Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Someone should probably let House GOP leaders know about this: “Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several regions on Thursday, officials said, ramping up pressure on the embattled energy system as Ukraine runs low on air defenses.”
* This was an unexpectedly interesting speech: “Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida asserted in an address to a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday that his country stands with the U.S. at a time when history is at a turning point.”
* Gun policy: “The Biden administration is moving to expand background checks for gun purchases, fulfilling a key demand of advocates following the deadly shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas. The final rule, expected to be submitted Thursday to the Federal Register by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, would eliminate a loophole that has allowed sales of guns without background checks of guns outside of brick-and-mortar stores.”
* A case worth watching: “Sen. Bob Menendez’s criminal trial will continue as scheduled on May 6 — but without the New Jersey Democrat’s wife and co-defendant Nadine Menendez. At a hearing Thursday in federal court in New York, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein ordered Nadine Menendez’s case to be severed from her husband’s due to a health issue she is experiencing.”
* I wonder if Joseph Ladapo has seen this: “There is no evidence that mRNA Covid vaccines cause fatal cardiac arrest or other deadly heart problems in teens and young adults, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published Thursday shows.”
* A scary trend: “The ocean has now broken temperature records every day for more than a year. And so far, 2024 has continued 2023’s trend of beating previous records by wide margins. In fact, the whole planet has been hot for months, according to many different data sets.” * The perception that New England Republicans are always more moderate is not always true: “Two Maine lawmakers are facing possible censure after one said the deadliest mass shooting in the state, in Lewiston in October, was a sign of retribution from God over the passage of a law expanding abortion access by the Democratic-led state Legislature and other ‘immoral laws.’” * All is not well in Florida: “According to sources who spoke with The Daily Beast, that lack of information surrounding Florida’s anti-trans bathroom law has resulted in vigilante behavior, in which civilians attempt to enforce the statute in venues where it does not actually apply.” See you tomorrow.
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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