Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The latest on the devastation in Alabama: ‘At least 23 people were killed and dozens injured Sunday when at least two powerful tornadoes swept through eastern Alabama, authorities said.”
* More on this on tonight’s show: “The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee delivered a flurry of document demands to the executive branch and the broader Trump world on Monday that detailed the breadth and ambition of a new investigation into possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power by President Trump and his administration.”
* A case to watch: “California and several other Democratic-led states announced they were challenging the Trump administration’s effort to set up obstacles for women seeking abortions, including barring taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers.”
* I’m skeptical this will happen, and I’m less sure of its practical value: “President Trump said on Saturday that he planned to issue an executive order that would help guarantee free speech at colleges and universities by putting their federal aid at risk if they do not protect the viewpoints of students of all political stripes.”
* The latest in the Jeffrey Epstein case: “Fourteen Democratic members of Congress have asked the U.S. attorney general to reopen the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the 66-year-old Palm Beach hedge fund manager accused of sexually trafficking underage girls.” * Since Whitaker was supposed to stay, it makes me wonder about whether there’s a larger story here: “Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker left his position at the Justice Department on Saturday, a department spokeswoman said. Whitaker had been serving as a senior counselor at the Justice Department since Attorney General William Barr was sworn in last month.” 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
