Today’s edition of quick hits:
* What a day: “President Trump on Friday tried to repair the diplomatic damage he caused with an explosive interview blasting his host, Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain, by praising her leadership and calling their two countries’ relationship ‘the highest level of special,’ even as he continued to publicly question her decisions.”
* Amateur hour: “The trade war between the United States and China showed no signs of yielding on Thursday, as Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, told lawmakers there was no clear path to resolution and Beijing blasted the administration over its approach.”
* Didn’t Ross say he sold his holdings in January? “Billionaire Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday he was selling all his stock holdings after being criticized by the Office of Government Ethics for some of his financial transactions.”
* Speaking of scandalous members of Trump’s cabinet: “Former Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price should repay the federal government more than $341,000 for improperly using charter and military aircraft for travel for himself and his wife, a new report from the agency’s independent Office of the Inspector General has concluded.”
* Misguided: “House conservatives are preparing a new push to oust Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, according to three conservative Capitol Hill sources — putting the finishing touches on an impeachment filing even as Rosenstein announced the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers for interfering in the 2016 election.”
* Jared Kushner “lacks the security clearance level required to review some of the government’s most sensitive secrets, according to two people familiar with his access.” * Much of this is driven by higher gas prices: “Prices rose at their highest clip since 2012 over the past year, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The 2.9 percent inflation for the twelve-month period ending in June is a sign of a growing economy, but it’s also a painful development for workers, whose tepid wage gains have failed to keep pace with the rising prices.” * ALEC loses a huge member: “Oil giant ExxonMobil will not be renewing its membership to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative, corporate-backed lobbying organization known for giving lawmakers template legislation.” 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
