Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Austin didn’t just visit Ukraine, he also rejected those who would recommend appeasement: “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Ukraine on Monday, in a show of solidarity with Kyiv just two weeks ahead of a U.S. presidential election that is casting uncertainty over the future of Western support.”
* Another setback for Putin: “President Maia Sandu said on Monday Moldovans had won a ‘first battle in a difficult fight’ for their future, a day after a slim majority of 50.46% backed EU accession in a referendum that was clouded by allegations of Russia-backed meddling.”
* In Lebanon: “The Israeli military hit bank branches across Lebanon overnight to target Hezbollah‘s finances, expanding its offensive in an assault that sparked panic as the United States launched a new push for a diplomatic solution to the intensifying regional conflict.”
* ACA policymaking: “The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would provide women with private insurance access to over-the-counter birth control pills and other contraceptives at no cost, the White House said on Monday. The rule, which expands a federal mandate requiring health insurers to cover preventative care services at no cost to patients under the Affordable Care Act, is being proposed by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury and would come into effect in 2025 if finalized.”
* Debt relief: “Federal student loan payments for some 8 million borrowers will remain on pause for six months or longer, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education said. The development on Monday comes as the Biden administration has been dragged into a slew of legal battles waged by Republicans over its recent student loan relief efforts.”
* A case worth watching: “The five men who make up the Central Park Five, and now call themselves the Exonerated Five, have filed a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump over his remarks during the presidential debate last month.”
* SCOTUS: “The Supreme Court on Monday rejected disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen’s last-ditch effort to revive a civil rights claim against his former boss Donald Trump. The justices left in place lower court rulings that said Cohen could not pursue his allegation that then-President Trump and other officials violated his rights by putting him in solitary confinement for writing a tell-all book.”
See you tomorrow.