Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Take a wild guess what will be featured on tonight’s show: “Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday unilaterally released a highly anticipated transcript of the committee’s interview with one of the founders of the firm that produced a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aid the Trump campaign.”
* North Korea “will send a delegation of officials and athletes to next month’s Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, it was announced Tuesday after the first high-level talks between the countries in more than two years.”
* Net neutrality: “Less than a month after the Federal Communications Commission reversed Obama-era rules that prohibited internet providers from blocking or slowing down certain websites, or accepting payment for faster service, Democratic senators have collected enough support to force a vote to block the changes from taking effect.”
* I hope he doesn’t do too much damage: “President Trump will address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this month, the White House said Tuesday, a startling decision that will bring the unorthodox U.S. leader face to face with global elites who have been Trump’s fierce critics and frequent foils.”
* This case is very frustrating: “Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy walked free from the federal courthouse Monday for the first time since his arrest two years ago on charges that he led an armed rebellion against the government in 2014.”
* She’s not going away: “President Donald Trump has renominated Kathleen Hartnett White, an ex-Texas regulator and climate change skeptic he had picked last year to lead the Council on Environmental Quality.”
* Apparently, he’s not going away, either: “The White House is considering finding a role for Andrew Puzder, President Donald Trump’s first pick for labor secretary, who withdrew his nomination in February after old allegations of domestic abuse resurfaced, according to three people familiar with the discussions.” * I hope you caught Rachel’s report on this last night: “The White House renominated K.T. McFarland for the position of U.S. ambassador to Singapore on Monday, despite her coming under scrutiny by congressional investigators as part of their probe into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.” * Stunning: “Kansas State Representative Steve Alford said Sunday blacks are more affected by marijuana because of their ‘character makeup’ and ‘their genetics’ when trying to explain why drugs should be ‘outlawed’ to a room of 60 people — none of whom were African American.” 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
