By
Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Standing in DOGE’s way: “A federal judge in Maryland blocked DOGE from accessing Social Security Administration records. In a blistering ruling, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander said that DOGE is ‘essentially engaged in a fishing expedition’ at the agency ‘in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion.’”
* Another closely watched case: "A federal judge in Washington edged closer on Thursday to holding the Trump administration in contempt for possibly having violated an order he issued last weekend pausing the deportation of scores of Venezuelan immigrants under a rarely invoked wartime statute."
* In Ukraine: “Hours after agreeing to a partial ceasefire with Russia in a phone call with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 images to his Telegram channel of fires and damage in the country’s central Kirovohrad region. ‘Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, despite its propaganda statements, do not stop,’ he wrote alongside the images, some of which showed firefighters standing on ladders and cranes, hosing down flames.”
* This is the result of longtime U.S. allies losing confidence in American leadership: “Canada is in advanced talks with the European Union to join the bloc’s new project to expand its military industry, a move that would allow Canada to be part of building European fighter jets and other military equipment at its own industrial facilities.”
* Understandable concerns: “Federal judges are worried that online threats against those who oversee high-profile cases challenging Trump administration policies may lead to real-world violence.”
* A notable resignation: “Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner in a statement on Wednesday announced he will step down from the nation’s passenger and freight rail company as the Trump administration targets funding for mass transit systems and other transportation initiatives across the nation.”
* What could possibly go wrong with the idea of putting guns in the hands of convicted criminals? “The Justice Department plans to create a path for people with criminal convictions to own guns again, an issue that became contentious at the agency when officials there sought to restore that right to the actor Mel Gibson, a prominent supporter of President Trump’s.”
* Eichorn apparently didn’t have much of a choice: “A Minnesota state senator who was caught in a sting operation resigned under fire Thursday after he was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution. Republican Justin Eichorn, of Grand Rapids, submitted his resignation in a letter to Gov. Tim Walz, Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said in a statement.”
* A welcome reversal: “The Pentagon restored some webpages highlighting the crucial wartime contributions of Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans on Wednesday, days after tribes condemned the action.”
* During his first visit to the Kennedy Center, Donald Trump, who has claimed polymathic expertise in a great many subjects, shared an anecdote about his childhood: “He told the assembled board members that in his youth he had shown special abilities in music after taking aptitude tests ordered by his parents, according to three participants in the meeting.”
See you tomorrow.