Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest in a series of strikes: “The U.S. military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest days of the Trump administration’s monthslong campaign. The series of strikes conducted on Monday brought the death toll to at least 145 people since the administration began targeting those it calls ‘narcoterrorists’ in small vessels in early September.”
* Fortunately, no shots were fired in this incident: “Police arrested an 18-year-old who ran toward the U.S. Capitol with a loaded shotgun Tuesday, authorities said. The person got out of a Mercedes SUV carrying a loaded shotgun and ran toward the building, Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said. As he approached the building, officers ordered him to drop the weapon and get on the ground. Sullivan said he ‘immediately complied’ and was taken into custody.”
* McLaughlin exits with her credibility in tatters: “Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security assistant secretary who emerged as the unapologetic voice of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, is leaving the agency.”
* Difficult diplomacy: “Indirect talks between American and Iranian officials in Switzerland ended on Tuesday with an agreement on a ‘set of guiding principles,’ according to Iran’s foreign minister, who said both sides had agreed to exchange drafts on a potential deal. The foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was as positive as he was vague, providing little clarity on what had been discussed or when the next round of discussions might be held.”
* The ongoing DHS shutdown: “Congressional Democrats have sent the White House their latest proposal for new constraints on federal immigration officers that they want tied to any deal to restart federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security, but there was no sign on Tuesday of a rapid resolution of the spending stalemate.” * History will not be kind: “The momentous end to the federal government’s legal authority to fight climate change makes it official. The United States will essentially have no laws on the books that enforce how efficient America’s passenger cars and trucks should be. That’s the practical result of the Trump administration’s yearlong parade of regulatory rollbacks.” * A giant exits the stage: “The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, died Tuesday. He was 84.” 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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