Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Mariupol: “Ukrainian officials said Thursday that an apparent mass grave in a village outside the devastated city may contain as many as 9,000 bodies. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko compared the site to the Kyiv ravine where Nazi forces killed an estimated 33,000 Jews in 1941.”
* War crimes: “The United Nations has found growing evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, including summary executions, shelling of civilian buildings, attacks on medical clinics, abductions and sexual violence, Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement on Friday.”
* I’ll have more on this on Monday: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed into law legislation that would eliminate the Walt Disney Co.’s special self-governing status in the area around its Orlando theme parks, in a move widely seen as retaliation against the company for criticizing a new education law signed by the Republican governor.”
* I’m planning to take a closer look at this on Monday, too: “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Friday repeatedly deflected questions about her involvement in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and efforts by former President Donald Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
* This will probably be interesting: “Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, is expected to meet with the Jan. 6 committee in the coming days, a source familiar with the panel’s work said Thursday. Lawmakers on the House panel have invited Trump Jr. to speak with investigators voluntarily. They did not issue a subpoena.”
* Speaking of Jan. 6: “A U.S. Capitol riot defendant who described himself as ‘one of those idiots scaling the wall’ on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 60 days in prison and three years of probation on Thursday.”
* In related news: “A Florida man has been arrested and accused of pepper-spraying officers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and then making a menacing call to the FBI special agent investigating his role in the riot, law enforcement officials said.”
* A stunning statistic: “Guns became the leading cause of death among children and teens in 2020, killing more people ages 1 to 19 in the U.S. than vehicle crashes, drugs overdoses or cancer.” * At the White House: “Anita Dunn, a former top Biden adviser who remains close to the president, is returning to the White House in a senior adviser role with a broad portfolio, and she is expected to be involved in part in responding to potential GOP probes, according to four people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel moves.” * Crypto robberies: “Since August, there have been 37 hacks in 38 weeks that have drained about $2.9 billion worth of cryptocurrencies. That is on par with the $3.2 billion stolen in all of 2021, according to analytics firm Chainalysis.” 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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