Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Usually, it’s innocent people who try to clear their names: “In an emotional meeting with his Cabinet Monday morning, [Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam] asked for time to clear his name. Cabinet members said they’d give it to him, though some wanted to know how much time – a question that wasn’t answered, according to two people with knowledge of the discussion. Some members questioned how he could go forward effectively, but the majority said they were willing to stick with him.”
* Speaking of the commonwealth: “Virginia’s state government was thrown into further chaos on Monday as Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax emphatically denied a sexual assault allegation more than a decade old.”
* Trump sure does like this guy: “President Donald Trump on Saturday named Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson as chief medical adviser and assistant to the president. Jackson, the president’s former physician and once his nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs … was also nominated for a promotion to a two-star admiral on Friday.”
* In case you missed this one over the weekend: “Deutsche Bank AG rebuffed a request from the Trump Organization in March 2016 to increase a loan for the Trump National Doral, a Florida golf resort, because of concerns about expanding the bank’s relationship with then-candidate Donald Trump or his company, according to people familiar with the matter.”
* Depending on how next year’s elections go, ideas like these may become quite important: “After years of Republican-led debate over how to pare back Social Security’s rising costs, Democrats are flipping the script with an ambitious plan to expand the New Deal-era social insurance program while making gradual changes to keep it solvent for the rest of the century.” * Officially, measles was eliminated in the United States years ago. But with outbreaks in at least four states, Surgeon General Jerome Adams released a new video today on risks and protections. Not surprisingly, Adams emphasized the importance of vaccinations. 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
