Today’s edition of quick hits.
* An unwelcome record: “The lengthy standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democratic leaders is poised to become the longest government shutdown in American history this week. … If the shutdown continues into Wednesday, which lawmakers believe is almost certain, it will shatter that record, set during Trump’s first term.”
* In related news: “As the 35-day government shutdown ties for the longest in American history on Tuesday, senators predicted that the impasse could end this week.”
* Something to keep an eye on: “Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday that the U.S. might be forced to close parts of its airspace if staffing shortages amid the government shutdown continue.”
* What a mess: “White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the Trump administration will pay out SNAP benefits as ordered by court — even though the president posted hours before that the funds ‘will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!’”
* Dick Cheney’s passing: “Former Vice President Dick Cheney, an architect of the global war on terrorism and second Iraq war who served for decades in Congress and three Republican administrations, died Monday night of complications from pneumonia and cardio and vascular disease, his family said in a statement. He was 84.”
* Even the Trump administration thinks Trump is lying about inflation: “The Treasury Department said Monday that inflation ‘remained above the target of 2 percent in the third quarter,’ even as President Donald Trump and administration officials continue to assert that there is ‘no inflation.’” * Cannon is who she appears to be: “A federal appeals court said that there had been ‘undue delay’ by Judge Aileen Cannon in reaching a decision about whether or not to release the second volume of a report by Jack Smith, the former special counsel, on President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, a case that was dropped after Trump returned to office. The ruling, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in response to a lawsuit by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columba University, gives Judge Cannon 60 days to ‘fully resolve’ pending motions that could trigger the release of the report.” * Quite a story: “Consultants who worked on Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaigns were paid more than $1.6 million to advise a conservative Albanian opposition party on its strategy for parliamentary elections in May, according to a finance report filed on Monday.” 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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