Today’s edition of quick hits.
* On the Hill: “The House plans to vote Wednesday night on legislation to reopen the federal government and end an acrimonious 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is bringing the Republican-controlled chamber back into session for the first time since Sept. 19, wrapping up an extraordinarily long and unscheduled recess.”
* What could possibly go wrong? “The U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carrier arrived in waters near Latin America on Tuesday, expanding the American military’s buildup as the Trump administration seeks to ratchet up the pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.”
* SCOTUS news: “With a potential end to the government shutdown in sight, the Supreme Court on Tuesday extended a freeze on a federal judge’s ruling that would require the Trump administration to fully fund the SNAP food program in November.”
* Trump’s focus on pardons takes on an international dimension: “Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to consider granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president’s office said on Wednesday.”
* Speaking of Israel: “Israel said on Wednesday that it had reopened the Zikim border crossing into northern Gaza, a longstanding request from aid organizations trying to bring more food, medicine and other relief into the devastated territory. The truce between Israel and Hamas, which began in mid-October, has blunted the humanitarian crisis that has gripped Gaza for much of the two-year war. But aid workers say the needs are still enormous.”
* A complaint worth watching: “A watchdog group wants bar authorities in Florida and Virginia to investigate Lindsey Halligan, the Florida lawyer installed by the Trump administration to pursue criminal cases against the president’s political opponents in Virginia.” * The White House was no doubt delighted to learn of Bostic’s retirement: “Raphael W. Bostic said he would step down from his role as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta at the end of February, creating another vacancy in the central bank’s top ranks. Mr. Bostic has served in the position since 2017; his departure from the Fed is the latest as the central bank faces intense pressure from the White House to lower interest rates.” * So long, penny: “The American penny died on Wednesday in Philadelphia. It was 232. The cause was irrelevance and expensiveness, the Treasury Department said. Nothing could be bought any more with a penny, not even penny candy. Moreover, the cost to mint the penny had risen to more than 3 cents, a financial absurdity that doomed the coin. The final pennies were minted on Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. Top Treasury officials were on hand for its final journey. No last words were recorded.” 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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