Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Look for more on this on tonight’s show: “House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Thursday that he believed it was likely that President Donald Trump or his aides were working to keep the details of an urgent complaint by an intelligence community whistleblower from Congress.”
* Gun industry: “Colt will suspend production of AR-15 rifles for civilian sales, saying there’s an ‘adequate supply’ of the high-powered weapons already in the market, the famed gun manufacturer said Thursday. The gun-maker, based in West Hartford, Connecticut, said its decision is purely market-driven and made no mention of any public pressure over the AR-15’s use in several mass shootings in the United States.”
* The president’s lawyers sure are busy: “President Donald Trump on Thursday sued Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who subpoenaed eight years of Trump’s personal and corporate tax returns earlier this month.”
* Did it not occur to him that the public would find out? “A third instance of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dressed in a costume and covered in blackface surfaced Thursday, hours after he admitted to two previous instances where he dramatically darkened his face.”
* Technically, the next government-shutdown deadline is a week and a half away, but the crisis is likely to be avoided: “The House passed a short-term bill Thursday to prevent a federal shutdown when the budget year ends Sept. 30, and give lawmakers until the Thanksgiving break to negotiate and approve $1.4 trillion for federal agencies. The Senate is expected to approve the stopgap bill next week. The vote in the Democratic-run House on the bipartisan plan was 301-123.”
* Adding to the list of Trump’s failed overseas ventures: “It was billed by Donald Trump as an ‘incredible’ way to tour his golf resorts in the UK and Ireland… But Mr. Trump’s bold vision of bolstering business at three of his loss-making courses by exporting one of his luxury helicopters across the Atlantic to woo wealthy golfers has failed to take off.”
* A worthwhile initiative: “New Mexico’s Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious new plan that would provide free college tuition to all in-state students.” * A nomination we’ve been following: “Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said Wednesday that he’s not inclined to support President Donald Trump’s judicial nominee Steven Menashi, a major blow for an already controversial court pick with strong opposition from progressive groups. ‘I’m real doubtful,’ Kennedy, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told HuffPost.” * Another Hatch Act violation? “The Office of Special Counsel has reprimanded Lynne Patton, a top Department of Housing and Urban Development official with ties to President Donald Trump’s family, for making political statements on the job.” See you tomorrow.
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
