Wednesday's Mini-Report, 3.22.17

Today's edition of quick hits:* The latest from London: 'Three people were killed and 20 others were wounded Wednesday in a terrorist attack at Britain's Parliament that sent crowds of tourists and lawmakers running for their lives. The victims included a police officer who was stabbed at the House of Commons and died despite the efforts of doctors and a passing government minister to save him."* Despite all the focus on the far-right opponents of the Republican health care bill, this afternoon, two center-right House GOP lawmakers announced their opposition to their party's legislation. For Republican leaders, that's really not a good sign.* Supreme Court: "About 40 minutes after Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch began his second day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, all eight of the justices he hopes to join said a major disability decision Gorsuch wrote in 2008 was wrong."* The U.S. Secret Service "requested $60 million in additional funding for the next year, offering the most precise estimate yet of the escalating costs for travel and protection resulting from the unusually complicated lifestyle of the Trump family, according to internal agency documents reviewed by The Washington Post."* NATO: "President Trump will travel to Brussels in May for a NATO summit, the White House said Tuesday. The announcement comes as Trump has roiled the alliance with renewed complaints about how much European allies are paying for their defense. "* Trump's first Labor Secretary nominee was forced to withdraw. His second Labor Secretary nominee, Alexander Acosta, is facing some serious questions about a deal he struck with Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire money manager, who faced allegations that Epstein "sexually abused more than 40 minor girls, most of them between the ages of 13 and 17."* What's Trump's net worth? It's a surprisingly difficult question to answer.* GOP governors hate the White House's health care plan and also hate the White House's budget: "As Mr. Trump and his advisers press for bone-deep cuts to the federal budget, Republican governors have rapidly emerged as an influential bloc of opposition. They have complained to the White House about reductions they see as harmful or arbitrary, and they plan to pressure members of Congress from their states to oppose them."* I guess he'll need the help: "Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, has hired a crisis communications firm."* Puzder's having a rough year: "President Trump's first pick to lead the Labor Department was forced to bail last month. Now he's lost his old job, too. CKE Restaurants, which owns the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. fast food chains, announced Tuesday that KFC executive Jason Marker will replace Andrew Puzder as chief executive in April."* A story worth exploring: "Florida Gov. Rick Scott's dangerous, unlawful decision to reassign a prosecutor because she opposes the death penalty."* For all of his many, many unsettling flaws, Cruz's cultural tastes are almost endearing: "Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was perhaps the most creative, coaxing Judge Gorsuch to hold forth on 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.'"Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.