Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “This may be the ‘last opportunity’ to end Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip and free the hostages who remain held in the enclave, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Monday, leading the push for a deal given new urgency by fears of a wider regional conflict with Iran. Cease-fire talks have reached a ‘decisive moment,’ Blinken said as he met with Israeli leaders on his ninth trip to the Middle East since the fighting began.”
* Remember him? “Former Republican U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday, avoiding a trial that was set for next month on criminal charges including wire fraud, false statements, aggravated identity theft and theft of public funds.”
* SCOTUS news from late last week: “The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Biden administration request to implement its overhaul of regulations barring sex discrimination in education, leaving in place temporary injunctions lower courts issued that put on hold new protections for transgender students, along with other provisions.”
* This is an interesting story: “Former University of Florida President Ben Sasse on Friday disputed allegations of ‘inappropriate spending’ following reports that spending by the president’s office more than tripled after he took over as leader of the state’s flagship university. Sasse, who abruptly resigned from the post in July, issued a defense of his leadership in a 1,745-word message on social media, one day after Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis suggested expenditures should be probed.”
* The ongoing effects of Roe’s demise: “Two women have filed complaints against two Texas hospitals for allegedly denying them treatment for ectopic pregnancies, which they say put their lives at risk and breached federal law.”
* An update to a story I recently wrote about: “When lawyers for Elon Musk’s ‘X Corp.’ filed an antitrust lawsuit against advertisers in the Wichita Falls division of the Northern District of Texas, the case was destined for U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who has several right-wing rulings to his resume. But the apparent judge-shopping was foiled Tuesday when O’Connor recused himself from the case. Why did he do so? His brief filing didn’t say.”
* Hmm: “FBI agents have raided and searched the Virginia home of Dimitri Simes, an author and policy analyst, who advised Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign and who currently hosts a current affairs program on Russia’s state-run Channel One. The raid began on 13 August, the FBI told the local Rappahannock News, which first reported the story.”
* A friend of mine named Rachel Maddow has a new op-ed in The New York Times that you should definitely read.
See you tomorrow.
