Today’s edition of quick hits:
* May doesn’t have the votes: “British Prime Minister Theresa May announced Monday that she has postponed a pivotal parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal, throwing the divorce process even deeper into chaos. May was facing a crushing defeat in the House of Commons vote originally slated for Tuesday.”
* A different crisis on the other side of the Channel: “Facing a political career in jeopardy, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a raise in the country’s minimum wage and tax relief measures during an address to the nation Monday following a fourth weekend of increasing violence by ‘yellow jacket’ protesters.”
* Our new anti-climate partners: “The United States joined a controversial proposal by Saudi Arabia and Russia this weekend to weaken a reference to a key report on the severity of global warming, sharpening battle lines at the global climate summit in Poland aimed at gaining consensus over how to combat rising temperatures.”
* This struck me as new: “The FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia initially focused on four Americans and whether they were connected to Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, former FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers during hours of closed-door questioning. Comey did not identify the Americans but said President Donald Trump, then the Republican candidate, was not among them.”
* Before Trump chose William Barr as his nominee for attorney general, the president considered him for his legal defense team? * Another step backwards: “This week, the United States Department of Agriculture announced its final plans to lower nutrition standards for grains, flavored milks and sodium in school cafeterias that were part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 and that Michelle Obama, the former first lady, had advocated.” * Gen. Mark Milley will still need to be confirmed by the Senate: “President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he’s picked a battle-hardened commander who oversaw troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be the nation’s next top military adviser.” 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
