Today’s edition of quick hits:
* An important ruling from Friday night: “A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Trump administration is responsible for migrant children separated even before it instituted a ‘zero tolerance’ policy.”
* Ports of entry: “Authorities have seized the biggest shipment of cocaine recovered at the ports of New York and New Jersey in almost 25 years.”
* As U.S./China trade talks continue, Donald Trump doesn’t want to answer our allies’ calls: “Trump continues to keep European allies at arm’s length, declining to share details of the draft trade agreement — which he has called ‘my deal,’ according to these people, who include officials from several European countries.”
* The effects this spiral will have on our democracy matter: “Town by town, local journalism is dying in plain sight.”
* A wild story out of Lewiston, Maine: “A Republican mayor in Maine resigned on Friday after a woman he was having an affair with released a racist text message he sent her, according to several local media reports.”
* Making a difficult situation worse: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is the homeland ‘only of the Jewish people,’ in a new jab at the country’s Arab minority ahead of April’s election.” * Important domestic-security findings: “Most people arrested as the result of FBI terrorism investigations are charged with non-terrorism offenses, and more domestic terror suspects were arrested last year than those allegedly inspired by international terror groups, according to internal FBI figures reviewed by The Washington Post.” * Did no one brief Trump in advance? “Australia’s former foreign minister says she was mistaken for the spouse of a politician by US First Lady Melania Trump, in her latest comments on the subordinate role of women in conservative politics.” Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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
