Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Syria: “The U.S. has carried out ‘large-scale strikes’ against multiple Islamic State targets in Syria along with partner forces, U.S. Central Command said on Saturday. The attack is a part of an operation launched on Dec. 19, when U.S. forces struck ‘more than 70 targets’ in central Syria as retaliation for the killing of three Americans by an ISIS gunman in early December.”
* In Iran: “Iran said Monday that it was prepared for conflict but also ready to negotiate after President Trump warned that the United States might intervene to stop an increasingly deadly government crackdown on opposition protests.”
* In Mississippi: “A suspect in an arson fire at a historic Mississippi synagogue admitted to targeting the house of worship because of its ‘Jewish ties’ and was turned in to authorities by his father who had observed burn marks on his son’s ankles, hands and face, the FBI said Monday.”
* Speaking of Mississippi, there was a mass shooting in the state on Friday: “Six people were killed in Mississippi on Friday evening in a shooting spree apparently carried out by a single gunman, who mainly targeted members of his own extended family, law enforcement officials said on Saturday.”
* A key White House legal setback, Part I: “A federal judge in New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration from freezing roughly $10 billion in federal funding for child care and social services destined for five Democratic-led states, keeping funds flowing until a lawsuit against the government can progress.”
* A key White House legal setback, Part II: “A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Friday from enforcing part of an executive order directing the government to withhold federal election funds to states that do not alter their voting procedures in line with the president’s demands.”
* The strikes apparently weren’t “perfect”: “When President Donald Trump announced U.S. airstrikes in Nigeria on Christmas night, he declared that his newly rebranded War Department had conducted ‘numerous perfect strikes’ against ‘ISIS Terrorist Scum.’ But warheads in four of the 16 Tomahawk missiles that were fired that night appeared not to explode, according to Nigerian officials, analysts and imagery reviewed by The Washington Post.”
* An important and insightful analysis: “President Trump has found a powerful but obscure bulwark in the appeals court judges he appointed during his first term. They have voted overwhelmingly in his favor when his administration’s actions have been challenged in court in his current term, a New York Times analysis of their 2025 records shows.” * So much of the world is moving on without us: “The European Union, overcoming deep dissension among its members, gave the green light to a sweeping trade pact with four South American countries on Friday that would create one of the largest free-trade zones in the world, connecting markets with more than 700 million people.” * Maybe shredding our public health infrastructure wasn’t a good idea: “In the United States, the term bird flu has become synonymous with a particular virus that has devastated poultry and dairy farms over the past few years. But that virus, called H5N1, is not the only form of bird flu in circulation. Concerned scientists are keeping a close eye on other types, including a fast-changing flu virus called H9N2.” See you tomorrow.
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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