Today’s edition of quick hits.
* If Trump has a new plan to resolve Russia’s war in Ukraine, I’m eager to hear it: “President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Moscow would retaliate against Ukraine’s major drone attack over the weekend, casting doubt that a peace deal to end the war could come soon.”
* In related news: “The Russian military will likely surpass 1 million casualties in its war on Ukraine this summer, according to one of the world’s leading think tanks, reflecting the staggering human toll of President Vladimir Putin’s assault on his neighbor.”
* In Gaza: “Roads leading to Gaza’s aid distribution centers will be considered ‘combat zones’ Wednesday, the Israeli military warned shortly after the controversial organization tasked with running the sites announced they would close for the day.”
* Columbia’s appeasement strategy didn’t work: “The Trump administration said Wednesday that it has notified the accreditor for Columbia University that the school violated Title VI, threatening the university’s accreditation status by saying it ‘no longer appears to meet the Commissions accreditation standards.’”
* Speaking of the partisan campaign against higher education: “Florida officials on Tuesday rejected the candidacy of Santa Ono to lead the University of Florida, after he had been accused of leniency toward pro-Palestinian protesters while serving as president of the University of Michigan. The University of Florida’s board unanimously approved Dr. Ono last week, but the state’s Board of Governors, which oversees the sprawling State University System of Florida, voted against him, 10 to 6.”
* Yet another significant loss at the CDC: “Pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos of the U.S. CDC resigned on Tuesday as co-leader of a working group that advises outside experts on COVID-19 vaccines and is leaving the agency, two sources familiar with the move told Reuters. Panagiotakopoulos said in an email to work group colleagues that her decision to step down was based on the belief she is ‘no longer able to help the most vulnerable members’ of the U.S. population.”
* The latest from Foggy Bottom: “The U.S. State Department has moved $250 million to the Department of Homeland Security for voluntary deportations by migrants without legal status, a spokesperson said, an unprecedented repurposing of funds that have been used to aid refugees uprooted by war and natural disasters.” * Some news can be both predictable and disappointing simultaneously: “The Justice Department is dropping a lawsuit that it filed against White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, a case in which he was accused of using an unofficial email account for government work and wrongfully retaining presidential records during the first Trump administration, according to a Tuesday court filing.” * After having seen the clip, I’m glad to see Morales’ segment gain national traction: “A Florida weatherman stopped his show mid-air to sound the alarm about a looming national disaster — one that’s entirely manmade. As the country prepares for the next hurricane season, Miami newscaster John Morales issued an ominous warning about how the steep federal government cuts are impacting meteorologists’ ability to predict and track threats.” 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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