Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A closely watched case: “When you hear the phrase ‘destroying or altering evidence,’ it might conjure an image of a criminal organization hell-bent on covering up its misdeeds. As it happens, a judge appointed by Donald Trump just used those words in an order against Trump administration officials and employees, temporarily barring them from taking such actions after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota on Saturday.”
* Trump specifically referred to an “armada” moving into the region: “President Trump said late Thursday that a large naval force was heading to Iran, continuing his threats of U.S. military action against the government nearly a month after protests erupted across the country.”
* In related news: “As U.S. warplanes and aircraft carriers approach the Persian Gulf, Tehran and its regional allies are warning they will respond aggressively to a potential strike.”
* The 36th known strike: “The United States military on Friday struck another boat it suspected of smuggling drugs, killing two people, according to the U.S. Southern Command, in its first known boat strike in the eastern Pacific since the capture of Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.”
* I wish he spoke a lot less about secret weapons: “President Donald Trump said the U.S. used a secret weapon he called ‘The Discombobulator’ to disable Venezuelan equipment when the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro. Trump also renewed his threat to conduct military strikes on land against drug cartels, including in Mexico. Trump made the comments in an interview Friday with the New York Post.”
* Lindsey Halligan will likely land on her feet, her embarrassing recent tenure notwithstanding: “Donald Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan, a former insurance attorney who brought two unsuccessful cases against two of the president’s perceived enemies, is no longer a Justice Department employee, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.”
* At the SEC: “Federal regulators have dropped a long-running lawsuit against a prominent cryptocurrency firm with ties to President Trump, court records show, the Trump administration’s latest pullback in enforcement of the industry. In a filing made public on Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to dismiss the case against Gemini Trust, a crypto exchange founded and run by billionaire twins, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.”
* Will the administration rally to Musk’s defense? “European Union regulators on Monday announced an investigation of Elon Musk’s social media platform X after the authorities said that it had failed to stop the spread of sexualized images generated by artificial intelligence.”
See you tomorrow.
