Today’s edition of quick hits:
* What we’re waiting for: “Paul Manafort, the political consultant and Trump presidential campaign chairman whose lucrative work in Ukraine and ties to well-connected Russians made him a target of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, faces sentencing on Thursday in the financial fraud case that left his grand lifestyle and power-broker reputation in ruins.”
* Cohen said he’s owed $1.9 million: “Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, filed a lawsuit Thursday in New York City against his one-time boss’s real estate business over unpaid legal bills.”
* This story out of San Diego warrants some additional attention: “Documents obtained by NBC 7 Investigates show the U.S. government created a secret database of activists, journalists, and social media influencers tied to the migrant caravan and in some cases, placed alerts on their passports.”
* White House planning seems wise: “The White House made a quiet but notable personnel change a few weeks ago, moving a veteran staff attorney to a press office that is preparing a response to the much-anticipated final report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III — whatever it says, whenever it comes.”
* So very disappointing: “The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s controversial judicial nominee on Wednesday who supported a lawsuit challenging Obamacare. In a 52-47 vote, the Senate approved Chad Readler’s nomination to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats to vote against the nominee.”
* A worthwhile line of inquiry: “The House Oversight and Reform Committee is investigating allegations of voter suppression in Georgia under Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who has since become governor.”
* Remember this guy? “Charges against former Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock are set to be dropped in a stunning agreement reached Wednesday with federal prosecutors.”
* The Senate can be an odd place: “Sen. Chuck Grassley is once again blocking the confirmation of a nominee for a top counterintelligence job in an effort to win access to sensitive material on the origin of the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation.” * This bill obviously won’t become law in this Congress, but it’s worth attention anyway: “Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on Wednesday unveiled the latest version of their American Family Act — in my view, likely to be the single most important bill of the 116th Congress for the country’s poorest residents.” * The Trumps sure did hire a lot of undocumented immigrants, didn’t they? “One morning last May, Eric Trump sent a text message to the caretaker of the shooting range he and his brother own in Upstate New York. The weather was getting warmer, and it was time to plant crops to attract deer that the Trumps and their friends could hunt…. Quintero, 42, was so trusted by the Trumps that he had not one but two jobs working for the family…. He also was an immigrant from Mexico who had crossed the border more than two decades ago and was working illegally in the United States.” 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
