Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A jury in Donald Trump’s criminal case in New York is now in place: “‘We have our full panel,’ Judge Juan Merchan declared after they added the last of the six alternates who will serve alongside the panel of 12 jurors, paving the way for opening statements in the first-ever criminal trial of a former president to begin Monday. The 12 and one alternate had been chosen by the end of the day Thursday.”
* President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign wasted little time in seizing on reports that Trump fell asleep during this morning’s courtroom proceedings.
* The strike that neither side seems eager to talk about: “Israel carried out a limited military strike against Iran and is assessing its effectiveness and the damage it caused, a source familiar with the situation told NBC News. Iranian state media reports that air defense systems were engaged in several provinces and that nuclear sites in Isfahan, in central Iran, are safe. Meanwhile, the state media appeared to downplay the impact of a possible Israeli strike in the country.”
* The new Title IX rules take effect on Aug. 1: “The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday cementing protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students under federal law and updating the procedure schools must follow when investigating and adjudicating cases of alleged sexual misconduct on campus.”
* The Associated Press highlighted complains from pregnant women who were turned away from emergency rooms following the demise of Roe v. Wade: “One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency room couldn’t offer an ultrasound. The baby later died.” * A case I’ve been keeping an eye on: “A Texas appeals court has ruled that Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton can face discipline from the state bar association over his failed effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.” * All is not well with the platform formerly known as Twitter: “Hyundai suspended advertisements on the social media giant X this week after one of the company’s sponsored posts appeared next to antisemitic messages.” Have a safe weekend.
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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