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Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Rand Paul could delay the bill, but not defeat it: “After a weeklong delay, the Senate on Thursday voted to pass a $40 billion military, economic and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine as its bloody war with Russia neared the three-month mark. The vote was 86-11, with Republicans casting all of the no votes.”
* NATO: “President Joe Biden welcomed the leaders of Finland and Sweden to the White House Thursday after the two countries officially submitted their applications to join NATO. The Nordic neighbors’ bids to join the Western military alliance are facing an early challenge from Turkey, which has expressed objections.”
* FDA: “The head of the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that concerned parents who have been struggling to find infant formula for their children ‘should begin to see improvement’ on store shelves ‘within days.’”
* In related news: “President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act in a major step to boost the supply of baby formula. The announcement means the federal government will prioritize key ingredients for formula production and compel suppliers to provide the needed resources to formula manufacturers ahead of other customers ordering those goods.”
* International Red Cross: “Hundreds more Ukrainian fighters who made their stand inside Mariupol’s bombed-out steel plant surrendered, bringing the total to over 1,700, Russia said Thursday, amid international fears the Kremlin will take reprisals against the prisoners. The Red Cross registered hundreds of the soldiers as prisoners of war in a step toward ensuring their humane treatment under the Geneva Conventions.”
* Bridget Brink will have vastly more White House support than her predecessor: “The Senate confirmed Bridget Brink late Wednesday as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, filling the post as officials plan to return American diplomats to Kyiv during the nation’s continuing battle against the Russian invasion.”
* What a mess: “The expert appointed to oversee a new disinformation board at the Department of Homeland Security resigned Wednesday after the program was paused amid criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill.”
* I’m eager to hear more about this: “The US Department of Energy is announcing a massive investment in direct air carbon removal projects, in hopes of kickstarting an industry that energy experts say is critical to getting the country’s planet-warming emissions under control.”
* The Fifth Circuit strikes again: “A divided federal appeals court panel on Wednesday threw a wrinkle into how the Securities and Exchange Commission prosecutes some enforcement actions by declaring that its administrative proceedings can violate a defendant’s constitutional rights.”
* Another heartening breakthrough: “The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Sunshine Suzanne Sykes to a lifetime seat on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, making her the state’s first-ever Native American federal judge and just the fifth Indigenous woman in U.S. history to serve on a federal court. The Senate confirmed Sykes, 51-45.”
* Oh my: “Former President George W. Bush mistakenly described the invasion of Iraq as ‘brutal’ and ‘unjustified’ before correcting himself to say he meant to refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
See you tomorrow.