Today’s edition of quick hits:
* He’s not the only one: “Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, said Thursday he wished President Donald Trump had not met alone with Vladimir Putin of Russia.”
* Endangered Species Act: “President Trump’s administration unveiled a proposal Thursday that would strip the Endangered Species Act of key provisions, a move that conservationists say would weaken a law enacted 45 years ago to keep plants and animals in decline from going extinct.”
* A provocative idea: “Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday defeated an attempt by panel Democrats to subpoena the interpreter who worked for President Donald Trump during his summit Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
* Pay particular attention to the name of the town: “The Russian military has apologized for failing to warn Armenian villagers they were holding war games in their midst. During the exercises, Russian forces opened fire Tuesday in a village called Panic, and panic indeed ensued. Local media showed Russian military vehicles descending on the town in the allied nation.”
* Hmm: “Iran rejected eight requests from the United States for a meeting of their presidents at the United Nations General Assembly last year, a top Iranian official said Wednesday.”
* Scott Pruitt’s last act has been blocked: “The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by a 2-1 decision issued an emergency stay on Wednesday in response to a lawsuit by the Environmental Defense Fund and other environmental groups. The order forces the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce stricter rules on ‘super polluting’ glider trucks as the court considers permanently overriding Scott Pruitt’s final decision as the EPA’s leader.” * Conspicuous silence: “Every year since a Russian missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew, the U.S. State Department has issued a statement to mark the anniversary. But on the anniversary this year — a day after U.S. President Donald Trump met in Helsinki with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin — the State Department was conspicuously silent about it.” * The latest in the milk debate: “The head of the FDA said Tuesday that the Trump administration will move to crack down on the use of the term ‘milk’ for nondairy products like soy and almond beverages.” 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
