Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A scary story out of Germany: “The news Wednesday that a far-right group had plotted to overthrow the German government in a coup surprised many around the world who thought the country had largely done away with its extremist right wing. … The plotters, 25 of whom were arrested during the operation, are part of an extremist terrorist organization that harbors a mixture of conspiracy theory-driven beliefs.”
* A brewing political crisis in Peru: “Peru’s president on Wednesday announced the dissolution of Congress and the installation of an emergency government to rule by decree, in a stunning move that political leaders across the spectrum were quick to denounce as a coup attempt. President Pedro Castillo spoke hours before Congress had scheduled a vote on impeaching Mr. Castillo on corruption charges.”
* The Chinese protests appear to have generated change from officials in Beijing: “China announced the scrapping of some of its strictest rules designed to curb Covid-19 on Wednesday, a major step away from a strategy that has constrained daily life for almost three years and set off rare nationwide protests in recent weeks.”
* SCOTUS: “Conservative Supreme Court justices on Wednesday appeared skeptical about a state court’s decision to strike down Republican-drawn congressional districts in North Carolina, but it seemed unlikely a majority would embrace a broad theory that could upend election law nationwide.”
* I wonder if Flynn will take the Fifth in Georgia: “A Florida appeals court on Tuesday cleared the way for Michael Flynn, former President Donald Trump’s onetime national security adviser, to testify before a Fulton County special grand jury.” * Another judicial breakthrough: “The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed the first Black person from Indiana to serve on the federal appeals court that hears cases from her state, in a bipartisan vote helped by her state’s two Republican senators deciding to throw their support behind her. The Senate voted 60-31 to elevate U.S. Magistrate Judge Doris Pryor to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as Democrats push forward with fulfilling President Joe Biden’s pledge to diversify the federal bench.” * I’d nearly forgotten that Cawthorn is still a member of Congress: “The House Ethics Committee found that outgoing Rep. Madison Cawthorn ‘improperly promoted’ a cryptocurrency in which he had a financial interest in violation of House conflict of interest rules, according to an 81-page report released Tuesday on the North Carolina Republican.” 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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