Today’s edition of quick hits:
* I generally have no use for celebrity culture, but these were memorable comments: “Actor Matthew McConaughey joined the White House briefing on Tuesday to pay tribute to the victims of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting — and to urge Congress to take action on gun legislation. ‘Make the loss of these lives matter,’ the Uvalde native pleaded in emotional remarks.”
* If the coalition splinters, it fails: “More than 100 days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the anti-Moscow alliance may be confronting the limits of its unity.”
* It’s going to be a while before Uvalde can heal: “Embattled school police chief and newly sworn-in City Councilman Pete Arredondo on Tuesday missed what would have been his first meeting as a town lawmaker.”
* Vaccine news: “An independent advisory group to the Food and Drug Administration voted Tuesday in favor of authorizing the Covid vaccine made by drugmaker Novavax for adults ages 18 and older. Twenty-one members of the committee voted yes, and none voted no, though one person abstained.”
* Some Republicans have already expressed skepticism about this timeline: “The top Democratic negotiator of a package of gun bills prompted by the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, said Monday he hopes to reach a deal with his Republican counterparts this week.” * Not too surprising: “Florida’s COVID-19 data was so inaccurate, incomplete and delayed during the first months of the pandemic that government officials and the public may not have had necessary information to determine the effectiveness of the state’s COVID-19 precautions and the best plan to fight the virus, according to a state report released Monday.” * Quite a report out of Utah: “If the Great Salt Lake, which has already shrunk by two-thirds, continues to dry up, here’s what’s in store: The lake’s flies and brine shrimp would die off — scientists warn it could start as soon as this summer — threatening the 10 million migratory birds that stop at the lake annually to feed on the tiny creatures. Ski conditions at the resorts above Salt Lake City, a vital source of revenue, would deteriorate. The lucrative extraction of magnesium and other minerals from the lake could stop. Most alarming, the air surrounding Salt Lake City would occasionally turn poisonous.” 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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