Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Hamas says it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East.”
* Late-breaking SCOTUS news: “The Supreme Court paved the way today for the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status for up to 600,000 Venezuelan immigrants, meaning some could ultimately be deported.”
* The latest deadly strike in international waters: “The U.S. military killed four men aboard a boat in international waters near Venezuela, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday, in the first such strike since the Trump administration told Congress that the United States was engaged in a formal ‘armed conflict’ with Latin American cartels.”
* No progress on the government shutdown, Part I: “The Senate failed to pass the Republican and Democratic short-term spending bills for a third time and has adjourned. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., previously said if the measures are blocked again, the Senate will adjourn until Monday, extending the government shutdown into a sixth day.”
* No progress on the government shutdown, Part II: “House Speaker Mike Johnson has set next week as a district work period. Johnson said this morning, ‘the House will come back into session and do its work as soon as [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government.’”
* The retaliatory campaign continues: “The Trump administration announced Friday that it is putting $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago infrastructure projects on hold, the latest move to target Democratic-run cities during the government shutdown.”
* Mifepristone: “The Trump administration has approved a new generic version of the mifepristone abortion pill, a decision made by the Food and Drug Administration this week that is now prompting an uproar among antiabortion leaders.”
* All is not well at the FBI: “FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday fired an agent in training for displaying a gay pride flag on his desk while appointed to a field office in California last year, according to three people familiar with the matter.”
* Tech companies sure do cave to the administration a lot: “Tech company Apple has blocked its users from accessing ICEBlock, an application that notifies people where Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity is taking place, in the company’s latest act of capitulation to the president’s authoritarian ambitions.”
* Given the recent purge in the top ranks of the military, it’s only fair to wonder whether Bussiere left voluntarily or was pushed: “A top Air Force commander, Gen. Thomas Bussiere, announced his retirement Tuesday for ‘personal and family reasons.’”
* It’s back: “A statue depicting President Donald Trump and the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reappeared Thursday on the National Mall amid the government shutdown.”
Have a safe weekend.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
