Today’s edition of quick hits.
* I guess returning Kilmar Abrego Garcia to U.S. soil wasn’t impossible after all: “Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S. to face federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee, the Justice Department said Friday, in a case that became emblematic of the combined coarseness and incompetence behind the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.”
* In this 6-3 ruling, all of the Republican-appointed justices sided with the White House: “A divided Supreme Court on June 6 said Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency can access to the data of millions of Americans kept by the U.S. Social Security Administration. The court paused a judge’s order blocking DOGE from getting the data, which includes Social Security numbers, medical and mental health information, tax return information and citizenship records.”
* Harvard’s winning streak continues, but the White House’s relentless offensive is ongoing: “A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to block visas for foreign students planning to attend Harvard, after the Ivy League college filed a legal challenge.”
* No one benefits from misguided steps like these: “More than $12 million worth of contraceptives and HIV-prevention medications purchased by the U.S. government as aid for developing countries under programs that have since been discontinued will probably be destroyed unless officials sell or otherwise off-load them, an examination by The Washington Post found.”
* The White House vs. the ICC: “The Trump administration is slapping sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court over the tribunal’s investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza and in the West Bank.”
* It’s not a great sign when no one seems to know who’s leading the CDC: “The CDC, a $9.2 billion-a-year agency tasked with reviewing life-saving vaccines, monitoring diseases and watching for budding threats to Americans’ health, is without a clear leader.”
* This effort fell short, but it was interesting to see Republicans scramble: “House Oversight Committee Democrats have once again failed to subpoena Elon Musk to testify on Capitol Hill. The panel rejected the minority party’s request Thursday morning for the former DOGE chief to appear before lawmakers in a party-line, 21-20 votes.”
* Should we assume that a generous settlement in this civil suit is inevitable? “Five members of the Proud Boys, once convicted of masterminding the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, are accusing the federal government and FBI employees of violating their rights in connection with their prosecutions in a new lawsuit. … The suit seeks $100 million in punitive damages.” * A New Jersey health official’s recent inspection at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster did not go well: “For more than three hours, the inspector tallied enough violations — a faulty dishwasher, poorly stocked sinks, improperly stored raw meat — to give the club a score of 32 out of 100, one of the lowest ratings earned by any establishment in Somerset County this year.” * Noted without comment: “For sale at the White House: one bright red Tesla Model S. Should run fine; the owner just seems to have had buyer’s remorse. Less than 24 hours after President Trump and Elon Musk engaged in a rancorous public spat, Mr. Trump has decided to sell the red Tesla he got in March, according to a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.” 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."
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