Today’s edition of quick hits.<\/p>\n

* The latest on the Japanese earthquake<\/a>: “A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes, rupturing roads and leaving some trapped and others presumed dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall. Speaking to reporters from her office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities ‌were still assessing the full extent of the damage in the area, which was devastated by a deadly quake a decade ago.”<\/p>\n

* Tehran contradicts Trump<\/a>: “Iran’s skies have been free of the sound of explosions and airstrikes for the past several days, after a bout of renewed fighting with the United States. But Iranian officials say they have not agreed to a cease-fire and are in no hurry to hold direct talks with American negotiators. Instead, Iranian officials insist that they are in a position of strength, military leaders boast of battlefield successes, and diplomats dismiss U.S. claims that they are eager to return to negotiations.”<\/p>\n

* The six-month mark<\/a>: “Soon after the war began on Feb. 28, President Trump declared that Iran was ‘totally defeated and wants a deal.’ Then in March, Mr. Trump said the U.S. military would wrap up its campaign against Iran in two to three weeks. ‘We will be leaving very soon,’ he said. Now the conflict is entering its sixth month and a period of deep uncertainty. After nearly two weeks of attacks and counterattacks, Mr. Trump has held off a major escalation. But major issues between the two sides remain unsettled.”<\/p>\n

* Putin’s latest offensive against dissent<\/a>: “The Kremlin has initiated a new crackdown on anti-war voices ahead of Russia’s parliamentary elections in September, barring candidates from running if they show any sign of opposing the bloody, expensive and increasingly unpopular military operation in Ukraine.”<\/p>\n

* The latest ethics probe<\/a>: “The House Ethics Committee said in a statement Monday it is investigating Rep. Lance Gooden, a four-term Texas Republican. It’s unclear what the committee is probing, but the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent investigative branch of the House, sent over findings regarding Gooden to the committee June 10.”<\/p>\n

* A striking report<\/a> out of Louisiana about how state and local officials agreed to give a tech giant everything it wanted as part of a secret deal: “The New York Times’s examination shows for the first time how Meta used secrecy and speed to pave the way for its giant project, which it calls Hyperion. At a pivotal moment for the A.I. boom, Hyperion could be a blueprint for other companies intent on avoiding local opposition in order to get massive data centers built fast.”<\/p>\n

* Evidence of a toxic political climate<\/a>: “Last week, former Justice Department lawyer Liz Oyer testified in the Senate against the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general. Then came the death threats.”<\/p>\n

* The pressure on McConnell<\/a> persists: “Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked Sen. Mitch McConnell to ‘directly and verbally address’ their constituents or resign, the Democratic governor’s latest demand for transparency regarding the 84-year-old Republican lawmaker’s condition as he recovers from a fall and pneumonia.”<\/p>\n

See you tomorrow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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