Today’s edition of quick hits.
* We apparently have one of those ceasefires that features a fair amount of firing: “U.S. forces fired on and blocked an Iran-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman today after the ship sailed toward an Iranian port, U.S. Central Command announced on X.”
* Relatedly, the White House is prepared both to wind down and to intensify the war: “Reiterating similar remarks he made on Truth Social earlier, Trump told a reporter from ‘PBS NewsHour’ that he believes the U.S. may reach a deal with Iran before he heads to China next week. At the same time, the president suggested he would unleash further destruction if a deal is not reached.”
* Russia’s latest deadly strikes: “Russian bombs tore into Ukrainian cities on Tuesday afternoon and evening, killing more than 20 people and wounding dozens of others. The deadly strikes drew a furious response from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who said they showed the cynicism behind Russia’s announcement of a cease-fire timed to Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9.”
* Meanwhile, in Lebanon: “Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday, the first such attack in the Lebanese capital since a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon took effect last month. In a statement, Israel said it had targeted the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force, the group’s elite fighting unit. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group. Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade fire in southern Lebanon despite the cease-fire, but attacks on Beirut had stopped.”
Recommended
* The pace of the deadly U.S. boat strikes is clearly accelerating: “The U.S. military said on Tuesday that it had struck another boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three people and bringing the death toll to at least 190 in the monthslong campaign against those who the United States alleges are engaged in drug smuggling at sea.”
* Keep an eye on this one: “A federal judge said Tuesday that she was referring a Trump administration lawyer to face an investigation into potential misconduct for withholding key information from her about a case. The lawyer, Kevin M. Bolan, leads the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island. In court filings and during a hearing on Monday, Mr. Bolan acknowledged that he had failed to disclose important information to the judge about an immigrant who had been arrested and had petitioned for release.”
* This closed-door hearing apparently didn’t go well for the witness: “Democrats on the House Oversight Committee accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of dodging questions Wednesday about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and what the Trump administration told him to say during a closed-door interview with lawmakers.”
* A step in the right direction at DHS: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to return to a longer training program for new deportation officers, two Department of Homeland Security officials said Wednesday, restoring previous standards after dramatically shortening the instruction period for recruits last year.”
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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