Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Today’s shooting in Atlanta: “Gunfire erupted at an Atlanta medical facility on Wednesday, killing at least one woman and wounding four more as police searched for the assailant, authorities said. Police were searching for 24-year-old Deion Patterson, who is believed to be the gunman whose picture was taken by security cameras, officials said.”
* Texas’ manhunt ends: “The man accused of killing five of his neighbors with an AR-15 rifle in their Texas home was arrested Tuesday, after a tip led authorities to a house less than 20 miles from where the crimes took place, officials said.”
* Carroll case: “Former President Donald Trump will not present a defense case in his civil trial on allegations he raped writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s, his attorney told the judge presiding over the case on Wednesday.”
* Maybe this can be the last one? “The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it was raising its key federal funds rate to more than 5% — a 16-year high — as it continues its firefight against persistent inflation. In a statement announcing the hike — the 10th-consecutive one since March 2022 — it omitted previous language that signaled more hikes are likely.”
* This was negotiated in secret and unveiled as a surprise: “North Carolina Republican legislative leaders said on Tuesday there’s agreement in the GOP-dominated legislature on backing a measure that would prohibit abortion in nearly all cases after roughly the first trimester of pregnancy.”
* The latest Jan. 6 arrest: “The FBI on Tuesday arrested a Florida man who federal authorities say set off an explosive device in a Capitol tunnel during a fierce battle between Trump supporters and law enforcement officers on Jan. 6.”
* Zephyr’s case falls short: “A Montana judge on Tuesday denied transgender state Rep. Zooey Zephyr’s request for a court order allowing her to return to the House floor after she was barred by Republican colleagues over remarks on gender-affirming care legislation.”
* When far-right Republicans take an interest in children’s programming, unfortunate things tend to happen: “Oklahoma’s Republican governor is on a crusade against ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog,’ the network that produces the animated children’s show, and the local affiliate that airs it. Last week, Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that authorized funding the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), which broadcasts PBS programming, through July 2026.” * This does not seem like a good time to roll back child-labor laws: “More than 300 children, including two 10-year-olds, were found working at McDonald’s restaurants across Kentucky and several other states in violation of federal labor laws, the Labor Department said Tuesday.” * Quite a quote: “There was a jaw-dropping moment on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives this week after a Republican lawmaker’s comment about who really hates the LGBTQ+ community. ‘ISIS, the Taliban and al Qaeda. Those are the folks who discriminate,’ state Rep. Jeff Holcomb said Monday. ‘Our terrorist enemies hate homosexuals more than we do.’” * Conditions at Twitter are not improving: “Elon Musk has threatened to reassign NPR’s Twitter account to ‘another company.’ In a series of emails sent to this reporter, Musk said he would transfer the network’s main account on Twitter, under the @NPR handle, to another organization or person. The idea shocked even longtime observers of Musk’s spur-of-the-moment and erratic leadership style.” 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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