The Dictatorship
Friday’s Mini-Report, 6.26.26
Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Just hours after Donald Trump accused Iran of striking a cargo ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attack a “foolish violation” of the countries’ ceasefire agreement, U.S. Central Command issued a public statement saying it had conducted a fresh round of strikes against Iran, hitting “Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites.”
* Crisis conditions in Venezuela: “As Venezuela seeks to recover from twin earthquakes Wednesday — with magnitudes of 7.2. and 7.5, respectively — that killed at least 920 people, injured thousands and have caused extensive damage, the fallout from another natural disaster, and the U.S. response to it back then, is instructive for what happens next today.”
* Let’s hope these signs of progress continue: “Israel, Lebanon and the United States signed a framework toward peace on Friday, capping four marathon days of talks in Washington and pulling the fate of the conflict in Lebanon away from the Iranian regime.”
* Bolton pleads guilty: “John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser turned sharp critic, returned to a federal courtroom today to plead guilty on a national security-related charge, marking the latest chapter in Trump’s apparent retribution tour against his political foes. … U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang set a sentencing hearing for October 28.”
* Court case on the Epstein files: “The Justice Department has effectively conceded it is violating the law Congress passed last November requiring the public release of the vast majority of records relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a federal judge declared Thursday.”
* In related news: “House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed billionaire investor Leon Black on Friday, saying he had refused to answer questions about allegations that he signed nondisclosure agreements with women tied to Jeffrey Epstein.”
* Worthwhile scrutiny: “The Department of Homeland Security inspector general announced Thursday that it is investigating the treatment of unauthorized immigrants in facilities operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
* Sweltering in Europe: “Human-caused climate change made this month’s roasting heat in Western Europe much more likely than it would have been even just two decades ago, scientists said Friday, highlighting the rapidly escalating risks to health and livelihoods from the burning of fossil fuels.”
* Expect court fights: “The Texas State Board of Education on Friday approved a new required reading list for more than 5 million K-12 public schools that includes stories from the Bible. The list will affect every grade level.”
Have a safe weekend.
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.”