Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Good move: “Michael Cohen, the embattled lawyer for President Donald Trump, has dropped a pair of lawsuits against BuzzFeed and the research firm Fusion GPS over the preparation and publication of a dossier that contained lurid allegations about the president.”
* This was the wrong call: “Jim Bridenstine, perhaps the most politically controversial NASA administrator in history, was confirmed today on a party-line vote in the Senate, giving the US space agency a permanent leader for the first time in 15 months. The 50-49 vote puts the Oklahoma congressman in charge of the sprawling space agency and its $20-billion annual budget.”
* Things are getting weird in Missouri: “Gov. Eric Greitens’ attorneys have asked a Cole County judge to issue a restraining order blocking Attorney General Josh Hawley from investigating the governor.”
* The latest on McCabe: “The Justice Department’s inspector general has referred to federal prosecutors his findings that Andrew G. McCabe, the former F.B.I. deputy director, had repeatedly misled investigators, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.”
* In case you missed last night’s show: “Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model reported to have had an affair with Donald Trump a decade ago, has reached a deal with the owner of The National Enquirer allowing her to discuss the reports in public, she and her attorney said Wednesday.”
* The list of Pruitt controversies never seems to end: “A group of Colorado homebuilders paid for a luxury hotel stay last fall for EPA chief Scott Pruitt, eight months after the Trump administration began work on a major priority for their industry by unwinding an Obama-era wetlands regulation.”
* Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson tell their story: “One week after they were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks, the two black men seen in a cellphone video viewed more than 11 million times went on ‘Good Morning America’ Thursday to describe how arriving 10 minutes early to a business meeting landed them in handcuffs.” * A welcome sight: “One day after the Senate voted to allow babies onto the chamber’s floor, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., made history by bringing her 10-day old newborn with her to vote.” * A story worth keeping an eye on: “Law enforcement and Pennsylvania Health Department officials are investigating the death of H.R. McMaster Sr., the father of President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor, at a Philadelphia senior care facility.” 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
