Today’s edition of quick hits:
* He won’t stop talking: “President Donald Trump on Friday warned North Korea’s leader that he ‘will not get away with’ it if he does anything against the U.S. or its allies.”
* China “won’t come to North Korea’s help if it launches missiles threatening U.S. soil and there is retaliation, a state-owned newspaper warned Friday, but it would intervene if Washington strikes first.”
* Where GOP loyalties lie: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s colleagues are largely rallying around him amid the ongoing attacks from President Donald Trump.”
* In case you missed last night’s coverage, Paul Manafort now has a new legal team.
* In related news: “Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s son-in-law, Jeffrey Yohai, met with Department of Justice investigators in recent months, according to two sources familiar with the matter.”
* Did he forget what he’s already said on this? “President Trump said on Thursday that he had not considered firing Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the election, contradicting private statements the president has made to his aides and friends about his desire to dismiss Mr. Mueller.” * The guy clearly has a paperwork problem: “Jared Kushner, who has spent months divesting pieces of his vast business empire to serve in the White House, was slapped with a fine by the Office of Government Ethics for late reporting of a financial transaction, according to a newly released document.” * That’s quite a story: “The ship that was bought by a group of far-right YouTubers to stop refugees getting to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea ran into trouble off the coast of Libya and had to be helped by a refugee rescue boat, the group behind the rescue boat said.” 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
