Today’s edition of quick hits:
* In case you missed this from late Friday night: “Iran has admitted it unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane hours after launching ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops, blaming ‘human error’ for the ‘great tragedy’ that killed all 176 people aboard.”
* A case I’ve been following: “Federal prosecutors in New York on Monday asked a judge to sentence former Rep. Christopher Collins, R-N.Y., to the maximum of nearly five years in prison for his role in an insider trading scheme.”
* Playing hardball with an ostensible ally: “The Trump administration warned Iraq this week that it risks losing access to a critical government bank account if Baghdad kicks out American forces following the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general, according to Iraqi officials.”
* I remember 2016, when then-candidate Trump spent months taking the opposite stance: “The Trump administration formally removed China’s designation as a currency manipulator on Monday, offering a major concession to the Chinese government as senior officials arrived in Washington to sign a trade agreement with President Trump.”
* Noted without comment: “Allies of President Trump are pursuing an effort to acquire right-leaning news channel One America News Network, according to people familiar with the matter, in a bid to shake up a conservative media market that has been dominated by Fox News.” * He makes so many false claims: “Trump says most asylum seekers don’t show up for their court hearings. A new study says 99% do.” * And if Trump’s tweets over the weekend are any indication, we can apparently add Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, whom this president appointed, to the Republican’s enemies list. 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." Recommended
