Today’s edition of quick hits.
* As of Monday afternoon, a total of six U.S. service members have been killed in action as part of the military offensive in Iran.
* Also in the Middle East: “Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Monday that their militaries had targeted each other’s posts across the border as their fighting entered a fifth day, fueling instability in a region rocked by U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation. The intensity of the clashes, however, appeared to be lower than when it began although there were no signs that the allies-turned-foes were seeking to step back and make peace.”
* News from the Hill: “The Republican-led House Oversight Committee released the full video of the closed-door deposition it conducted with former President Bill Clinton on Friday. In prepared opening remarks, the 42nd president of the United States said he never witnessed nor was he aware of any of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes when he was in contact with him. He insisted that he cut off contact with Epstein prior to those facts surfacing.”
* In related news: “The House Oversight Committee released the full video of the closed-door deposition it conducted with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday. The Republican-led panel conducted the hourslong deposition to question Clinton about any potential ties she had to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But Clinton said the hearing devolved into questions about UFOs, aliens and the so-called Pizzagate conspiracy theory.”
* Texas’ latest mass shooting: “A shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, on Sunday has left two people dead and 14 others injured. The shooter, who has been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, is also dead. The gunman had a history of mental illness, according to government sources with direct knowledge of the investigation. … Investigators are looking into whether Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Senegal, was ideologically motivated and possibly triggered by the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.”
* Watching our longtime friends find new friends: “India and Canada on Monday agreed to strengthen their economic partnership, in a move aimed at boosting ties after two years of strained relations.”
* That sounds like a lot of violations: “A federal judge has found that the Internal Revenue Service violated federal law ‘approximately 42,695 times’ when it shared confidential taxpayer addresses with immigration enforcement officials last summer.”
* Even on the brink of war, Hegseth kept his focus on his culture war crusade: “The Defense Department has decided to curb academic ties with nearly two dozen top universities and think tanks as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign against what he calls anti-American values and ‘wokeness.’” * His neck really didn’t look great: “President Trump’s doctor on Monday addressed what appeared to be red markings on the president’s neck by saying that he was undergoing a ‘preventative skin treatment’ using a ‘very common cream.’” * The latest in a series of head-shaking developments: “’The Kennedy Center Honors’ have been presented under that longstanding, historic name for the final time. … To the surprise of probably few people, the awards program will henceforth be known as ‘The Trump Kennedy Center Honors,’ in keeping with the effort of the board installed by President Donald J. Trump to rebrand everything related to the institution with his name.” 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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