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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Gaza: “The Israeli military said 24 soldiers were killed yesterday in the Gaza Strip, including 21 reservists in a single incident near the border. That makes it the deadliest day for the country’s forces since the war began. Hamas claimed responsibility.”
* In Ukraine: “Russian missiles struck three Ukrainian cities Tuesday, including its two biggest, killing at least seven people and wrecking apartment buildings after Moscow shunned any deal backed by Kyiv and its Western allies to end the nearly 2-year-old war.”
* In Yemen: “The United States and Britain carried out large-scale military strikes on Monday against eight sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, according to the two countries. The strikes signaled that the Biden administration intends to wage a sustained and, at least for now, open-ended campaign against the Iran-backed group that has disrupted traffic in vital international sea lanes.”
* NATO’s future: “Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden’s membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country’s entry into the military alliance. The legislators ratified Sweden’s accession protocol by 287 votes to 55, with four abstentions. The ratification will come into effect after its publication in the Official Gazette, which is expected to be swift. Hungary then becomes the only NATO ally not to have ratified Sweden’s accession.”
* The latest Jan. 6 arrest: “A Jan. 6 rioter dubbed ‘Blue Plaid Sprayer’ and identified by online sleuths more than two years ago was arrested in Oregon on Tuesday and charged with assaulting law enforcement officers with chemical spray as they protected the Capitol.”
* Will he appeal this to SCOTUS? “The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has declined to rehear former President Donald Trump’s appeal of the gag order imposed on him in the federal election interference case. Trump had submitted requests for rehearing his appeal to both the three-judge panel that originally heard the appeal and the full D.C. circuit court. No judge on the full bench requested a vote on Trump’s motion, which means it was automatically dismissed.”
* Imagine someone thinking this would be a worthwhile use of public funds: “A push by some Florida Republicans to use taxpayer money to help pay for former President Donald Trump’s multiple legal battles quickly fell apart after Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to veto the legislation.”
See you tomorrow.