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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Iraq: “The United States conducted a new round of airstrikes early on Tuesday in Iraq, most likely killing militants and destroying three facilities used by Iranian proxies that had been targeting American and coalition troops, U.S. officials said.”
* The future of NATO: “The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously nonaligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance. Sweden’s accession protocol will now need to be approved in the Turkish parliament’s general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set.”
* Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has apparently been located: “Navalny, the most prominent foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. He had been imprisoned in the Vladimir region of central Russia, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of Moscow, but his lawyers said they had not been able to reach him since Dec. 6. His spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said he was located in a prison colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.”
* In Colorado: “The FBI and Denver police are investigating the wave of threats against Colorado Supreme Court justices after their ruling last week disqualifying Donald Trump from appearing on the state ballot for engaging in an insurrection.”
* A rapidly intensifying emergency: “For the past several years, a small group of scientists has warned that sometime early this century, the rate of global warming — which has remained largely steady for decades — might accelerate. Temperatures could rise higher, faster. The drumbeat of weather disasters may become more insistent. And now, after what is poised to be the hottest year in recorded history, the same experts believe that it is already happening.”
* Overdue: “More than a year and a half after it was completed, the Department of Defense has finally published a report about extremism in the ranks. The report was commissioned by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in April 2021 as one of four ‘immediate actions’ announced in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Dozens of current and former members of the military have since been charged with Jan. 6-related crimes.”
* He might yet be retried in a new venue: “An appeals court on Tuesday reversed a conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., for lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution, saying he should not have been tried in Los Angeles.”
* It seems some politicians are always looking for new wars: “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has declared ‘war’ over a New York bill that poses a conflict with Chick-fil-A’s ‘closed on Sundays’ policy. The South Carolina senator took to social media on Friday to criticize New York State officials over the bill, which would require restaurants that are part of the state’s highway system rest areas to be open seven days a week.”
See you tomorrow.