Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Israel carried out a strike against Hamas’ senior leadership on Tuesday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, marking a significant escalation in its multifront conflict in the region. There was an immediate political backlash to the attack with the White House issuing rare public criticism of Israel’s action and several other countries, including regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, condemning the strike.”
* SCOTUS news: “The Supreme Court will decide the fate of worldwide tariffs President Donald Trump has used to raise revenue, spur manufacturing and exert political pressure on other countries. … The court on Sept. 9 agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of lower court rulings that he overstepped when he invoked a 1977 law to impose tariffs on imports from most of the world’s countries. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, also agreed to fast-track the appeal.”
* A breakthrough victory for progressive governance: “New Mexico is becoming the first state in the U.S. to offer free early childhood education to every family in the state. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a universal child care plan that includes higher pay for pre-K educators. Starting in November, all New Mexico families, regardless of income, will be able to enroll their kids in pre-K for free.”
* The judge’s reasoning in this case is difficult to understand: “A Michigan judge dismissed criminal charges Tuesday against a group of people who were accused of attempting to falsely certify President Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 election in the battleground state, a major blow to prosecutors as similar cases in four other states have been muddied with setbacks. District Court Judge Kristen D. Simmons said in a court hearing that the 15 Republicans accused will not face trial.”
* Fresh evidence of tariffs forcing major economies to circumvent the U.S.: “China has racked up a $60 billion trade surplus with Africa so far in 2025, nearly surpassing last year’s total, as Chinese companies redirect trade to the region while President Trump’s tariffs crimp the flow of goods into the United States.”
* This doesn’t sound like a “tough on crime” approach: “The Trump administration is quietly dismantling efforts by the Internal Revenue Service to shut down a slew of aggressive tax shelters used by America’s biggest multinational companies and wealthiest people.” * A worthwhile line of inquiry: “Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are demanding information about the Trump administration’s decision to strip 37 current and former national security officials of their security clearances, arguing that politics drove the revocations.” * The Democratic list for the latest Jan. 6 panel probably didn’t please its GOP members: “Democrats named the members of their caucus to serve on a new subcommittee reinvestigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — a Republican-led probe that threatens to reignite tensions over one of the most divisive events in American political history. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) announced Monday that Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-California), Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) will participate in the eight-member committee and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) will serve as an ex officio member.” 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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