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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Team Trump in court: “Lawyers for Donald Trump and federal prosecutors appeared in a federal courtroom Friday morning to discuss what restrictions could be imposed before a trial on charges related to the 2020 election, including limits on what information the former president can share about the case.”
* The latest from Hawaii: “Officials have confirmed 55 deaths in the wildfires that tore through Maui, but Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen warned the death toll ‘could go up.’ Six fires are burning in Maui and the Big Island, but officials said the Lahaina fire is now 80% contained. Many of the town’s historic landmarks are lost.”
* Keep a close eye on this one: “The announcement of a prisoner exchange deal between the United States and Iran could increase the prospects for further diplomatic cooperation, including the Biden administration’s longstanding goal of containing Iran’s nuclear program, according to officials and analysts.”
* It was a 4-3 ruling: “The Illinois Supreme Court narrowly upheld the state’s assault weapons ban Friday, but opponents vowed to continue their fight in state and federal courts against the law which bars the sale of high-powered rifles and high-capacity magazines.”
* Unsettling rhetoric in Michigan: “Michigan state Rep. Matt Maddock (R) warned supporters at a recent fundraiser at his home that a ‘civil war’ would break out or that people would get shot if the government continued to target conservatives, according to audio of the event obtained by the Messenger, which first reported the remarks.”
* This poses real threats: “An internal Department of Defense audit has found military recruiters frequently failed to complete mandated checks to find recruits who are members of extremist groups, including not giving a screening questionnaire to 4 in 10 eligible recruits.”
* The latest from Fox: “Fox Corporation’s top lawyer is leaving the company, the media giant announced in a news release Friday, nearly four months after it reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Viet Dinh, Fox’s chief legal and policy officer, plans to step down from his role at the end of the year and become a special adviser to the company, Fox said.”
* And speaking of Fox, Laura Ingraham suggested on the air this week that President Joe Biden’s newly announced Grand Canyon national monument might be a scheme to funnel uranium money to Kazakhstan. “It all could really make perfect sense, couldn’t it?” the host asked. I’m going to assume that was a rhetorical question.
Have a safe weekend.