Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The Category 5 storm has already been blamed for at least nine deaths: “Tourists scrambled to evacuate from Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas on Thursday as the deadly Hurricane Irma threatened to rake the islands and continue ravaging the northern Caribbean.”
* Have I mentioned lately that I’m a Miami native with family and friends in the city? “Hurricane Irma was on a track to slam Miami this weekend as it continued to cut a fatal and destructive swath through the Caribbean islands Thursday.”
* Irma isn’t alone: “Two other menacing hurricanes, Jose and Katia, were swirling in the Atlantic Ocean basin and forecast to strengthen and impact land areas late Friday into the weekend.”
* Today’s vote was 80 to 17: “The Senate easily passed a $15 billion disaster relief bill Thursday that would also keep the government open for an additional three months and lift the debt ceiling to keep the U.S. Treasury from defaulting.” (All 17 “no” votes were from Republicans.)
* Another step backwards: “During a planned press conference on Thursday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that ‘the era of rule by letter is over’ with regards to campus sexual assault.”
* Gregory Katsas: “President Donald Trump has tapped one of his own White House attorneys for a judgeship on one of the most important federal appeals courts, opening the door for confirmation hearing questions about the legal controversies that dominated the first seven months of Trump’s presidency.” * He really ought to keep Yellen: “President Donald Trump is unlikely to nominate Gary Cohn, his top economic adviser, as the next Federal Reserve chairman, according to people familiar with the president’s thinking, adding to the uncertainty over the U.S. central bank’s leadership and policies next year.” * It’s not yet clear if this will affect the Pennsylvania Republican’s re-election plans: “Congressman Tim Murphy publicly admitted Wednesday to having an extramarital affair with a personal friend, issuing a statement about the relationship hours after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette prevailed in a court motion to unseal a divorce action.” 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
