Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The war continues: “Russia’s attack on Ukraine stretched into its sixth day Tuesday, as a massive armored convoy advanced toward the capital, Kyiv, and major cities were hit by more heavy shelling.”
* ICC: “The International Criminal Court said Monday it would open an investigation into whether Russia has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. The decision was announced hours after peace talks in Belarus ended without any clear progress.”
* Quite a moment: “An impassioned speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighting his country’s determination and worth received a standing ovation from the European Parliament and choked up a translator.”
* Presidents connect: “Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy spoke for about 30 minutes over the phone today, according to a White House official. The Ukrainian president said on Twitter that ‘American leadership on anti-Russian sanctions and defense assistance to Ukraine was discussed.’”
* Energy policy: “The Biden administration is releasing 30 million barrels of crude oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to combat rising fuel prices sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday. The release is being done in coordination with allied countries in the International Energy Agency who are releasing an additional 60 million barrels.”
* The Kremlin is scrambling to control what Russians know: “Journalists say two independent Russian media outlets, TV Rain and Echo of Moscow, had their websites blocked within the country Tuesday after the Prosecutor General’s Office accused them of reporting ‘false information’ on Russian troop movements.”
* Kyiv TV Tower: “Russian forces on Tuesday fired at the Kyiv TV Tower in the nation’s capital, killing at least five people and injuring another five, Ukrainian officials and the State Emergency Service said on Telegram. Video and images posted on social media near the tower, a more than 1,200-foot-high steel structure used for radio and television broadcasting, showed smoke rising and an explosion from a building nearby.”
* This is likely to get Moscow’s attention: “Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, said on Monday that it would exit its joint ventures with Gazprom, the Russian natural gas giant. It is joining BP, which said on Sunday that it would sell its nearly 20 percent stake in Rosneft, the Russian state-controlled oil company.”
* Yesterday’s mass shooting in California: “A gunman killed his three children, their chaperone and himself during a court-supervised visit Monday evening at a church just outside Sacramento, California, authorities said. The gunman’s children were 15 and younger, officials said Monday night. Law enforcement sources said the shooter used an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.” * New subpoenas: “Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) today announced that, as part of its investigation into the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and its causes, the Select Committee has issued subpoenas to six individuals who promoted false claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and participated in, or encouraged, various actions based on those false claims. The committee is seeking records and testimony from these six individuals.” * SCOTUS: “The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to resolve a dispute over the legality of decades-old federal requirements that give Native American families priority to adopt Native American children in a challenge pursued by a group of non-Native adoptive families and the state of Texas.” * The inevitable appeal: “Former President Donald Trump has appealed a judge’s decision requiring he answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices — a widely expected move that’s likely to prolong the fight over his testimony by months.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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