Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Brussels: “The main train station in the Belgian capital was evacuated Tuesday evening after security forces shot a person following a small but fiery blast, officials said. Nobody besides the alleged perpetrator was hurt in the incident, which happened around 9 p.m. local time at Brussels Central Station, the prosecutor’s office reported.”
* His first instinct is to always blame his predecessor: “President Trump on Tuesday called the death of Otto Warmbier, who was detained in North Korea for nearly a year and a half, ‘a total disgrace’ and indirectly blamed former president Barack Obama for not securing the University of Virginia student’s release sooner.”
* On a related note, Trump had this tweet this afternoon, and it’s not at all clear what it means: “While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!”
* The footage is important, but not for the faint of heart: “Authorities on Tuesday released graphic dashcam footage of officer Jeronimo Yanez firing seven shots into Philando Castile’s car last year, killing him as viewers watched the aftermath on Facebook Live.”
* This isn’t fine: “A U.S. military official says a Russian fighter jet flew within several feet of an American reconnaissance plane in what the U.S. says was an unsafe maneuver over the Baltic Sea. Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez, a U.S. European Command spokesman, said the Russian pilot was flying at high speed and had poor control of the aircraft.”
* As p.r. gimmicks go, this was a pretty good one: “Democratic Sens. Cory Booker, Brian Schatz, and Chris Murphy decided to take their hunt for the GOP’s healthcare bill on the road Tuesday.” * Perhaps he shouldn’t get too comfortable in his current role: “In April, Mark Corallo, the spokesman for President Trump’s personal legal team, used Twitter to suggest — twice — that Vice President Mike Pence, not Mr. Trump, should be the Republican nominee for president in 2020…. His posts are a rare instance of a Trump ally publicly venting criticism of a president who prizes loyalty and is known to be averse to dissent.” * That’s hot: “The extreme heat forecast for Phoenix on Tuesday has caused the cancellation of 20 American Airlines flights out of Sky Harbor International Airport. According to a statement from American Airlines, the American Eagle regional flights use the Bombardier CRJ aircraft, which has a maximum operating temperature of 118 degrees. Tuesday’s forecast for Phoenix included a high of 120 degrees, and the flights that are affected were to take off between 3 and 6 p.m. MT.” 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
