Today’s edition of quick hits:
* An intensifying crisis: “Russia broadened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, launching air strikes on targets in the western part of the country for the first time while its ground forces continued trying to encircle the capital, Kyiv, and strangle into submission other besieged cities like Mariupol.”
* One of countless tragedies: “A Russian projectile hit a psychiatric hospital outside the eastern Ukrainian town of Izyum and destroyed two-to-three floors of one of its buildings, regional governor Oleh Synegubov said. He said the 330 patients, including the elderly and disabled, and 30 staff were sheltering at the time.”
* The White House’s next steps: “President Joe Biden on Friday called on Congress to join the European Union and the Group of Seven industrial nations in suspending normal trade relations with Russia, allowing new tariffs to be imposed in response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In a speech, Biden said the U.S. will also ban imports of Russian diamonds, seafood and vodka, denying Moscow more than $1 billion in export revenues, according to a White House estimate.”
* Quite a mistake: “India said Friday it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan this week because of a ‘technical malfunction’ during routine maintenance, giving its version of events after longtime foe Pakistan warned the incident could have ‘unpleasant consequences.’”
* Spending package: “The Senate passed a massive $1.5 trillion spending bill Thursday that would prevent a government shutdown and provide $13.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine. The legislation passed 68-31 after it received House approval Wednesday. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the measure into law before government funding runs out Friday night.”
* A thorough discrediting of an important claim: “How the right embraced Russian disinformation about ‘U.S. bioweapons labs’ in Ukraine.”
* Texas’ S.B. 8: “Texas’ high court on Friday effectively ended a challenge by clinics to a state law that banned most abortions by ruling that state officials, including those tasked with doctor licensing, have no role in enforcing the law.” * Manda Bay, two years later: “A series of security lapses and an ‘inadequate focus’ on threats on the ground helped lead to a deadly assault on a sprawling military base in Kenya in 2020 that killed three Americans, a Pentagon investigation has concluded.” * A case I’ve been watching: “A New York judge has rejected a bid by Donald Trump to sue author and columnist E. Jean Carroll on the grounds that her defamation case against him in 2019 was baseless — a ruling that accused the former president of causing repeated delays to keep a sensitive matter from moving closer to trial.” Have a safe weekend.
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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