Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Kavanaugh says he’s not quitting: “In a defiant new letter Monday, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said he would ‘not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process.’”
* I wonder if Trump expected otherwise: “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told NBC News Monday that he had no plans to meet President Donald Trump during his visit to New York, saying the United States had employed only threats and sanctions against his country.”
* And speaking of Iran: “Iran summoned diplomats from Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands early Sunday for allegedly harboring ‘members of the terrorist group’ that launched an attack in the country’s oil-rich southwest, killing at least 25 people and wounding over 60.”
* This might affect Ted Cruz’s campaign strategy: “The Dallas Police Department on Monday fired an officer who barged into the wrong apartment in her building and killed a man who was inside. The dismissal of Amber Guyger was announced by Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall on Twitter.”
* It’s hard to have confidence the White House knows what it’s doing: “China raised tariffs Monday on thousands of U.S. goods in an escalation of its fight with President Donald Trump over technology policy and accused Washington of bullying Beijing and damaging the global economy.” * Other prominent administration officials lost their jobs after criticizing Russia, so Pompeo should be cautious: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday criticized Russia for its failure to cooperate with the U.S. on the world stage despite overtures by President Donald Trump to ‘develop a relationship’ with the Kremlin. ‘They have not proven helpful in the Ukraine, in Syria,’ Pompeo said on NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ in an interview set to air 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
