Today’s edition of quick hits:
* As the threat of a Russian invasion looms: “Ukraine appeared to offer and then retract a major concession to Russia amid increasingly feverish attempts by some world leaders to prevent war from breaking out in Europe.”
* On a related note: “President Joe Biden on Saturday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the consequences of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which U.S. officials have said could be imminent, would be ‘swift and severe,’ according to a White House description of the conversation.”
* Along the U.S./Canada border: “The Ambassador Bridge, a crucial roadway for U.S.-Canadian trade, reopened late Sunday after authorities cleared a weekend blockade mounted by protesters unhappy about vaccine mandates.”
* For now, this unfortunate case is no more: “A New York City federal judge said Monday he would dismiss Sarah Palin’s claim that she was defamed by The New York Times when it incorrectly linked her to a 2011 mass shooting in Arizona that nearly killed former Rep. Gabby Giffords.”
* A flight attendant reportedly hit the suspect in the head with a coffee pot: “An American Airlines flight heading from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., on Sunday was diverted to Kansas City International Airport in Missouri after an ‘unruly’ passenger attempted to break into the cockpit — and tried to open an exit door, according to several reports.”
* Mike Lee, at it again: “On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans at the onset of World War II, Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is getting backlash for holding up the creation of a national historic site at a former internment camp in rural Colorado.”
* Hmm: “Mrs. Trump is now selling tickets to the April ‘high tea,’ with organizers saying that some of the profits will benefit an initiative of her ‘Be Best’ endeavor called ‘Fostering the Future,’ meant to provide computer-science scholarships to young people who have been in foster care. There was no indication of how much of the proceeds Mrs. Trump herself intended to pocket. Florida requires any organization that raises charitable contributions in the state to register. No charity with the name ‘Fostering the Future’ or ‘Be Best’ is registered in Florida.”
See you tomorrow.