Extra, Extra

Trump Pulls Out: “It’s been a long time with very bad decision making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place. It was a quagmire. For many, many years it lasted. But soon that part of history will be over.” So said Donald Trump as the US military exits Iraq after 12 years. The withdrawal agreement was actually negotiated by the Biden administration. And it’s been a long time coming. But one wonders about this specific timing, given our ongoing negotiations with Iran (whose leaders are happy to see the pullout). Allisa J. Rubin in the NYT (Gift Article): What I Saw as the U.S. Debacle in Iraq Unfurled. “From the beginning, the United States did not understand the country it was storming into. Twenty-three years later, as it pulls the last of its forces out, it probably still does not.” (Allisa, we don’t even understand Canada.)

+ Deport into a Storm: U.S. Supreme Court sides with Trump administration in third-country deportations. “The court’s brief order granting the petition did not outline a reason for staying a lower-court order that blocked the third-country deportations. But it asked both sides to argue whether lower courts had the jurisdiction to rule on the issue and order nationwide relief, as well as whether the Trump policy is legal or whether it violated the due process clause or conventions against torture.” Seems like you’d want to halt an action that might violate due process (it does) or conventions against torture (we’ve all read the CECOT stories, etc). But SCOTUS is allowing the deportations to continue for now.

+ Brought to Account: WSJ (Gift Article): Treasury Will Auto-Enroll 60 Million Children in Trump Accounts. “The Treasury Department will automatically enroll tens of millions of children in the government’s new Trump Accounts as soon as this week, replacing the previous structure that required parents or guardians to sign up.” (This makes it more likely the accounts get to the kids who need them.)

+ Enjoy Your Stay: “There are men who cook for him and men who clean for him. There are men who make his bed and men who do his laundry. There is even a man who gives him Chinese-style massages. This is how Sean “Diddy” Combs has been living in prison.”

+ Riding Roughshod: Six Flags Magic Mountain said Tuesday that it is retiring its famous X2 roller coaster amid lawsuits alleging serious brain injury caused by the ride.