Today’s edition of quick hits:
* On Capitol Hill: “George Floyd’s brother Philonise pleaded in a highly emotional statement to members of Congress on Wednesday that they pass police reforms and listen to the calls around the world to ‘stop the pain.’”
* In related news: “The police officer shown on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd prior to his death in custody was in talks to strike a plea bargain before his arrest, officials said Wednesday.”
* Not surprisingly, the Federal Reserve decided today “to keep interest rates at the current level of near zero, until the economy is ‘in a healthy place,’ according to a statement released Wednesday afternoon.”
* An important fact-check: “President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed testing as the reason for documented spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases across the U.S. — but data and public health experts attribute the surge to the easing of lockdown restrictions just weeks ago.”
* This just seems so obvious: “The U.S. Navy announced Tuesday that it is working on an order to ban the display of the Confederate flag, less than a week after the Marine Corps issued its directive to do so.”
* In related news: “NASCAR said Wednesday that it is banning the display of the Confederate flag at all events and properties of the auto-racing giant.”
* Unsurprising: “President Trump last week was on the brink of firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper over their differing views of domestic use of active-duty military, before advisers and allies on Capitol Hill talked him out of it, according to several officials.” * I wish White House officials were still listening to him: “Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, on Tuesday classified Covid-19 as his ‘nightmare’ outbreak scenario, warning that despite the lack of intense daily focus on the coronavirus pandemic, the devastating outbreak is ‘not over yet.’” * Credibility counts: “Minneapolis police initially told the public that George Floyd died after a ‘medical incident during a police interaction.’ The Buffalo, New York, department said a protester ‘tripped and fell.’ Philadelphia police alleged that a college student who suffered a serious head wound had assaulted an officer. All three claims were quickly disproved by videos seen widely on the internet and television, fueling mistrust and embarrassing agencies that made misleading or incomplete statements that painted their actions in a far more favorable light.” 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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