Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Seven months later: “An islandwide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, knocking out power throughout the island seven months after Hurricane Maria destroyed its electrical grid.”
* The defendants’ argument was very hard to believe: “A federal jury on Wednesday found three men guilty of plotting to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali refugees in Kansas.”
* The end of the Castro era: “Cuba’s National Assembly cleared the way for the end of Castro rule on Wednesday, naming longtime Communist Party figure Miguel Díaz-Canel as the sole candidate for head of state.”
* Sometimes, primaries can be very effective in producing worthwhile results: “New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that he was granting conditional pardons to every parolee in the state — 35,000 — to restore their voting rights.”
* Tennessee: “The Republican-dominated House in Tennessee voted Tuesday to punish the city of Memphis for removing Confederate monuments by taking $250,000 away from the city that would have been used for a bicentennial celebration next year.”
* Trump ended up confirming this in a tweet: “CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a top-secret visit to North Korea as an envoy for President Trump to meet with Kim Jong Un, and plans for a possible summit between the two leaders are underway, Trump confirmed Wednesday.”
* How much longer can this guy hang onto his job? “Republican legislative leaders [in Missouri] joined together Tuesday to demand that Gov. Eric Greitens resign, with the state Senate president going one step further and saying that if he doesn’t step down the governor should be immediately impeached.”
* Mattis was probably right: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urged President Trump to get congressional approval before the United States launched airstrikes against Syria last week, but was overruled by Mr. Trump, who wanted a rapid and dramatic response, military and administration officials said.” * A new Gitmo commander: “Navy Rear Adm. John Ring, a former commander of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, became the 18th commander of Guantanamo prison operations on Tuesday, taking charge of a 1,700-member military and civilian staff responsible for 41 war-on-terror captives.” * And for the first time, Donald Trump has tweeted about the Stormy Daniels controversy. I’m sure his lawyers were thrilled. 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
