Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest from Ukraine: “Russian forces launched at least 60 missile strikes across Ukraine on Friday, officials said, reporting explosions in at least four cities. At least two people were killed when a residential building was hit in central Ukraine, while electricity and water services were interrupted in the two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv.”
* A new sentence for a Jan. 6 rioter: “A QAnon believer who chased U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman on Jan. 6, 2021, and apparently believed he was storming the White House was sentenced Friday to five years in prison. A jury found Doug Jensen, of Iowa, guilty on seven counts, including felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, in September. He was one of the first 10 rioters to enter the Capitol during the insurrection.”
* It took a while, but the NDAA is done: “The Senate passed a massive military policy bill Thursday that would direct the Defense Department to lift a Covid vaccination mandate for service members and authorize $858 billion in defense spending. The National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that authorizes Pentagon spending and policies, cleared the Senate in an 83-11 vote.”
* It’s getting easier to imagine the eventual demise of Twitter: “Twitter on Thursday evening suddenly suspended several high-profile journalists who cover the platform and Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world, who acquired the company just a few months ago.”
* Good for Garland: “Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday instructed federal prosecutors to end charging and sentencing disparities in cases involving the distribution of crack and powder cocaine, after decades of law enforcement policy disproportionately treating crack offenders more punitively.”
* Repurchasing for the SPR, now that oil prices have dropped: “The U.S. Energy Department said on Friday it will begin buying back oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, the first purchase since this year’s record 180 million barrel release from the stockpile. The department will buy up to 3 million barrels for delivery in February, a senior official told reporters.”
* As part of the classified documents scandal, the New York Times did an excellent job with this: “A Times investigation shows how Donald J. Trump stored classified documents in high-traffic areas at Mar-a-Lago, where guests may have been within feet of the materials.”
* An exiting member’s parting shot: “Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), an outgoing member of the Jan. 6 panel and vocal opponent of former President Donald Trump, said he had no regrets in a farewell speech on the House floor late Thursday.”
Have a safe weekend.