Today’s edition of quick hits:
* The Moskva has apparently sunk: “Russia and Ukraine differ on the exact cause of the major explosion on a Russian battleship in the Black Sea on Thursday, but experts say there is no doubt that it’s a massive blow to the Kremlin’s pride and could undermine the country’s naval operations in the region.”
* Russian society is becoming even more repressive: “A former police officer who discussed Russia’s invasion on the phone. A priest who preached to his congregation about the suffering of Ukrainians. A student who held up a banner with no words — just asterisks. Hundreds of Russians are facing charges for speaking out against the war in Ukraine since a repressive law was passed last month that outlaws the spread of ‘false information’ about the invasion and disparaging the military.”
* Dustin Thompson’s conviction: “A Donald Trump supporter who told jurors that he was ‘following presidential orders’ when he stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was found guilty on Thursday after he admitted that he stole a coat rack and a bottle of liquor from the building.” (This was the third Jan. 6 jury trial. Each of the three defendants have been convicted.)
* I hope you saw our coverage of this: “Multiple U.S. government agencies issued a joint alert Wednesday warning of the discovery of a suite of malicious cyber tools created by unnamed advanced threat actors that are capable of sabotaging the energy sector and other critical industries.”
* An interesting warning: “Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said countries that maintain their ties to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine risk facing isolation from the global economy, sending a warning shot to nations that have so far remained neutral in the conflict.”
* Fatal police shooting in Michigan: “The Grand Rapids Police Department in Michigan released several videos on Wednesday of the fatal police shooting of a Black man during a traffic stop this month. The videos, from a body-worn camera, an in-car camera, a cellphone and a home surveillance system, show the final moments of Patrick Lyoya’s life.”
* This report on Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who’ll turn 89 in June, is a tough read: “Four U.S. senators, including three Democrats, as well as three former Feinstein staffers and the California Democratic member of Congress told The Chronicle in recent interviews that her memory is rapidly deteriorating. They said it appears she can no longer fulfill her job duties without her staff doing much of the work required to represent the nearly 40 million people of California.”
* As someone who actually gets something out of Twitter, this is unsettling: “Elon Musk has offered to buy Twitter. One of the world’s richest men delivered a letter to the company with a proposal to acquire all outstanding shares of Twitter for $54.20 each, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission published Thursday. The letter, delivered Wednesday, amounts to an offer to take Twitter private, a move that would give Musk greater control of the company.” * Addressing medical debt: “Vice President Harris this week announced the federal government is taking several new measures to help people affected by medical debt…. So many people have been ‘rushed to the hospital because their appendix burst or because they took a nasty fall and who are still paying off the bill years later,’ Harris said in remarks at the White House.” * It’s always disappointing when he echoes Republican talking points, especially when those talking points are wrong: “Sen. Joe Manchin III has reiterated his grievances with the Biden administration over a major energy project that the president canceled on his first day in office: the Keystone XL pipeline.” * I’ve watched the clip out of Tennessee, but I still can’t believe it: “While debating a bill on Wednesday that would criminalize homeless camps on public property in the state, State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) decided to share with the chamber ‘a little history lesson on homelessness.’ That lesson: Hitler was homeless for a spell, too, but by golly, then he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and ‘went on to lead a life that got him in the history books.’” 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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