Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A historic diplomatic feat: “Four U.S. residents wrongly imprisoned in Russia — including journalist Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan — were released and on their way home Thursday, part of a major multinational prisoner exchange the likes of which has not been seen since the Cold War. The massive deal, cut among seven nations, involves 24 people, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens held in Russia, and eight Russians imprisoned in the U.S., Germany, Slovenia, Norway and Poland.”
* In the Middle East: “Mourners in Iran and Lebanon commemorated slain militant leaders Thursday, as they vowed retribution against common enemy Israel and signaled that the most recent paroxysm of violence gripping the Middle East may be far from over.”
* Trump’s latest legal setback: “A New York appeals court on Thursday denied former President Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss the partial gag order against him in his criminal case. Trump had argued the gag order was unnecessary and should be dismissed after his conviction in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 campaign. A five-judge panel of the state Appellate Division, a mid-level appeals court, disagreed.”
* An important plea deal: “The man accused of plotting the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and two of his accomplices have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and murder charges in exchange for a life sentence rather than a death-penalty trial at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, prosecutors said Wednesday.”
* A story worth watching: “Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday it has expelled a Russian diplomat after two Moldovan officials were detained on suspicion of treason and conspiracy against the European Union candidate country.” * In Utah: “The Utah Supreme Court upheld on Thursday a suspension of the state’s near-total ban on abortion, meaning the procedure remains legal while a court challenge to the law proceeds.” * Right-wing social media posts claimed a suspected murder in the United Kingdom was an undocumented immigrant. The claims were false, but riots happened anyway: “Seeking to quell a surge of misinformation-fueled unrest, a British judge on Thursday took the unusual step of naming the 17-year-old suspect in a stabbing rampage that left three children dead and eight injured in northwestern England early this week.” See you tomorrow.
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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