Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Saudi lobbying didn’t work this time: “Following a contentious administration briefing about the war in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Senate voted to advance a measure that would tie the hands of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy as it relates to Saudi Arabia.”
* They weren’t persuasive, either: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that there was no definitive proof that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was linked to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, backing up President Donald Trump who has defended the Saudi kingdom as a critical ally.”
* Inviting a crisis: “Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday, despite a threat from a GOP senator to hold up judicial nominees until action is taken on the measure.”
* The Fed: “Stocks surged on Wednesday after investors took comments by the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome H. Powell, to mean that the central bank could be closer than expected to ending its current push to lift interest rates. But some analysts warned that markets were overreacting to Mr. Powell’s remarks.”
* I’m always fascinated by acts of self-sabotage: “The UK would be significantly worse off under all possible Brexit scenarios in 15 years’ time, according to a benchmark economic analysis produced by a range of government departments including the Treasury.”
* Irresponsible: “The Trump administration has put the safety of thousands of teens at a migrant detention camp at risk by waiving FBI fingerprint checks for their caregivers and short-staffing mental health workers, according to an Associated Press investigation and a new federal watchdog report.”
* Sinclair Broadcast Group strikes again: “In his latest ‘must-run’ commentary segment, former Trump official Boris Epshteyn claims agents ‘had to use tear gas’ to protect the border.” * Still more than a dozen investigations remain: “A government watchdog agency has cleared Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke of wrongdoing following an inquiry into whether he redrew the boundaries of a national monument in Utah to avoid the nearby land holdings of a Republican state lawmaker and supporter of President Donald Trump.” * Infuriating: “The former police chief of a small Florida city will serve three years in prison for a conspiracy in his department to frame black people for crimes they did not commit.” 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
