Today’s edition of quick hits:
* If you missed these remarks, they’re worth your time: “President Joe Biden traveled to Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday where he met with the families of victims from Saturday’s shooting rampage and addressed the racism and hate that officials say motivated the gunman. ‘What happened here is simple, straightforward terrorism,’ Biden said.”
* In Ukraine: “Ukraine ordered soldiers defending the last pocket of Mariupol to stop fighting, effectively ceding control of the southeastern port city to Russia after a bloody monthslong struggle that came to signify the brutality of the Kremlin’s war and fortitude of Kyiv’s resistance. Ukraine said its focus was now on evacuating the troops from the Azovstal steel plant, where they have been holed up under fire.”
* Formula relief is coming, but it’s still weeks away: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced new measures to boost baby formula supplies amid a severe shortage that has sent American parents scrambling.”
* The vote in the Finnish Parliament on NATO membership was 188 to 8: “Finland’s parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO military alliance in a historic policy shift prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
* Is Switzerland tilting closer to NATO, too? “Switzerland’s fabled neutral status is about to face its biggest test in decades, with the defence ministry tilting closer to Western military powers in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The defence ministry is drawing up a report on security options that include joint military exercises with NATO countries and ‘backfilling’ munitions, Paelvi Pulli, head of security policy at the Swiss defence ministry told Reuters.”
* In Somalia: “President Biden has signed an order authorizing the military to once again deploy hundreds of Special Operations forces inside Somalia — largely reversing the decision by President Donald J. Trump to withdraw nearly all 700 ground troops who had been stationed there, according to four officials familiar with the matter.”
* A big ruling in Michigan: “A judge on Tuesday suspended Michigan’s dormant, decades-old ban on abortion, which means the procedure would not be illegal in the state even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its historic Roe v. Wade decision. The Michigan law, which makes it a crime to assist in an abortion, has been on the books since 1931. But it has had no practical effect since the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.”
* Housing policy: “Amid skyrocketing prices, President Joe Biden’s administration is taking steps to spur more affordable housing as the White House seeks to close the U.S. ‘housing supply gap’ in five years. Among the efforts is an increase in federal assistance to help finance and produce more factory-built homes, including mobile homes.”
* Cold feet? “Elon Musk said early Tuesday that his deal to buy Twitter will not move forward until the company proves that less than 5 percent of its accounts are fake.” * Keep an eye on this one: “The Arizona Senate will investigate a social media post from state Sen. Wendy Rogers that suggested the shooter in a mass killing in Buffalo, New York, last weekend was a federal agent and part of a federal conspiracy.” * I continue to think this is a great public service: “The federal government started taking orders Monday for a third round of Covid-19 test kits to be mailed to any U.S. household. A Department of Health and Human Services website said Monday that all U.S. households were eligible to order a third round of tests.” * A step in a constructive direction: “The Biden administration is restoring flights to Cuban cities other than Havana and reestablishing a family reunification program suspended for years, following recommendations of a long-anticipated review of U.S. policy toward Cuba, senior administration officials told McClatchy and the Miami Herald on Monday.” 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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