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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest on the devastating landslide in Sudan: “A landslide wiped out a village in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, killing an estimated 1,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the African country’s recent history, a rebel group controlling the area said late Monday. The tragedy happened Sunday in the village of Tarasin in Central Darfur’s Marrah Mountains after days of heavy rainfall in late August, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said in a statement.”
* The latest on the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan: “At least 800 people have been killed and more than 1,300 others injured in Afghanistan after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country, Taliban officials said Monday. The earthquake struck 17 miles from the eastern city of Jalalabad, near the border with Pakistan, at around midnight local time (3:30 p.m. ET Sunday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.”
* This seems like a story worthy of some follow-up: “A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS interference on Sunday, with Russia suspected of being behind the attack.”
* The White House’s latest significant setback in the courts: “A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration broke the law in its use of the military in Los Angeles. If upheld on appeal, the ruling will stand as a check on President Donald Trump’s use of the military for domestic law enforcement and serve as a broader reminder that Trump being commander in chief of the military doesn’t make him a national chief of police.”
* If my count is right, this has now happened six times in D.C.: “Washington grand jurors have refused to indict yet another criminal case — this time in a case in which the government alleged the defendant made threats against President Donald Trump. It’s the latest known instance of a stunning phenomenon that’s been underway in the nation’s capital, as grand jurors have refused to return indictments in several cases presented by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office.”
* That was quick: “In July, Florida Republicans launched the brutal ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention center deep in the Florida Everglades with great fanfare. Soon, the Trump administration was championing it as a model it wanted to replicate across the country. But less than two months later, the camp is being dismantled and emptied of detainees.”
* In this 2-1 ruling, both judges in the majority were Trump appointees: “President Donald Trump’s administration can proceed with terminating more than $16 billion in grants awarded to non-profit groups to fight climate change, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.”
* Seems like a problem: “The number of meteorologists employed by the government to advise air traffic controllers has fallen to a critical low, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan watchdog agency.”
* Moves like these are not at all common: “Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) says he will be leaving the House Homeland Security Committee. In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Higgins said he intends to withdraw from the committee effective immediately. Higgins stated his reason for leaving is due to differing principles with other committee members.”
See you tomorrow.