Today’s edition of quick hits:
* White House pessimism: “President Joe Biden said Thursday the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine was ‘very high’ as the United States and its allies warned Moscow was trying to create a pretext for an attack after shelling in the country’s east. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, Biden said Moscow could invade its neighbor ‘in the next several days.’”
* In related news: “Tensions showed no signs of easing after the West disputed Moscow’s claims of a troop pullback from near Ukraine’s borders, with the Kremlin expelling a senior U.S. diplomat and delivering a sharp response to Washington over the Russian security demands at the heart of the crisis.”
* An update on a story from yesterday: “No Russian troops were withdrawn from the border with Ukraine, a senior Biden administration official told reporters Wednesday night, disputing Moscow’s claim that it was pulling back some forces.”
* The latest in Canada: “The Ontario provincial police mobilized outside Ottawa’s city center on Thursday, in what appeared to be preparation for a promised clampdown on protesters who have paralyzed the capital of Canada for three weeks.”
* In the Midwest: “President Joe Biden said on Thursday efforts to clean up the Great Lakes would get a significant boost of $1 billion through the bipartisan infrastructure package. ‘For decades, there was a lot of talk, a lot of plans, but very little progress, it was slow,’ Biden said during his remarks in Lorain, Ohio. ‘That changes today.’”
* District Court Judge Beryl Howell has some politically relevant concerns: “Blasting the Republican Party’s reference to the Jan. 6 insurrection and events surrounding it as ‘legitimate political discourse,’ a federal judge questioned whether the Justice Department bore some blame for the ‘confusion’ by letting people charged with storming the US Capitol plead guilty to petty offenses.”
* I hate to be a stickler about such things, but the deadline is tomorrow: “Lawmakers weren’t panicking yet, but Congress was scrambling Thursday to strike a bipartisan deal to avert a government shutdown before funding runs out Friday night. Senate leaders said they expected to hold a vote later Thursday on the stopgap funding measure — called a continuing resolution, or CR— which would allow lawmakers to leave Washington for the weeklong Presidents Day recess.”
See you tomorrow.