Today’s edition of quick hits:
* DHS: “The Department of Homeland Security says it’s working to identify who — or what — is behind an increasing number of attempted cyber attacks on U.S. election databases ahead of next month’s midterms.”
* This ought to be interesting: “President Trump said Monday that he is sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with Saudi King Salman amid the mounting international backlash over missing Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.”
* The end of an era: “Sears has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, buckling under its massive debt load and staggering losses. Sears once dominated the American retail landscape. But the big question is whether the shrunken version of itself can be viable or will it be forced to go out of business, closing the final chapter for an iconic name that originated more than a century ago.”
* It’s quite a family: “Over the past decade, Jared Kushner’s family company has spent billions of dollars buying real estate. His personal stock investments have soared. His net worth has quintupled to almost $324 million. And yet, for several years running, Mr. Kushner — President Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser — appears to have paid almost no federal income taxes, according to confidential financial documents reviewed by The New York Times.”
* An interesting scoop: “A company owned by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s in-laws won more than $7 million in no-bid and other federal contracts at U.S. military installations and other government properties in California based on a dubious claim of Native American identity by McCarthy’s brother-in-law, [an L.A. Times] investigation has found.”
* Needlessly dangerous: “A small but growing population of children are not getting vaccinated, according to federal health data. While most children are receiving recommended immunizations, the number of children who aren’t being vaccinated by 24-months-old has been gradually increasing, a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.”
* This might discourage top-tier applicants: “The more consequential internal White House debate over UN ambassador isn’t over who’ll replace Nikki Haley, but over whether it should remain a Cabinet-level position.” * The latest news on security clearances: “Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s security clearance has been revoked at her request, the State Department told lawmakers, according to a letter made public Friday. Clinton’s clearance was withdrawn on Aug. 30, according to a letter from the State Department to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), which he released.” * I get the feeling some locals are taking this “vandalism” a bit too seriously: “City officials in Savannah, Georgia, are asking for the public’s help to catch a prankster after a marble monument honoring a Revolutionary War general was vandalized last week with a set of googly, cartoonish eyes stuck to his bronze face.” Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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." Recommended
