Today’s edition of quick hits:
* There probably won’t be a government shutdown tonight: “The Senate on Tuesday cleared a key procedural hurdle to advancing a short-term funding patch that would prevent a government shutdown on Wednesday at midnight. The Senate advanced the measure in an 82-6 vote, easily clearing the 60-vote threshold.”
* In related news: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met Wednesday in an 11th-hour search for a bipartisan covid relief deal, but failed to reach agreement with just days to go before the House adjourns through the election.”
* Breonna Taylor case: “Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has until Friday to release the grand jury proceedings in the Breonna Taylor case after he asked a judge for a one-week extension. The recording was expected to be released Wednesday after a judge ruled earlier this week for it to be made public.”
* Jim Comey’s testimony: “Former FBI Director James Comey told a Senate hearing Wednesday that the FBI had a legitimate reason to launch its investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign and defended the agency’s general conduct — but said he would not have approved a controversial part of the probe if he had known facts that have since emerged.”
* CDC: “The White House has blocked a new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep cruise ships docked until mid-February, a step that would have displeased the politically powerful tourism industry in the crucial swing state of Florida.”
* Trump’s Office of Refugee Resettlement: “After three years of arguing in court to block pregnant, undocumented teenagers in government custody from obtaining abortions, the Trump administration dropped the fight on Tuesday, announcing it had officially changed its policy.” * Census: “A federal judge on Tuesday indicated she may move forward with contempt proceedings after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross defied court orders to continue the 2020 Census, Talking Points Memo first reported.” * The “defeat despair” initiative is now struggling: “The health department’s $300 million-plus, taxpayer-funded vehicle to boost confidence in President Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic is sputtering. Celebrities are refusing to participate, and staff are arraying against it. Some complain of the unstated aim of helping Trump’s re-election. Others point to an ill-prepared video team and a 22-year-old political appointee who has repeatedly asserted control despite having no public health expertise, according to six people with close knowledge of the campaign and documents related to its operations.” 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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