Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The money will come from “unanticipated cost savings” from related Pentagon contracts: “The White House will provide $300 million in additional weapons to Ukraine, officials announced Tuesday, as more funding remains held up in Congress by Republican leaders.”
* Crisis in Haiti: “The embattled prime minister of Haiti, the Caribbean country whose capital has been overwhelmed by violent gangs, said Tuesday that he would resign. In a short speech posted to Facebook, Ariel Henry said his government would dissolve once a transitional council had been set up, following a week of ‘systematic looting and destruction of public buildings and private buildings.’”
* Not quite the inflation news we were looking for: “U.S. inflation was slightly stronger than expected last month but did little to change expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting rates later this year. Consumer prices rose 3.2% in February from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up slightly from economists’ expectations of 3.1%.”
* Dreadful, but not surprising: “School hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people have sharply risen in recent years, climbing fastest in states that have passed laws restricting LGBTQ student rights and education, a Washington Post analysis of FBI data finds. In states with restrictive laws, the number of hate crimes on K-12 campuses has more than quadrupled since the onset of a divisive culture war that has often centered on the rights of LGBTQ+ youth.”
* In related news: “The Florida Department of Education must clarify a controversial 2022 parental rights law branded as ‘Don’t Say Gay’ by its critics under a settlement reached Monday that upholds a key DeSantis administration policy.”
* Really? “Former president Donald Trump asked Elon Musk last summer whether the billionaire industrialist would be interested in buying Trump’s social network Truth Social, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation.” * More House Republican drama: “Rep. Randy Weber said Monday that Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good has essentially pushed him out of the conservative group over the Texas Republican’s lackluster meeting attendance.” * Given the congresswoman’s eagerness to appear on television as much as humanly possible, I’d be surprised if she sticks to this position: “Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said Monday that she will not be going on ABC again after a heated exchange with host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.” 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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