Today’s edition of quick hits:
* A burgeoning crisis takes shape: “Pakistan shot down two Indian warplanes Wednesday in the disputed region of Kashmir and captured a pilot, its military said, raising tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals to a level unseen in 20 years.”
* This isn’t usually how American administrations operate: “The White House abruptly banned four U.S. journalists from covering President Trump’s dinner here Wednesday with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un after some of them shouted questions at the leaders during their earlier meetings.”
* This was another case in which John Roberts voted with the left: “The Supreme Court is ordering a new state court hearing to determine whether an Alabama death row inmate is so affected by dementia that he can’t be executed.”
* Keep an eye on this one: “House Democrats issued subpoenas late Tuesday to three cabinet officials, in a sharp escalation of their battle over the administration’s policy of separating migrant families at the southern border.”
* This always seemed like a foolish case: “Special counsel Robert Mueller scored one of the biggest legal wins of his tenure on Tuesday, as a federal appeals court rejected claims that his appointment was unconstitutional.”
* This case isn’t over: “Lawyers for victims who were sexually abused as minors by multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein have formally demanded that the government vacate Epstein’s plea deal, void his federal immunity and reopen his sex trafficking investigation, the Miami Herald has learned.”
* Some “clarifications” would probably be wise: “House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will return to Capitol Hill to clarify previous testimony.” * They’re worried she’s not anti-abortion enough: “Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is privately raising questions about Neomi Rao, President Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and how she would potentially rule on cases involving abortion, according to people familiar with the matter. Though he hasn’t voiced them publicly, Cotton shares concerns outlined by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) earlier this week about Rao’s judicial philosophy.” * And no, despite what the president said yesterday, Ivanka Trump did not create “millions of jobs.” Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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." Recommended
