Today’s edition of quick hits.
* NATO’s newest member: “Sweden is expected to formally join NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced a complete rethink of its national security policy and the realization the alliance offered the best guarantee of safety.”
* In Alabama: “Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a GOP-proposed bill to protect in vitro fertilization into law Wednesday night after weeks of backlash prompted by a controversial state Supreme Court ruling that embryos are considered children. Ivey, a Republican, signed the measure just moments after lawmakers passed it and sent it to her desk.”
* In related news: “Two Alabama fertility clinics that paused in vitro fertilization services last month expect to resume them now that state lawmakers have passed a bill to protect doctors and clinics that discard embryos as part of routine IVF services.”
* Shielding names: “The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial later this month for alleged business records fraud has ruled that jurors’ names will be shielded from the public but known to the lawyers, the former president and his consultants.”
* The latest Jan. 6 arrest: “The FBI has arrested a Jan. 6 rioter who attacked police officers using a variety of items including a metal baton, a floor lamp and a shoe, according to court records. Curtis Logan Tate, known to online ‘Sedition Hunters’ as #ShinyCircleTattoo because of a distinct tattoo on his hand, was arrested in North Carolina on Thursday.”
* On the Korean Peninsula: “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for greater war fighting capabilities against the United States and South Korea, state media reported Thursday, after his defense ministry vowed to respond to the ongoing South Korean-U.S. military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.”
* A story worth watching: “Russia plans to unleash a hybrid attack against Moldova in a bid to undermine the former Soviet republic’s plan to join the European Union and maintain Kremlin influence, Moldova’s intelligence chief said.”
* This bill passed the Senate 69 to 30, and it faces an uncertain future in the House: “The Senate passed legislation Thursday that would compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government by renewing a law initially passed more than three decades ago.”
See you tomorrow.
