Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Better late than never: “The White House announced Thursday that it had waived the Jones Act — a nearly century-old shipping law many have said is hampering relief efforts in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico — to allow much-needed goods to arrive more quickly to the island.”
* A welcome return: “Rep. Steve Scalise, the third-ranking Republican in the House, returned to the chamber floor Thursday for the first time since he was shot three months ago on a baseball field in Virginia, earning an enthusiastic and emotional standing ovation from his colleagues.”
* Russia scandal: “Twitter said Thursday it had shut down 201 accounts that were tied to the same Russian operatives who posted thousands of political ads on Facebook, but the effort frustrated lawmakers who said the problem is far broader than the company appeared to know. The company said it also found three accounts from the news site RT — which Twitter linked to the Kremlin — that spent $274,100 in ads on its platform in 2016.”
* Wait, what? “A congressional request for information on White House adviser Jared Kushner’s private email use ended up in CNN’s hands on Thursday after his high-powered D.C. attorney accidentally forwarded it to an Internet prankster.”
* A case to watch: “The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a case that could deal a crushing blow to organized labor… In the labor case, the court will consider whether public-sector unions may require workers who are not members to help pay for collective bargaining. If the court’s answer is no, unions would probably lose a substantial source of revenue.” * Why did Donald Trump Jr. ditch the Secret Service for a week? The official explanation: “After he requested the removal of his Secret Service protection detail, Donald Trump Jr. went on a moose-hunting jaunt to Canada, the New York Times reported late Wednesday.” * Tick tock: “On September 30, funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program expires. After Republicans took a rushed and ultimately failed run at repealing Obamacare one last time, the program’s spending authorization is now at imminent risk of lapsing.” 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
