Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Israel and Iran continued to exchange strikes today, a week into their war. Israel’s military said it targeted areas in western Iran, while a building was hit in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.”
* In related news: “Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will be in the Swiss city of Geneva today for talks with his British, French, German and E.U. counterparts in an effort to end the conflict. The U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will not attend.”
* An unexpected ruling: “Mahmoud Khalil was granted release on bail by a federal judge after a hearing Friday, in the latest move in the pro-Palestinian activist’s legal saga following his March arrest that spotlighted the Trump administration’s deportation crackdown. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz said he found Khalil isn’t a flight risk or danger to the community, NBC News reported.”
* In Minnesota: “The Minnesota lawmaker who survived an attack by a gunman on his doorstep is still in a critical condition and has revealed details of the terrifying moment he and his wife were shot multiple times. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, released a statement Thursday, obtained by NBC affiliate KARE of Minneapolis, outlining the events in the early hours of June 14.”
* In Ukraine: “One person was killed and at least 14 were injured when Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa overnight, damaging high-rise buildings and railway infrastructure, local authorities and prosecutors said Friday. Odesa is Ukraine’s largest Black Sea port, key for imports and exports, and has been under constant missile and drone attacks by Russia since the war began.”
* SCOTUS news: “The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request from two toy companies to expedite their challenge to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The ruling from the nation’s high court means that the Trump administration now has the standard 30-day window to file its response to the challenge.”
* On a related note, some dissents stand out more than others: “Liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized her colleagues on Friday in a scathing dissent on a case involving vehicle emissions regulations. In her dissenting opinion, she argued that the court’s opinion gives the impression it favors ‘moneyed interests’ in the way they decide which cases to hear and how they rule in them.” * There’s reason to worry about what will happen if this case reaches the Supreme Court: “A federal appeals court on Friday ruled, in a unanimous decision, in favor of a coalition of Louisiana parents who sued to block a state law that requires public schools and colleges to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.” * This incident generated immediate and bipartisan condemnations, not conspiracy theories and partisan jokes: “Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said he was ‘run off the road’ Thursday morning in a Cleveland suburb by a man who waved a Palestinian flag and threatened Miller and his young daughter. … A suspect, Feras S. Hamdan of Westlake, Ohio, turned himself in to Rocky River police after Miller signed a criminal complaint for aggravated menacing and an arrest warrant was issued, Rocky River officials said.” Have a safe weekend.
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."
Latest Post
Recommended
