Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Afghanistan: “A car bomb outside of Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield on Monday killed three U.S. service members and a contractor, and wounded three other American service members, officials said. The injured personnel were evacuated and receiving medical care, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement.”
* An unprecedented move: “President Donald Trump says the U.S. has designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a ‘foreign terrorist organization’ as part of an effort to increase international pressure on the country. It’s an unprecedented move because the U.S. has never before used the designation for an entire foreign government entity.”
* Louisiana: “Three historically black churches have burned in less than two weeks in one south Louisiana parish, where officials said they had found ‘suspicious elements’ in each case. The officials have not ruled out the possibility of arson, or the possibility that the fires are related.”
* Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wanted to put out a resignation letter before Donald Trump tweeted about her departure. He didn’t care.
* Israeli elections are tomorrow: “Struggling to rally right-wing voters before Tuesday’s elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that he would start to extend Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank if given a fourth consecutive term.”
* Trump went after her by name the next day: “A New York State man was arrested and charged Friday for threatening to kill Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.”
* He’s quite a nominee: “One of President Donald Trump’s new picks to serve on the Federal Reserve Board, Trumponomics author Stephen Moore, was found to be in contempt of court in 2012 for failing to pay more than $300,000 in alimony and child support.” * I’m not sure how this will help anyone: “The Trump administration scuttled a landmark deal enabling Cuban baseball players to play on Major League Baseball teams and declared it illegal, the latest move to roll back the warming of relations between the United States and Cuba that began in the Obama administration.” * A fine choice: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at a ceremony next month, the Kennedy Library Foundation announced Sunday.” 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
