Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A rare acknowledgement of a Trump-Putin conversation: “President Donald Trump said that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone Wednesday about ending the war in Ukraine and that Putin indicated he would be willing to negotiate directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”
* Inflation isn’t gone just yet: “Price growth sped up unexpectedly in January, posing an early challenge to President Donald Trump’s economic agenda. Inflation for so-called core items, which exclude volatile food and energy prices, climbed 3.3% over the past 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday, above economists’ expectations of 3.2%. On a monthly basis, the inflation measure rose 0.4%, exceeding forecasts for 0.3%.”
* Unexpected ICE firings: “Two top officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been demoted amid frustration by Trump administration officials that the agency isn’t arresting or deporting people quickly enough, three administration officials confirmed to NBC News.”
* Speaking of ICE: “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem has requested that the Treasury Department provide Internal Revenue Service personnel to assist with immigration enforcement, marking the Trump administration’s latest effort to expand federal resources to fulfill his campaign pledge to deport more undocumented immigrants.”
* A notable warning: “The American Bar Association is warning the public about attacks on the rule of law — and suing the Trump administration — following the U.S. president’s recent actions to dismantle parts of the federal government.”
* A case worth watching: “Civil rights attorneys sued the Trump administration on Wednesday to gain access to detained migrants who they say have been flown to Guantanamo Bay and held there without being able to consult lawyers or speak to relatives.” * From the Vatican: “Pope Francis issued a fierce rebuke of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts on Tuesday, calling it a ‘major crisis’ in the U.S. and warning that it ‘will end badly.’” * For the record, no one from the Warren Commission is currently alive: “Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said she wants Congress to question key investigators of John F. Kennedy’s assassination — including physicians who examined him and members of the Warren Commission. Unfortunately for Luna, they are unavailable.” 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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