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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A slight shift: “Ukraine’s president has suggested he’s open to peace talks with Russia, softening his refusal to negotiate with Moscow as long as President Vladimir Putin is in power while sticking to Kyiv’s core demands. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appeal to the international community to ‘force Russia into real peace talks’ reflected a change in rhetoric.”
* In related news: “Steep Russian casualties in key battles in eastern Ukraine have prompted an unusual public outcry — and sharp criticism of military commanders — by surviving soldiers and family members of recently conscripted fighters, who say their units were led to slaughter in poorly planned operations.”
* Hard to believe: “North Korea has denied American claims that it’s shipping artillery shells and ammunition to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine, and on Tuesday accused the United States of lying.”
* Today’s school shooting: “Seattle police arrested a suspect in a shooting at a north Seattle high school Tuesday morning that left one person injured.”
* I’d be interested in learning more about the use of the word “counterproductive” in this context: “The DeSantis administration is attempting to block Department of Justice election monitors from gaining access to polling places in South Florida, saying in a letter that the federal government’s involvement would be ‘counterproductive’ and in violation of state law.”
* Hurricane season isn’t over: “Nicole on Tuesday was upgraded to a tropical storm and is expected to strengthen, prompting a hurricane warning for parts of east central Florida and the southeast coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. The tropical storm is about 460 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, and moving west at 9 mph.”
* Jan. 6 trial: “A federal prosecutor told jurors that ‘looks can be deceiving’ as he urged them to convict a young woman charged with aiding the theft of a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s conference room during the Jan. 6 attack. Riley June Williams, a 23-year-old Pennsylvania woman affiliated with the extremist ‘Groyper’ movement, is facing eight counts in connection with the Jan. 6 attack.”
* COP27 in Egypt: “For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for compensation from industrialized countries for the costs of devastating storms and droughts caused by climate change. For just as long, rich nations, including the United States and those in the European Union, have resisted those calls. ... But this week, the dam may have begun to break.”
See you tomorrow.