Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Republican lies often lead to real-world consequences: “Bomb threats on Friday forced the evacuation and closure of public schools and municipal buildings for a second consecutive day, as the city continues to deal with sudden national attention due to false claims involving its Haitian population. Students at Perrin Woods and Snowhill Elementary Schools in Springfield ‘were evacuated from their buildings to an alternate district location,’ school district spokesperson Jenna Leinasars said.”
* In Russia: “President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia would be ‘at war’ with the United States and its allies if they lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range Western weapons. … British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold talks with President Joe Biden later Friday, as London clashed with Moscow over the expulsion of six diplomats accused of spying — accusations the U.K. dismissed as ‘baseless.’”
* In related news: “The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions on Russian state media Friday, accusing a Kremlin news outlet of working hand-in-hand with the Russian military and running fundraising campaigns to pay for sniper rifles, body armor and other equipment for soldiers fighting in Ukraine.”
* A strike worth watching: “Boeing’s factory workers walked off the job early Friday, halting production of the company’s best-selling airplanes after staff overwhelmingly rejected a new labor contract.”
* This is a sensible ruling, though the fact remains that there are no clinics in North Dakota where abortions can be performed: “A state district judge struck down North Dakota’s abortion ban Thursday, saying that the state constitution creates a ‘fundamental right’ to access abortion before a fetus is viable. “ * Worth keeping an eye on: “Federal authorities are preparing to file criminal charges over Iran’s alleged hack and leak attack against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. The FBI investigation has focused on an online persona named ‘Robert’ who contacted American reporters, these people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe details of an ongoing investigation. That persona shared campaign documents they falsely claimed to have obtained while working with the Trump campaign, the people said.” * The future of U.S. Steel: “White House officials are signaling that President Joe Biden will not imminently move to block Nippon Steel’s bid to acquire U.S. Steel amid mounting concerns over the political and economic consequences of nixing the deal, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.” 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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