Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Renewed violence in the Middle East: “Iran said it would halt its military offensive against Israel after the two countries exchanged missile fire yesterday for the first time since April. However, Iran warned that its military would launch harsher attacks if Israel engages in further ‘hostile acts,’ The Associated Press reported.”
* Russia’s latest offensive in Ukraine: “Russia struck targets across Ukraine overnight into Sunday, including an area near the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a day after Kyiv launched a large-scale drone attack on Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow’s forces hit infrastructure around the Chernobyl nuclear site, calling it ‘an extremely vile Russian strike.’ Ukrainian media say the Russian strikes hit a fuel storage facility in the exclusion zone.”
* Ohio’s latest mass shooting: “Gunfire erupted Saturday near a busy street festival in Ohio, wounding at least 12 people and sending some eventgoers scrambling for cover while others rushed to help the victims. No suspects were in custody hours afterward, Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe Heffernan said, and officials urged people who were at the festival to come forward with any photos or videos on their phones for possible leads.”
* The administration’s latest legal loss: “A federal judge in Massachusetts on Monday struck down the $100,000 fee imposed last year on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers. In a 42-page ruling in response to a lawsuit brought by 20 Democratic states, Judge Leo Sorokin, an Obama-appointee, agreed with the plaintiffs who argued the fee imposed by President Donald Trump’s executive order in September amounted to an ‘unauthorized tax,’ as opposed to a ‘regulatory payment,’ as the Trump administration contended.”
* I can think of a certain president who probably won’t care for this: “A new lawsuit seeks to halt the ‘UFC Freedom 250’ event that is scheduled for this coming weekend, calling it ‘deeply corrupt’ and arguing that it runs afoul of federal regulations. The plaintiffs are activist Susan Douglas and Vietnam War veteran Paul Romano.”
* I meant to mention this scary discarded plan on Friday: “The Trump administration had plans to classify 2.7 million living people — including some U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents — as dead as part of its immigration enforcement efforts, according to a former senior Social Security executive.”
* An effort worth watching: “Senate Democrats on Thursday urged the Trump administration to halt production of a commemorative 250th anniversary solid gold coin that would bear the president’s image, citing concerns that some of the U.S. Mint’s gold could have links to foreign cartels.”
* This case was always a long shot, and for now, it’s no more: “A judge in Washington on Friday tossed a lawsuit filed by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts against a jazz musician who canceled a performance at the venue’s annual Christmas Eve concert last year after the center’s board added President Trump’s name to the building.”
See you tomorrow.
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