Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest U.S. fatalities in the Middle East: “All six crew members on the U.S. KC-135 refueling tanker have died after the aircraft crashed in western Iraq yesterday, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X. The crash ‘was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,’ but the incident is under investigation, it added. The Pentagon previously confirmed that four people aboard the aircraft had died.”
* This total includes the Strait of Hormuz, but that’s just part of the problem: “At least 16 oil tankers, cargo and other commercial ships have been attacked in the Persian Gulf since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began nearly two weeks ago, a New York Times analysis shows. Iran has claimed responsibility for several of the attacks. On Thursday, two Iraqi tankers were ablaze at sea, some of the latest visible examples of how attacks have increasingly focused on oil and energy infrastructure as the war has sprawled.”
* Keep a close eye on this one: “The Pentagon is moving a Marine expeditionary unit and more warships to the Middle East, as Iran steps up its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from Centcom for an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit, typically consisting of several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors, according to three U.S. officials.”
* Shouldn’t the White House have seen this coming? “The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has triggered the largest supply disruption in global oil market history, according to a Thursday report from the International Energy Agency, as tensions escalate along a critical waterway for international trade.”
* A transparent abuse collapses: “A federal judge has quashed the Justice Department’s subpoenas targeting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, according to a court filing unsealed Friday — a major blow to the Trump administration’s criminal investigation into the central bank’s leader.”
* Given how easy it would be to reopen and fully fund TSA, reports like these are especially painful: “As the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continues, roughly 50,000 TSA workers have been working without pay. Union representatives said screeners have taken second jobs with DoorDash, Uber and Lyft to supplement their incomes. Others are facing eviction notices and have temporarily slept in their cars.” * Making it easier for Americans to stop being Americans: “The State Department has slashed by about 80% the fee for Americans to formally renounce their U.S. citizenship.” * Somehow, the Kennedy Center will have to find a way to persevere without Grenell: “Richard Grenell, the longtime Republican foreign policy adviser who oversaw far reaching changes at the Kennedy Center that prompted many artists to abandon the iconic performing arts venue, will step down as the institution’s president.” 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."
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