Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Late this afternoon, the Republican redistricting gambit in Indiana failed by a comfortable margin: “The Indiana Senate rejected mid-decade redistricting today, capping off a bitter state fight for control of Congress that has divided the GOP, spurred violent threats and dramatically changed the political landscape ahead of the midterm elections. The failure will likely be seen by President Donald Trump and his allies as a rebuke of his vision for cementing a congressional majority at all costs.”
* Maybe Trump’s prosecutors should take the hint: “The Trump Justice Department has again failed to get a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James, with a grand jury declining Thursday to return charges, according to two sources familiar with the presentation.”
* Speaking of Trump’s prosecutors failing: “A federal judge on Thursday ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be immediately released from immigration custody, marking the latest twist in the case that the judge wrote is ‘as well known as it is extraordinary.’”
* One more example of Trump’s prosecutors failing: “One of the most remarkable stories of President Donald Trump’s second term is the series of cases in which grand juries have declined to approve felony indictments presented by the Justice Department. … A new example comes from Chicago, where a federal magistrate judge on Wednesday granted the DOJ’s motion to dismiss charges against comedy club manager Nathan Griffin.”
* Another outbreak: “The measles outbreak in South Carolina is ‘accelerating’ with no end in sight following Thanksgiving and other large gatherings, state health officials said Wednesday. As of Wednesday, 111 measles cases had been reported in what’s known as upstate South Carolina — an area in the northwest of the state that includes Greenville and Spartanburg.”
* I can think of far better ways to spend $140 million: “The Department of Homeland Security recently signed a contract worth nearly $140 million to purchase six Boeing 737 planes for deportations — a move that will allow the agency to operate its own fleet after receiving a massive funding increase from Congress.” * So many ethics problems, so little time to write blog posts about all of them: “The government agency responsible for policing potential conflicts of interest told senators this week that Bryan Bedford, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, had not complied with an agreement to divest from the airline he previously ran.” * Imagine that: “The Trump administration jettisoned a plan to honor the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage and the civil-rights movement on quarters for the nation’s 250th birthday.” 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."
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