Today’s edition of quick hits:
* In custody: “Police apprehended Frank R. James, who will face federal terror charges for allegedly opening fire on a Brooklyn subway, wounding 10 and injuring 13 others, officials said. James was taken into custody on Wednesday after police received a Crime Stoppers tip directing them to the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, authorities said.”
* Presidential meeting: “President Joe Biden called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday to update him on ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine, the White House said. Zelenskyy said in a tweet following the call that the leaders had discussed ‘Russian war crimes’ and ‘additional package of defensive and possible macro-financial aid,” and “agreed to enhance sanctions.’”
* On a related note: “President Joe Biden said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday to share that he was authorizing an additional $800 million in weapons.”
* The latest evidence of Putin’s strategic failure: “Finland and Sweden could both seek to join NATO in the coming weeks, warning Europe’s security landscape has ‘completely changed’ in the aftermath of Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Wednesday that the Nordic country, which shares a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border with Russia, would decide on whether to join the U.S.-led military alliance ‘within weeks.’”
* CDC: “The Biden administration is extending the mask mandate for travelers on airplanes, trains and other transit systems into May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.”
* Nominating is good, confirming is better: “President Joe Biden plans to roll out five new judicial nominees on Monday, elevating two judges to federal circuit courts and picking three to serve on district courts, a White House official told NBC News…. The five additions bring Biden’s total to 90 judicial nominations.”
* A provocative defense: “An attorney for a man who took a coat rack and a bottle of liquor during the U.S. Capitol attack argued to a jury Tuesday that former President Donald Trump ‘authorized’ the assault on the building on Jan. 6, 2021, by convincing ‘vulnerable’ people like his client that the election had been stolen.”
* What a weird story: “Secret Service leaders are downplaying any risk to national security after four of its employees — including an agent assigned to protect first lady Jill Biden — were allegedly hoodwinked by two men impersonating federal agents and plying them with gifts, telling congressional committees and allies that the severity of the breach has been overblown by prosecutors and the media, according to people familiar with the conversations. But several former Secret Service officials warn that the alleged infiltration of the elite protection agency reveals a major vulnerability extending well beyond this particular case.”
* Georgia Republicans do it again: “Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Tuesday that makes it legal for Georgia gun owners to carry a concealed handgun in public without a license from the state.”
See you tomorrow.
