Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Netanyahu’s apparent plan for Gaza: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel plans to take control of Gaza, but ultimately hand over the responsibility of governing the enclave to Arab forces.”
* The highest import taxes since the Great Depression: “After months of delays and extensions, President Donald Trump’s comprehensive and sweeping tariffs slate took effect Thursday just after midnight ET, shifting his global trade reset into high gear.”
* In related news: “President Trump’s tariff war has inflicted almost $12 billion of losses on global automakers, the biggest hit they have faced since the pandemic. The scary reality: This may be just the beginning.”
* It’s still not normal for American presidents to publicly demand the resignations of major international corporations’ chief executives: “President Donald Trump on Thursday demanded that the CEO of the tech firm Intel resign immediately, saying he is ‘highly conflicted’ because of alleged ties to China.”
* On a related note, Trump lashed out at Lip-Bu Tan, the chief executive of the Intel Corp., just five minutes after Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas criticized the Intel CEO during a Fox Business interview.
* A 14-day delay: “A Florida judge ruled to temporarily halt operations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ the controversial migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades over a lawsuit alleging the site’s construction skirted environmental laws. U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams made the decision on Thursday after two days of testimony in Miami federal court.”
* These firings and hirings are becoming increasingly difficult to track: “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday.”
* The White House’s anti-climate agenda continues apace: “The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially shutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers.” * If the Guardian’s reporting is accurate, it seems like the sort of story that should haunt Vance for a while: “JD Vance’s team had the army corps of engineers take the unusual step of changing the outflow of a lake in Ohio to accommodate a recent boating excursion on a family holiday, the Guardian has learned.” * Metaphor Alert: “The last two sections of Article I of the U.S. Constitution were missing from the government’s official digital record of the charter and its interpretations. The Library of Congress, which confirmed that the sections were missing, cited a coding error and said it was working to resolve the issue.” 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."
Latest Post
Recommended
