Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The new policy isn’t exactly on firm ground: “Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Parliament of Iran, said in a statement that ‘a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable,’ alleging that three clauses of its ‘workable’ proposal had been violated before peace talks had even begun.”
* A key point of contention: “White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing today that Iranian state media reports that the country closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli attacks on Lebanon are ‘false.’”
* On a related note, when a reporter asked Leavitt who currently controls the Strait of Hormuz, she refused to answer the question.
* Crisis conditions in Lebanon: “Israeli forces pounded Beirut on Wednesday, killing dozens of people in an aerial barrage that Israel described as the largest yet in its current offensive against Hezbollah, hours after the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire.”
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* I suspect we haven’t heard the last word on this one: “Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not appear for her April 14 deposition in front of the House Oversight Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, according to a spokeswoman for the committee. The Department of Justice told the Republican-led committee that she would not appear on that date, as she was subpoenaed in her capacity as attorney general and no longer serves in that role.”
* A burgeoning controversy: “The Trump administration has handed a $370 million windfall to one of the world’s largest exporters of natural gas by allowing the company to claim an ‘alternative fuels’ tax incentive for operating some of the planet’s most heavily polluting ships. Financial disclosures made Thursday by liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Cheniere reveal that the IRS green-lit the payment earlier this year, ruling that the company’s tankers powered by liquefied natural gas that ship the fossil fuel worldwide qualified for the incentive.”
* A long-shot effort on Capitol Hill: “Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the House minority leader, said in a letter to his caucus that House Democrats would try to use a pro forma session — a brief, routine meeting the House holds when it is in recess — to try and unanimously pass a resolution halting the war against Iran and forcing President Trump to get authorization for further military action from Congress.”
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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