Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The White House has a problem with Bolton’s book: “In a letter to former national security adviser John Bolton’s attorney, the White House said Bolton’s upcoming book contains classified information that must be removed before it can be published.”
* On a related note, this was interesting: “Rep. Eliot Engel pushed back on President Donald Trump’s claims that John Bolton didn’t complain about the president’s conduct toward Ukraine as the Foreign Affairs Committee chairman revealed a September call with Bolton in which the former national security adviser told him to examine the ouster of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.”
* Coronavirus: “The World Health Organization will reconvene its emergency committee Thursday to determine whether the coronavirus outbreak amounts to a public health emergency of international concern, as the total number of people infected in mainland China surpassed those infected with SARS during the 2002-2003 epidemic.”
* What a mess: “The President just keeps contradicting his own DOJ, the House of Representatives’ top lawyer said in yet another court filing Tuesday pointing out the Trump administration’s clashing positions.”
* No way to treat an ally: “The U.S. military said it began notifying nearly 9,000 South Korean contract workers that they will be out of work starting in April if the Trump administration and South Korean negotiators fail to reach a cost-sharing deal on the upkeep of 28,500 U.S. soldiers stationed in that country.” * Remember when the White House seemed to care about infrastructure? “House Democratic leaders are set to roll out their vision for a $760 billion, five-year infrastructure proposal that places a major emphasis on climate change, seizing on an issue that has become a growing concern for their party’s activists and presidential hopefuls.” * The Fed: “In his press conference following the Federal Reserve’s January meeting, which wrapped up on Wednesday, Chairman Jerome Powell said the Chinese coronavirus is a situation that bears watching, even as he stressed that the Fed’s mandate would remain focused on U.S. economic growth. He also once again emphasized the many ways in which trade uncertainty has trickled into decisions made by both executives and policymakers, even as he sounded a reassuring town about the overall economic outlook.” See you tomorrow.
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
