Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Kyiv’s curfew is now in effect for a reason: “Russia’s relentless assault increasingly threatened Ukraine’s capital as deadly strikes hit a residential area of Kyiv, underscoring a dire humanitarian crisis that has shocked the world and forced nearly 3 million people to flee the country.”
* The summit is scheduled for March 24: “President Joe Biden plans to travel to Brussels next week for a meeting of NATO leaders to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and reassure America’s allies.”
* Too many journalists are among the thousands who are dying in Ukraine: “A 24-year-old journalist working as a consultant for Fox News died Monday alongside cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire, the network announced Tuesday.”
* Reverse sanctions? The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that President Joe Biden and top administration officials have been added to the Russian sanctions list.... The other U.S. officials on the Russian sanctions list include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Hillary Clinton and Biden’s son Hunter were also included, although neither of them currently serves in the U.S. government.”
* A light moment: “Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Tuesday ridiculed Russia’s announcement that it was slapping her with sanctions. ‘I want to thank the Russian Academy for this Lifetime Achievement Award,’ Clinton said in a tweet linking to the sanctions announcement.”
* If you’re thinking the pandemic is over, please think again: “About a third of wastewater sampling sites across the U.S. are showing an uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
* In related news: “Hong Kong’s worst outbreak of the pandemic didn’t come until 2022, but the scenes are right out of 2020. Hospitals and morgues are overflowing, with bodies left unattended in hallways and in rooms with living patients.”
* Raskin got a raw deal: “Sarah Bloom Raskin is withdrawing from contention to be vice chair for supervision at the Federal Reserve, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, as she appears to lack the votes for confirmation in the Senate.”
* If Ohio’s new gun law sounds ridiculous, it’s not your imagination: “Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed Republican-backed legislation to allow people in the state to carry a concealed handgun without a permit or training and no longer require them to proactively tell law enforcement during traffic stops that they’re armed.”
* Shalanda Young was confirmed this afternoon as the new director of the Office of Management and Budget. The final vote was 61 to 36. She's the first Black woman to ever lead the office.
See you tomorrow.