Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Trump-Russia: “President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner received and forwarded emails about WikiLeaks and a ‘Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite’ that he kept from Senate Judiciary Committee investigators, according to panel leaders demanding that he produce the missing records.”
* Quite a story out of Afghanistan: “No one will ever know what went through the mind of Afghan Police Lt. Sayed Basam Pacha in those moments when he came face to face with a man he suspected of being a suicide bomber on Thursday afternoon, but whatever it was, he did not hesitate to act.”
* EPA: “Two Republican senators have announced they oppose President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to become the nation’s top regulator of toxic chemicals, putting his nomination in serious jeopardy. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, both of North Carolina, said Wednesday they could not support Michael Dourson to lead the Environmental Protection Agency’s office of chemical safety, citing concerns about his record.”
* Another step backwards: “The Trump administration confirmed Thursday it lifted a ban that had prohibited hunters from importing trophies of elephants killed in two African nations, reversing a 2014 rule put in place by the Obama White House.”
* I hope you’re following this: “Sinclair Broadcasting, which could soon own more U.S. television stations than any other company, has a plan to create a near-national network of local stations delivering the news with a conservative bent. And thanks to some help from federal officials, that plan is inching closer to reality.”
* A painful story to read: “Ohio called off the execution of an ailing 69-year-old killer Wednesday after the executioners couldn’t find a vein to insert the IV that delivers the lethal drugs. It was only the third time in modern U.S. history that an execution attempt was halted after the process had begun.”
* This one isn’t over just yet: “A federal appeals court heard arguments Wednesday about whether to upend a $25 million deal President-elect Donald Trump agreed to last year to settle long-running federal lawsuits over alleged fraud in his Trump University real estate seminar program.” * NTC: “The director of the National Counterterrorism Center will step down next month, the Trump administration said on Wednesday. The director, Nicholas J. Rasmussen, is one of the few individuals in the American government who has served continuously in counterterrorism jobs since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.” * How is it this nomination hasn’t been withdrawn yet? “Trump Judicial Nominee Brett Talley appears to have defended “the first KKK” in message board post.” 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
