Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A closely watched effort: “A federal judge in Florida ruled Wednesday that its ‘hands are tied’ in releasing federal grand jury transcripts from 2005 and 2007 in connection with an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling was separate from a request that the Justice Department has pending related to a grand jury in the Southern District of New York, where Epstein was ultimately indicted.”
* Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case: “A magistrate judge on Wednesday paused Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release from federal custody, shortly after a separate judge ruled that the man, who was mistakenly deported in March to El Salvador, should be released while he awaits trial on human smuggling charges.”
* Conditions in Gaza: “Doctors and aid groups have warned of a hunger crisis now reaching a crescendo in the besieged Palestinian enclave under Israeli military assault. Four children were among 15 people who died from severe malnutrition in just 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry said Wednesday that another 10 people had died of malnutrition.”
* The key point to remember as Trump makes new boasts about “trade deals” that might not meet the hype: “President Donald Trump has begun announcing a suite of new bilateral trade agreements. The details of the deals — and who, if anyone, stands to benefit — remain largely unknown.”
* Regressive radicalism at the EPA: “The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to rescind a landmark 2009 legal opinion that greenhouse gas emissions put human health at risk, which underpins many of the government’s actions to combat climate change, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision was not yet public.”
* Punishing student loan borrowers (again): “Without much notice, the Education Department has suspended student loan forgiveness under a long-standing repayment plan, offering no timeline for resumption and little explanation for the decision. Income-Based Repayment is one of four federal plans that tie monthly payments to earnings and family size with the promise of loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years of payments. “
* Confirmation news: “The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Terrance Cole to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, in a 50-47 vote along party lines. Cole, a 22-year veteran of the DEA, serves as Virginia’s secretary of public safety and homeland security. He was nominated to lead the federal agency after President Donald Trump’s first pick, Florida sheriff Chad Chronister, withdrew from consideration amid criticism from conservative figures.” * After seeing the video of this, it was hard not to be concerned: “Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., appeared to freeze up while he was speaking on Fox Business around 5 p.m. ET, a moment that led anchor Larry Kudlow to cut the feed and say the issue was a technical issue with a microphone.” * In an executive order in March, Trump directed the Park Service to review plaques, films and other materials to look for information at odds with his approach to patriotism. Evidently, employees did what they were told: “According to internal documents reviewed by The New York Times, employees of the National Park Service have flagged descriptions and displays at scores of parks and historic sites for review in connection with President Trump’s directive to remove or cover up materials that ‘inappropriately disparage Americans.’” 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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