Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The latest school shooting: “A gunman opened fire at a South Florida high school on Wednesday afternoon, killing multiple people, officials said. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that there were ‘at least 14 victims’ after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. It was not immediately clear how many of those victims were injured and how many had died.”
* Today’s other notable shooting: “Three people were injured Wednesday when intruders in an SUV tried to ram through a barrier at the Maryland military base where the National Security Agency is headquartered — and gunfire broke out, officials said.”
* This took a while: “President Donald Trump spoke out against domestic violence on Wednesday, a week after Rob Porter resigned as White House staff secretary over allegations that he abused his two ex-wives.”
* Shulkin controversy: “U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado is calling for the resignation of Veterans Administration chief David Shulkin in the aftermath of a watchdog report that found Shulkin used much of an official 10-day trip to Europe last summer for sightseeing.”
* Senate debate: “After two days of the equivalent of a legislative staring contest, the Senate has decided to move along toward immigration legislation. But this is just the beginning, and feelings are a little raw over how things have unfolded so far. The chamber approved, by voice vote Wednesday morning, a motion to proceed to the expected legislative vehicle for an immigration overhaul.”
* A story worth watching: “The judge in the USS Cole terrorism case ordered prosecutors Tuesday to draft warrants instructing U.S. Marshals to seize two civilian defense attorneys who have quit the case and ignored his orders and a subpoena to appear at the war court by video link.” * This comes after Trump’s acting director was forced to resign: “The Senate on Tuesday evening confirmed Ron Batory, allowing him to take the post of head of the nation’s chief rail safety agency, following months of hold-ups from Senate Democrats while lethal rail accidents stacked up. Batory now becomes the Federal Railroad Administration’s administrator.” * I wouldn’t ordinarily care about the immigration status of Melania Trump’s parents, but given Trump’s obsessive focus on what he calls “chain migration,” and the White House’s refusal to answer straightforward questions on the matter, it seems like a legitimate line of inquiry. 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
