Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The latest mass shooting: “A manhunt was underway Wednesday for a gunman who opened fire inside the Maryland business where he worked, killing three co-workers and critically wounding two others, police said.”
* Recovery in Puerto Rico has been slow: “Four weeks since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, the recovery priorities are: Make sure food, water and supplies get delivered, ensure hospitals are operating and communication and energy is re-established for critical infrastructure.”
* A case we’ve been watching: “A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to allow a pregnant, undocumented teenager to obtain an abortion.”
* Perhaps there’s no “proof” after all? “The White House on Wednesday said President Donald Trump did not record his phone call with the widow of a U.S. soldier killed in Niger, though he claimed to have ‘proof’ that Rep. Frederica Wilson’s (D-FL) account of his remarks was not accurate.”
* More on this on tonight’s show: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions rebuffed repeated requests from Democratic lawmakers Wednesday to detail his conversations with President Trump on the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey in May.”
* Good question: “Two different federal judges this week blocked President Trump from enforcing the latest version of his travel ban, which would have barred various travelers and immigrants from eight different countries from entering the U.S…. What happens to people on the banned list now?” * While Donald Trump brags about the economy, his White House director of legislative affairs says we “need to turn this economy around.” * An interesting look at how SCOTUS operates: “The Supreme Court does not compute. Or at least some of its members would rather not. The justices, the most powerful jurists in the land, seem to have a reluctance — even an allergy — to taking math and statistics seriously.” 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
