Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest from the West coast: “An earthquake ruptured off California’s coast on Thursday morning, briefly triggering a tsunami warning for the coast of Northern California and southern Oregon. The earthquake, a magnitude-7.0 temblor, rumbled at around 10:44 a.m., about 62 miles west of Ferndale, California, according to the United States Geological Survey.”
* It’s always interesting to me when private insurers inadvertently help make the case for a single-payer system: “Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said Thursday it was not going ahead with a policy change that would limit reimbursements for anesthesia during surgeries and medical procedures. The new policy would have reimbursed doctors based on time limits set by the insurer.”
* A case we’ve been following: “The two Georgia women who won a $148 million defamation verdict against Rudy Giuliani asked a federal judge Thursday to hold him in civil contempt and impose ‘severe’ sanctions for thwarting the court’s orders.”
* SCOTUS ethics: “Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch will not participate in an environmental case being argued next week after having reviewed the court’s new ethics code, according to a letter sent Wednesday to lawyers involved. The letter from Supreme Court Clerk Scott Harris did not explain why Gorsuch was recusing himself, saying only that ‘consistent with the code of conduct’ he had decided not to participate.”
* The shouting between Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas and acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe was avoidable and unnecessary: “The final hearing of the House task force that investigated the assassination attempts against Donald Trump devolved into an explosive moment Thursday as the acting U.S. Secret Service director engaged in a screaming match with a GOP congressman.”
* An important investigation: “The Justice Department released the results of its investigation into the Memphis Police Department on Wednesday, finding that it had used excessive force, treated Black people more harshly than white people and mistreated those with mental health issues. The report said that the civil rights violations had a ‘corrosive effect.’”
* This seems likely to lead to some awkward conversations: “Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-chair of the proposed Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire Elon Musk, has a lengthy history of attacking his partner’s ties to China, frequently referring to Musk as a ‘circus monkey’ and a puppet for the Chinese Communist Party.”
See you tomorrow.
