Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Manafort: “The Virginia federal judge overseeing the trial of Paul Manafort agreed Monday to delay the start of the trial for six days. The trial was to begin on Wednesday, July 25 in Alexandria, Virginia. Judge T.S. Ellis issued an order setting a new date of Tuesday, July 31.”
* Today’s White House drama: “President Donald Trump is examining whether to revoke the security clearances of former intelligence officials who have criticized him, his spokeswoman said Monday, raising the specter of a president using his office to lash out at his political enemies.”
* This ought to be interesting: “Michael A. McFaul, a former U.S. diplomat and fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will visit the White House on Tuesday for a private meeting with President Trump’s top adviser on Russia, according to two people familiar with the planned meeting.”
* Team Zinke: “In a quest to shrink national monuments last year, senior Interior Department officials dismissed evidence these public lands boosted tourism and spurred archaeological discoveries, according to documents the department released this month and retracted a day later.”
* Good choice: “President Donald Trump rejected Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s offer to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine with a referendum in the disputed region, the White House said Friday.”
* The Manhattan Madam: “Investigators in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s office have notified an attorney for Kristin Davis, who gained notoriety in the 2000s for running a high-end prostitution ring, that they intend to question her as part of their probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Davis said Friday.”
* Like Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) believes Donald Trump was “manipulated” by Vladimir Putin.
* The Washington Post published a piece from Michael Anton the other idea that argued against birthright citizenship. That really wasn’t a good idea. * Full disclosure, I’ve written several pieces for the paper, and I’m sorry to see this happen: “The New York Daily News, one of the city’s two tabloid papers, is halving its editorial staff, the latest sign of trouble in the local news business. The cuts will leave the newsroom with about 40 people, according to former employees. They come less than a year after the paper was bought by Tronc, which has a reputation for low newsroom investment.” * A sadly predictable coda: “Less than a month after he won a Supreme Court case to preserve his First Amendment rights as a state worker not to pay union fees, Mark Janus has announced he’s quitting his job for a position with the conservative think tank that helped bankroll his case. Janus will start Aug. 1 with the Illinois Policy Institute as a senior fellow, the think tank announced Friday night.” 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
