Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Mexico: “A powerful earthquake rocked Mexico on Tuesday, killing dozens of people and toppling buildings — less than two weeks after a deadly 8.1-magnitude quake hit the country.”
* Hurricane Maria: “The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico were facing the wrath of Hurricane Maria after the powerful Category 5 storm wrecked the Caribbean island of Dominica on Tuesday and lashed the island of Guadaloupe with 160 mph winds.”
* Trump-Russia: “Senate investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election canceled an interview on Tuesday with longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen because they believe Cohen broke an agreement by speaking with the media. The committee will now subpoena Cohen, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told NBC News.”
* On a related note, in case you missed last night’s show: “The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, then followed the house search with a warning: His prosecutors told [former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort] they planned to indict him, said two people close to the investigation.”
* I don’t believe this: “White House and GOP leaders are considering major changes to upcoming tax legislation, including scaling back plans for large-scale tax cuts for the wealthy, as Republicans seek to win support from Democrats in Congress, three people briefed on the discussions said.” * The latest in Trump World staffing: “Vice President Pence has hired Alyssa Farah, the spokeswoman for the House Freedom Caucus, as his new press secretary, his office confirmed.” * And speaking of staffing moves: “President Donald Trump has added another lawyer to his legal team as FBI special counsel Robert Mueller prepares to interview a slate of senior White House aides. Steven Groves, who until last month served as chief of staff to U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, will serve as deputy to White House special counsel Ty Cobb, who is managing the response to Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 election. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed Groves’ hire on Monday.” 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
