Today’s edition of quick hits.
* At the White House: “President Joe Biden is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington Monday and the two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing effort to free hostages held in Gaza, and growing concern over a possible Israeli military operation in the border city of Rafah. It is the first meeting between the allies since three American troops were killed last month in a drone strike against a U.S. base in Jordan.”
* In Ukraine: “Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, killing seven people, including three small children, triggering blazes and damaging infrastructure and residential houses, regional officials said Saturday.”
* Austin’s ongoing health challenges: “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was recently under general anesthesia for ‘non-surgical procedures,’ according to a statement released by the Pentagon on Monday. The procedures were related to a bladder issue after Austin was hospitalized and then admitted to a critical care unit on Sunday.”
* In Lansing: “A Republican lawmaker in Michigan lost his committee assignment and staff Monday, days after posting an image of a racist ideology on social media. … State Rep. Josh Schriver, who is white, shared a post on X — formerly known as Twitter — that showed a map of the world with Black figures greatly outnumbering white figures, along with the phrase, ‘The great replacement!’”
* Keep an eye on developments like these: “China said a victory by Donald Trump in the presidential election later this year could lead to the US abandoning Taiwan, comments intended to sow doubt over Washington’s commitment to the island.”
* The next time a Republican apologist for Jan. 6 insists the rioters weren’t armed, keep this in mind: “Newly unearthed footage from Jan. 6, 2021, appears to show a rioter — a man identified in an NBC News story nearly two years ago — firing a gun into the air outside the Capitol during the attack.”
* Kris Kobach: “Kansas’ attorney general is telling public schools they’re required to tell parents their children are transgender or nonbinary even if they’re not out at home, though Kansas is not among the states with a law that explicitly says to do that.”
* A rapidly changing social media landscape: “Meta announced on Friday it would stop proactively recommending political content on Instagram or its upstart text-based app Threads, alarming news and politics-focused creators and journalists gearing up for a crucial election year.”
See you tomorrow.
