Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Russia scandal: “The Senate Intelligence Committee is interested in talking to Donald Trump. Jr., the eldest son of the president, about his meeting with a Russian lawyer last June, a well-placed committee source tells NBC News.”
* Mosul: “Iraqi security forces have wrested control of Mosul from ISIS and are now clearing portions of the city’s historic quarter of explosives and hidden enemy fighters, the U.S. military said Monday.”
* Turkey: “Addressing huge throngs of people at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, the leader of Turkey’s mainstream opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, issued a thunderous demand for an end to an ongoing government crackdown under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The rally represented the largest public display of opposition to the clampdown Erdogan’s government since he survived a failed military coup attempt nearly a year ago.”
* It’s curious why China would do this for Russia: “Beijing has blocked any mention of Vladimir Putin on popular posts on Sina Weibo, the Twitter-like microblogging service, giving Russia’s president an immunity from public criticism usually reserved for China’s Communist party elite.”
* The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau isn’t dead yet: “The nation’s consumer watchdog is adopting a rule on Monday that would pry open the courtroom doors for millions of Americans, restoring their right to bring class-action lawsuits against financial firms.”
* Bad idea in Kentucky: “In a move the state says would save money but cut another 9,000 people from Medicaid, Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration is seeking permission from the federal government for more changes to the state-federal health plan that serves 1.4 million Kentuckians.” * True: “Politics aside, we know how to fix Obamacare.” * Conservative media: “Sinclair Broadcasting chief political analyst and former Trump White House official Boris Epshteyn (whose short tenure was marked by his combative and controversial style) will now appear on Sinclair stations across the country nine times per week for his ‘Bottom Line with Boris’ segments, the company confirms…. Epshteyn’s segments are ‘must runs’ so all the Sinclair stations across the country will air them along with their other “must run” segments like conservative commentary from Mark Hyman and the ‘Terrorism Alert Desk’ segments.” 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
