Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Dr. Rick Bright: “A top Health and Human Services official who says he was shoved out of a key coronavirus response job for pushing back on ‘efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections’ filed a whistleblower complaint Tuesday charging ‘an abuse of authority or gross mismanagement’ at the agency.”
* I’d recommend skepticism: “Rep. John Ratcliffe, President Trump’s pick to be the nation’s top intelligence official, vowed Tuesday to ‘speak truth to power’ and resist pressure from the president or any official to shade intelligence, seeking to assuage Democrats concerned about his willingness to provide candid information free from political considerations.”
* Failing to lead: “On Monday, a European Union-led fundraiser failed to reach its €7.5 billion goal to support researchers pursuing a coronavirus vaccine. Though the fundraiser had a noticeable flaw — its organizers curiously included money that’s already been allocated for COVID-19 studies in their totals — one reason for the missed target was the Trump administration’s decision to skip the event outright.”
* Capitol Hill: “Sen. Lamar Alexander is calling on congressional leaders to reverse their decision to reject rapid coronavirus testing kits for members of Congress.”
* ODNI: “The White House has picked a top Justice Department lawyer to serve as the new general counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, according to two senior administration officials. Patrick Hovakimian, the chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, will be nominated to ODNI to serve as the intelligence community’s top lawyer, according to the officials.” * What a good idea: “Former President Barack Obama will deliver a televised prime-time commencement address for the high school class of 2020 during an hour-long event that will also feature LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai and Ben Platt, among others.” 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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