Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Diplomatic pressure: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has asked President Trump to postpone any plans for an American military attack on Iran, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday, even as the Iranian government continues to grapple with nationwide protests. … Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt, all partners of Washington, have also been asking the Trump administration not to attack Iran.”
* It’s tough to shrug off threats like these: “President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to send military forces to quell escalating protests over the deployment of federal immigration agents in Minnesota.”
* Speaking of Minneapolis: “A shooting that involves federal law enforcement was reported in North Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, one week after Renee Good was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the city.”
* Another tanker: “The United States military seized a Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Caribbean early Thursday, according to the U.S. Southern Command, hours before Venezuelan opposition and government officials were headed to Washington. It’s the sixth such seizure in recent weeks as the Trump administration ratchets up pressure on the Venezuelan government even after a U.S. commando raid that captured President Nicolás Maduro.”
* A welcome reversal, but I’d love to know why the cuts were approved in the first place: “A day after the Department of Health and Human Services implemented a late-night rollback of $2 billion in mental health and substance use funding, an administration official confirmed late Wednesday that the grants are now being restored.”
* The obvious call: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he was blocking Louisiana’s attempt to extradite a doctor in the Golden State accused of mailing abortion pills.” * Maybe FIFA should revoke its peace prize: “The United States is intensifying pressure on Mexico to allow U.S. military forces to conduct joint operations to dismantle fentanyl labs inside the country, according to American officials. The push comes as President Trump presses on the Mexican government to grant the United States a larger role in the battle against drug cartels that produce fentanyl and smuggle it into the United States.” * This shouldn’t be a secret: “Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking Democrats on the House and Senate Armed Services committees, told MS NOW that the Pentagon has declined to answer repeated requests from congressional oversight committees for the cost of U.S. military operations in Venezuela and the Caribbean.” 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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