Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Lauren Windsor adds to Justice Samuel Alito’s troubles: “In the recordings, Alito seemed to agree with Windsor, who was posing as a conservative Christian, that the U.S. is locked in a culture war between liberals and conservatives, saying at one point that ‘one side or the other is going to win.’ He quickly added that ‘there can be a way of … living together peacefully, but it’s difficult you know because there are differences on fundamental things that can’t really be compromised.’”
* In Gaza: “Each side made positive but vague statements about the cease-fire plan and blamed the other for prolonging a war that has devastated Gaza. But neither said it would formally embrace the proposal, which was outlined last month in a speech by President Biden and was the basis of the 14-0 vote in the Council on Monday.”
* On the Korean Peninsula: “South Korean soldiers fired warning shots after North Korean troops briefly violated the tense border earlier this week, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, as the rivals are embroiled in Cold War-style campaigns like balloon launches and propaganda broadcasts.”
* The latest from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon: “The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump and two of his associates struck a paragraph from the indictment on Monday but denied a defense request to dismiss some of the charges. The paragraph concerns allegations that Trump, in 2021 and while no longer president, showed a classified map of a foreign country to a representative of his political action committee while discussing a military operation that he said was not going well.”
* DeSantis sure does lose in court a lot: “A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a 2023 Florida law that blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors and severely restricted such treatment for adults. Senior Judge Robert Hinkle said the state went too far when it barred transgender minors from being prescribed puberty blockers and hormonal treatments with their parents’ permission.”
* Attorney General Merrick Garland has an op-ed in The Washington Post: “In recent weeks, we have seen an escalation of attacks that go far beyond public scrutiny, criticism, and legitimate and necessary oversight of our work. They are baseless, personal and dangerous.” * Terrifying: “The number of partisan-backed outlets designed to look like impartial news outlets has officially surpassed the number of real, local daily newspapers in the U.S., according to a new analysis. Why it matters: Many of those sites are targeted to swing states — a clear sign that they’re designed to influence politics.” * Hmm: “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce received an $800,000 wire transfer from billionaire donor Hank Meijer days after it endorsed his son, then-Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), in a contentious 2022 primary, according to previously unreported internal emails reviewed by The Hill.” 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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