The Case of the Blue Bunny

In one scene in the Korean TV series “Encounter,” Jin-hyuk solves a crisis in the hotel where he works by retrieving a little girl’s stuffed animal from mountains of dirty linens in the laundry room. 

That scene came to mind this week amidst the Max Miller/Blue Bunny scandal that is rocking Capitol Hill.

In case you’ve missed it, Republican Rep. Max Miller (Ohio) stands accused of withholding his young daughter’s favorite stuffed animal, a blue bunny, as part of a messy divorce from the girl’s mother. A growing chorus of Republicans are calling on Miller to drop out of his race for re-election due to sexual abuse allegations plus the bunny matter.

According to Mother Jones, Miller has a history of withholding the bunny, which, if true, is an incredibly cruel thing to do to a young child.

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Miller tried to avoid answering direct questions about his daughter. Tapper concluded the interview by asking if “anyone in your life is telling you that it really might be in the best interests for your daughter and for your own mental health to drop out?”

Miller answered, “My daughter is going to grow up one day, and she’s going to see all of this. And she’s not going to see that her father caved to political and social media pressures for something that he never did.”

As the New York Times has reported, “Miller is a former aide to President Trump, who has warned the congressman that the allegations were politically problematic but has stopped short of calling for him to abandon the race. During his CNN appearance, Mr. Miller compared his own defiance to that of the president, who refused to leave the 2016 presidential race after leaked audio surfaced in which he bragged about groping women.”

Is this the best Republicans can offer?

HEADLINES:

• Bunny Dolls and Disturbing Allegations: Max Miller’s Strange CNN Interview (NYT)

• Rep. Max Miller Has a History of Withholding His Daughter’s Blue Bunny (Mother Jones)

• The Coalitions That Propelled El-Sayed’s Michigan Victory (NYT)

• What a Contempt Vote for Fauci Would Mean for the Pardoned Doctor (WSJ)

• Hiring Slumps, a Worrying Sign for the Economy (NYT)

• FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA seasonal flu vaccine (ABC)

• Trump denies US weapons shortage and says information ‘leakers’ being ‘hunted down’ (BBC)

• An agreement on the Strait of Hormuz is taking shape – but not one Trump wants (CNN)

• A proposed Hormuz deal would give Iran control of inbound traffic, and Iran threatens to hit Gulf states if US launches new strikes. (Reuters)

• Pakistan Starts Sweeping New Crackdown on Journalists (NYT)

• Todd Blanche Sends Chilling Message to Every U.S. Attorney (TNR)

• Murkowski Says She Will Oppose Blanche’s Nomination for Attorney General (NYT)

• Trump’s immigration crackdown has detained dozens of military spouses and parents (AP)

• McConnell Announces Discharge From Rehabilitation Center (NYT)

• Most Americans view rising living costs as biggest barrier to a better life, survey finds (Guardian)

• Water Crisis Deepens on the Colorado River (WSJ)

• Someone Is Poisoning Trees Near Lake Tahoe (NYT)

• Hank Green found the AI problem that YouTube labels can’t catch (ArsTechnica)

• Ask your employees one question about AI. The silence will tell you everything (Fortune)

• Google Shakes Up A.I. Leadership (NYT)

• Poll: American Voters Say Greatest Concern Is Big Evil Chef Trying To Cook Them Into Stew (Onion)