Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Pandemic: “Coronavirus hospitalizations in Arizona and Texas have hit record numbers as cases continue to surge in states in the South and the West, overwhelming medical professionals.”
* On a related note: “More than 35,000 new coronavirus cases were identified across the United States on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database, the highest single-day total since late April and the third-highest total of any day of the pandemic.”
* It’s tough to enforce this: “Visitors from coronavirus hot spots will have to quarantine for 14 days if they set foot in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, the governors of those northeastern states said Wednesday.”
* Trump’s brutal legacy: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday reached a significant milestone during the Trump presidency by filling the final vacancy on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, an achievement that fulfills his goal of remaking the federal judiciary as more conservative for a generation but also one that is less diverse.”
* Georgia: “The three suspects in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery were officially indicted by a Georgia grand jury on murder charges, the district attorney in Cobb County announced Wednesday.”
* Hmm: “Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said Tuesday he would consider testifying against Attorney General William P. Barr if House Democrats ask for his testimony. ‘I’ll certainly consider it if and when it comes up and consult with my lawyers and try and do the right thing,’ Mr. Bolton said in a virtual interview with The Washington Post.”
* Across from the White House: “The fencing in Lafayette Square that was taken down after the height of protests in D.C. following the killing of George Floyd has been replaced after a failed attempt to topple a statue of Andrew Jackson.” * IG: “The State Department’s new acting inspector general has officially recused himself from two high-profile investigations that deal with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s actions and, in one case, those of the secretary’s wife.” * UFO records: “Last June, senators and staff involved in Intelligence and Defense subcommittees were reportedly ‘coming out of the woodwork’ to receive briefings on unidentified flying objects. Whether inspired by the evidence or just a feeling of generosity, the Senate Intelligence Committee now wants to extend that courtesy to the public: On Tuesday, the committee voted to require the Defense Department and U.S. intelligence agencies to provide a public analysis of any data related to ‘unidentified aerial phenomenon’ as soon as 2021.” 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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