Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Trump could stop this at any time: “The Trump administration separated 1,995 children from 1,940 adults between April 19 and May 31, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said Friday.”
* In case you missed today’s big development earlier: “Paul Manafort is going to jail. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office convinced a federal judge on Friday to revoke the bail of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chief after he was accused of witness tampering.”
* Trade war: “The Trump administration said on Friday that it would move ahead with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese products, drawing retaliation from Beijing and escalating a trade war between the world’s two largest economies.”
* It just never ends with this guy: “Senior staff members at the Environmental Protection Agency frequently felt pressured by Scott Pruitt, the administrator, to help in personal matters and obtain special favors for his family, according to interviews with four current and former E.P.A. officials who served as top political aides to Mr. Pruitt.”
* A worthwhile endeavor: “Mick Mulvaney, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau acting director, wants to do away with the searchable database of complaints, but former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann plans to pick up the slack.”
* Losing control: “Weeks of escalating strain between press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and reporters boiled over in the White House briefing room on Thursday, as press members tussled with Sanders over immigration issues, she insulted the intelligence of one reporter, and another interrupted the proceedings with a dramatic outburst.”
* File this away for future reference: “A classified report from Israel’s foreign ministry raises doubts over President Trump’s optimistic statements about his summit with Kim Jong-un, and determines the U.S. retreated from its positions on several issues relating to North Korea’s nuclear program.” * An odd story reaches its coda: “A neighbor of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was sentenced to 30 days in jail Friday for tackling the senator during a dispute over yard care last fall, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.” * During a Fox News interview this morning, Trump declared, “I like ratings. I study ratings.” It took a year and a half, but it looks like we’ve finally found the one thing the president studies. 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
