesky federal regulators hadn’t gotten in the way!” 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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