Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A potentially important ruling: “A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration last year unlawfully paused final immigration decisions for individuals from countries affected by its so-called travel ban. The lawsuit, brought forward in March by various nonprofits representing immigrants, criticized several Citizenship and Immigration Services policies that paused final decisions on asylum, green card and citizenship applications for individuals from any of the 39 countries under the current travel ban.”
* The ceasefire isn’t holding: “Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah showed little sign of abating on Friday, a day after the Iran-backed militant group rejected a U.S.-brokered cease-fire, as Israeli forces bombarded towns across southern Lebanon and ordered residents to flee.”
* An early morning vote: “After a marathon session of votes Thursday and Friday, senators passed a roughly $70 billion reconciliation bill funding immigration enforcement as more moderate Republicans abandoned efforts to constrain President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion settlement fund — and a host of other controversies — and advanced the legislation without imposing any new restrictions on the president.”
* Also on Capitol Hill: “After successfully adopting a war powers resolution Wednesday aimed at reining in President Donald Trump’s military authority in Iran, House Democrats again bypassed GOP leaders on Thursday, delivering another rebuke of the president by advancing aid for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia. The House passed the Ukraine legislation 226-195, with 18 Republicans joining all but one Democrat — Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. — in support of the bill.”
* Those who tout family values should value families: “As grocery prices continue to rise nationally, the House on Thursday passed an appropriations bill that would cut funding for a program that helps pregnant women and children purchase healthy foods. By a vote of 213-210, the House passed an appropriations measureto fund the Agriculture Department among other agencies.”
* In this case, a lawyer from Trump’s Justice Department told a judge that the administration has the unilateral authority to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty: “A federal appeals court panel expressed skepticism Friday about the Trump administration’s view that courts are powerless to stop the construction of the White House ballroom now that the East Wing had been demolished.”
* When officers steal things, it’s a problem: “A New Jersey police sergeant has been charged with stealing $10,000 worth of cameras and other equipment from a photojournalist who had been injured covering tense protests outside a Newark immigration jail. Darryl Brown, a sergeant in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, was caught with the missing items after the photojournalist used a geo-tracking device to trace her missing gear to his home, the state’s attorney general said Thursday.”
* I’m not sure if I would’ve made this call, but they had to choose from bad options: “The three remaining ‘60 Minutes’ correspondents — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim — have committed to remaining at the show after a series of tumultuous changes, including Scott Pelley’s firing this week. In a joint memo to colleagues obtained by MS NOW, the correspondents wrote that they decided to stay because ‘we don’t want to see ‘60 Minutes’ die.’”
Have a safe weekend.
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