Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Quite a meeting: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered President Joe Biden ‘all my appreciation’ as the two met at the White House on Wednesday, before the wartime leader was set to address a joint meeting of Congress. … Zelenskyy, who was near the front lines in Eastern Ukraine on Tuesday before making his first-known trip outside his country since the start of Russia’s invasion 10 months ago, gave Biden a military medal he said a Ukrainian soldier wanted Biden to have.”
* In related news: “In the Oval Office meeting, Biden confirmed that the U.S. will be giving Ukraine the Patriot Missile battery the country has requested to counter Russian missile and air attacks.”
* In Israel: “Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, announced on Wednesday that he had succeeded in forming a coalition government that is set to bring him back to power at the helm of the most right-wing administration in Israeli history.”
* A profound diplomatic challenge: “The Senate on Wednesday confirmed career diplomat Lynne Tracy as the next ambassador to Russia. She got the chamber’s overwhelming approval on a 93 to 2 vote. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) voted no.”
* Targeting ISIS in Syria: “For the second time in just over a week, U.S. Special Operations forces carried out helicopter raids against the Islamic State in eastern Syria, capturing six operatives including a senior official who the military said was involved in plotting and enabling terrorist attacks.” * All is not well in Florida: “Jared Smith, the Hillsborough circuit judge whom voters ousted in August after his controversial ruling in an abortion case, won’t have to hang up his judicial robe after all. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Smith to fill one of the three vacancies Tuesday on the newly created 6th District Court of Appeal, which will be based in Lakeland. Smith’s appointment will take effect Jan. 1.” * Watch what he does, not what he says: “Elon Musk will step down as Twitter’s CEO after he finds someone ‘foolish’ enough to replace him, he said Tuesday. In a tweet, Musk said he will remain at the company to run its software and servers teams.” 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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