Today's edition of quick hits:
* Ukraine: "Bowing to the reality of the Russian military occupation of Crimea a day after Russia announced it was annexing the disputed peninsula, the Ukrainian government said on Wednesday that it had drawn up plans to evacuate all of its military personnel and their families and was prepared to relocate as many as 25,000 of them to mainland Ukraine."
* Janet Yellen on the job: "The Federal Reserve further curtailed its economic stimulus campaign on Wednesday, announcing as expected that it would further reduce its monthly bond purchases because of the progress of the economic recovery."
* Israel: "Secretary of State John Kerry called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday morning to protest insults the Israeli defense minister directed at the Obama administration this week, the State Department said."
* Not sure this counts as an actual apology: "Kenneth Langone has issued a statement apologizing for his comments linking the progressive's strategy to fight income inequality to Nazi Germany. 'My remarks were intended to discourage pitting one group against another group in a society. If my choice of words was inappropriate -- and they well may have been that -- I extend my profound apologies to anyone and everyone who I may have offended,' Langone said in the statement."
* A worthwhile effort: "The White House is launching an initiative Wednesday that aims to expand the use of climate data nationwide, to help communities cope with the impacts of global warming."
* And then there were eight: "Add Massachusetts to the list of states House Speaker John Boehner thinks are cheating because they're following the law as they move to block food stamp cuts."
* A great piece from Adam Serwer on a question that's irked me since the VRA ruling: "One of the enduring mysteries of Chief Justice John Roberts's opinion striking down part of the Voting Rights Act is which part of the Constitution the landmark civil rights law actually violated."
* The way Mitch McConnell's campaign treated Joe Sonka is ridiculous.
* The Republican campaign to undermine the Census Bureau's American Community Survey suggests Republicans don't understand the value of the Census Bureau's American Community Survey or how it works.
* Congrats to Brian Beutler as he moves to The New Republic. Brian's one of the best in the business; this is a great move for TNR.
* Maybe it's still possible to motivate Democratic women to turn out in the 2014 midterms: "Limbaugh claims we already have museums for women -- 'they are called malls.'"
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.