Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Gaza: “The Israel Defense Forces today announced it mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in northern Gaza. ‘The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the incident and shares in the grief of the families,’ the military said. ‘The IDF will continue to act in all efforts to return the abductees home.’”
* In related news: “During his visit to Israel, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said today that the United States wanted to see results on avoiding civilian casualties in Gaza. He was speaking in Israel after meeting with officials there amid spiking tensions between the two countries.”
* In the region: “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war with Hamas grinds on, U.S. officials said.”
* Viktor Orban strikes again: “The European Union failed to agree on a 50 billion-euro ($54 billion) package in financial aid that Ukraine desperately needs to stay afloat, even as the bloc decided Thursday to open accession negotiations with the war-torn country. The aid was vetoed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, delivering another tough blow to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he failed this week to persuade U.S. lawmakers to approve an additional $61 billion for Ukraine, mainly to buy weapons from the U.S.”
* Do you get the sense that Mark Meadows is having a rough day? “A panel of federal appeals court judges heard arguments on whether charges against Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in a sprawling Georgia election case should be moved but expressed skepticism Friday that the relevant statute applies to former officials.” * Homelessness: “The United States experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans, federal officials said Friday.” * And if you only have time for one long-form article today, make it The New York Times’ amazing behind-the-scenes report on how Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices went about dismantling Roe v. Wade. 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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