Today’s edition of quick hits:
* It’s a safe bet this is going to be interesting: “Michael Cohen, former lawyer and fixer to President Donald Trump, has agreed to testify publicly before Congress early next month before he goes to prison.”
* Points for effort? “Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, asked for a request for unanimous consent — agreement from all 100 senators — to vote on bills to reopen the government on Thursday, only for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to deny it.”
* Seems relevant: “President Donald Trump has repeatedly advocated for a steel slat design for his border wall, which he described as ‘absolutely critical to border security’ in his Oval Office address to the nation Tuesday. But Department of Homeland Security testing of a steel slat prototype proved it could be cut through with a saw, according to a report by DHS.”
* Radical nonsense: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a scathing rebuke of the Obama administration’s Mideast policies on Thursday, accusing the former president of “misguided” thinking that diminished America’s role in the region while harming its longtime friends and emboldening Iran.”
* The effects of the shutdown continue: “The two-week-old shutdown has halted one of the federal government’s most important public health activities, the inspections of chemical factories, power plants, oil refineries, water treatment plants, and thousands of other industrial sites for pollution violations.”
* This, too: “The association that represents thousands of FBI agents warned Thursday that a partial government shutdown could cause laboratory delays, reduce money for investigations and make it harder to recruit and retain agents.” * Quite a story: “The former commander of Guantánamo Navy base is under arrest, accused of covering up an affair and fight he had with a base worker who soon afterward was found drowned in the bay, according to an indictment obtained by McClatchy.” * Keep in mind, Montana is a border state, but it borders Canada, not Mexico: “Montana Senate President Scott Sales plans to introduce a bill that would have the state of Montana direct $8 million in funding to a wall along the U.S. southern border.” 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
