Good morning — and happy Friday. Here are some of the stories we’re reading as we make that final push toward the weekend…
The facts are known –> A few months back, CIA chief John Brennan said that when the facts are known, his agency would be cleared of charges they had spied on Senate staffers investigating CIA anti-terror programs under George W. Bush. They are now known, and Politico’s Burgess Everett reports that already two senators are calling for Brennan’s resignation for both the surveillance and his misleading statements. ALSO: Digby points out that there’s a lot more outrage in Washington over the CIA snooping on Congress than there is for the agency’s torture program.
Scary stuff –> Liz Szabo reports for USA Today that the National Institutes of Health is rushing ahead with a study on a potential vaccine against the Ebola virus. The disease has afflicted 1,300 people in West Africa, including a number of health workers. AND: Joshua Keating writes for the Chicago Trib that most of the reasons the outbreak has spread so rapidly “are political rather than biological.”
Bloodshed resumes –> A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza fell apart after just four hours. Both sides blame the other for firing first. An Israeli soldier was reportedly captured in the fighting, and at least 35 Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces shelled Rafah. BBC rounds up the latest. ALSO: We told you that Gaza’s lone power plant was severely damaged by Israeli strikes the other day. Christina Wilkie reports for HuffPo that it was insured by the US government.
Revolt –> House Republican leaders killed a vote on a border bill in the face of a conservative rebellion led by Sen. Ted Cruz. WaPo’s Robert Costa looks at the firebrand’s growing influence on both sides of the Hill. AND: A small irony: After the bill collapsed, Speaker John Boehner urged Obama to address the border issue through executive action rather than waiting for Congress to pass a bill. At ThinkProgress, Esther Yu-Hsi Lee notes that the request was made just one day after House Republicans voted to sue Obama over his executive actions.
Andrew Cuomo’s Watergate? –> A US attorney warned that NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo could face charges of obstructing justice for disbanding a commission investigating corruption. At The Nation, Stephen Gillers finds parallels to Watergate: “a coverup can also be a crime.”
Intentional neglect –> Slate’s Jamelle Bouie looks at the recent increase in the uninsured population of Mississippi, which has shown steadfast opposition to the Affordable Care Act, while those numbers are dropping dramatically in other states.
Newfound populism –> Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s railing about corporate America offshoring jobs and avoiding taxes, and TNR’s Alec MacGillis says it’s a sign that he fears losing a tight race in November.
Odd –> Robin Marty reports for Cosmo that religious conservatives are trying to shut down a women’s health clinic in Minnesota over birth control. The facility does not offer abortion services.
Does the state have a place in nature? –> Americans for Tax Reform chief Grover Norquist and his wife are going to find out the answer to that question with three days of hedonism at this year’s Burning Man, according to Emma Roller at National Journal.
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