Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Putin speaks: “Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Monday that those responsible for the armed revolt that plunged his country into chaos would be ‘brought to justice.’ Addressing the nation for the first time since the short-lived mercenary rebellion ended over the weekend, Putin appeared defiant but offered little clarity about the situation.”
* So does Biden: “President Joe Biden on Monday insisted that Western leaders were not involved in a mutiny attempt in Russia over the weekend, speaking publicly for the first time since Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin mobilized his private military forces against Russia’s leadership.”
* Missouri’s latest mass shooting: “At least three people have been found dead, and at least five others are thought to be injured, police in Missouri said while investigating two shootings with multiple victims in the same area of Kansas City early Sunday.”
* Internet access is infrastructure: “President Joe Biden on Monday said that high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but an ‘absolute necessity,’ as he pledged that every household in the nation would have access by 2030 using cables made in the U.S. … Biden announced that more than $40 billion would be distributed across the country to deliver high-speed internet in places where there’s either no service, or service is too slow.”
* I suppose Jim Jordan wasn’t pleased to see this? “The Supreme Court handed Ohio State University a potentially costly defeat on Monday by refusing to reconsider a lower court ruling that said former students should be allowed to sue it for failing to protect them from a sexual predator decades ago.”
* In Arizona: “Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona on Friday stripped local prosecutors of the power to criminally charge abortion providers, a move aimed at protecting abortion rights in a narrowly divided political battleground.”
* The lab-leak theory still hasn’t been confirmed: “Intelligence agencies do not believe the case of three workers from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, who became ill in 2019 can help shed light on whether the Covid-19 pandemic originated from an accidental lab leak, according to a report made public Friday.”
* Keep an eye on this one: “Michael Roman, a top official in former President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 campaign, is in discussions with the office of the special counsel Jack Smith that could soon lead to Mr. Roman voluntarily answering questions about a plan to create slates of pro-Trump electors in key swing states that were won by Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to a person familiar with the matter.”
* Rudy Giuliani, back in the news: “Rudy Giuliani was sanctioned by a U.S. judge on Friday for failing to search for and turn over records in a defamation lawsuit brought by former Georgia election workers against him for accusing them of ballot fraud.”
* Seriously? “Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) on Monday challenged Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a physical fight in response to some tweets calling the senator a ‘clown and fraud.’”
See you tomorrow.
