Today’s edition of quick hits.

* Don’t call it a ceasefire: “The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.”

* The search for a diplomatic solution: “Pakistan and Qatar are working to bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table to end their ongoing fighting, one Pakistani official and one Qatari official, who are both linked to mediations in the U.S.-Iran war, told MS NOW today.”

* The manufacturing timeline is what matters: “President Trump on Wednesday appeared to give Ukraine one of the things it wanted most — permission to produce the Patriot air defense interceptors sorely needed to defend against Russia’s deadly ballistic missile attacks. Now comes the hard part. The ballistic missiles are raining down on Kyiv now, but the fruits of Mr. Trump’s informal, seemingly impromptu policy announcement may not be ripe for years.”

* A notable switch: “President Donald Trump swapped out his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One for his flight from the NATO summit to the United Kingdom over concerns that the gifted aircraft lacks the secure communications systems and military defenses needed to safely manage a rapidly escalating conflict with Iran, according to two former national security officials familiar with the matter.”

* The dubious case against David Hearn: “A former Olympic canoe racer pleaded not guilty on Thursday to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a politically charged case that his defense attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided as an abuse of prosecutorial power.”

* In related news: “Three more people accused of damaging part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington last month have been criminally charged, according to court documents. The three people face misdemeanor charges of destroying property and causing damage worth less than $1,000.”

* At the Vatican: “Pope Leo made a plea on Wednesday for countries to offer their ​citizens universal healthcare, calling it a ‘moral imperative’ that ‌people have access to the health services they need. Previous popes have called for countries to offer universal healthcare, but calling ​an issue a ‘moral imperative’ is an unusually strong ​term for a pope to use, indicating that ⁠something is required by Catholic teaching.”

See you tomorrow.

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