Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The latest from El Paso: “The man accused of gunning down 22 people at an El Paso Walmart last week confessed to the grisly crime and admitted he was targeting people of Mexican descent, according to unsealed court documents Friday.”
* A case we’ve been keeping an eye on: “A judge on Thursday ordered the publisher of a neo-Nazi website to pay a Jewish real estate agent $14 million for inciting his readers to harass her family with hundreds of threatening and anti-Semitic messages and calls.”
* The latest in the Epstein case: “A chilling picture of how hundreds of girls and young women from around the world were trafficked for sex by Jeffrey Epstein, his alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, and a number of other powerful business and world leaders emerged Friday in court documents unsealed in New York.”
* I’d love to see Trump’s thoughts on stories like these: “For nearly two decades, the Trump Organization has relied on a roving crew of Latin American employees to build fountains and waterfalls, sidewalks and rock walls at the company’s winery and its golf courses from New York to Florida…. For years, their ranks have included workers who entered the United States illegally, according to two former members of the crew.”
* This was unfortunate: “In a jarring image tweeted from first lady Melania Trump’s account, she and President Donald Trump grin, the latter flashing a thumbs up, as they pose with a baby orphaned by the mass shooting in El Paso.” * Richard Grenell’s diplomacy isn’t always diplomatic: “Washington could withdraw some troops from Germany unless Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government answers repeated calls to boost its defense spending, the U.S. ambassador has warned.” * If this seems absurd, that’s because it is: “Walmart is pulling violent video game displays from its stores in the wake of last weekend’s deadly shooting at one of its El Paso stores that killed at 22 people — but has also confirmed it still has no plans to stop selling firearms or ammunition.” 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
