QUICK HITS

1

Talks with Russia begin: The top American military officer held talks Wednesday with his Russian counterpart as the United States struggles to secure basing rights and other counterterrorism support in countries bordering Afghanistan — an effort Moscow has opposed.

2

Bush to hold fundraiser:

Former president George W. Bush is holding a fundraiser next month with Rep. Liz Cheney, as the Wyoming Republican and prominent critic of former president Donald Trump faces a tough re-election battle.

3

Top adviser shot at: A top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was shot at on Wednesday while being driven in his car outside Kyiv, in what the authorities said was an assassination attempt. The adviser, Serhiy Shefir, was not injured in the attack, but the driver of the car was wounded and hospitalized.

4

Trumps sues niece, NYT: Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing Mary L. Trump, The New York Times and three of its reporters of conspiring in an “insidious plot” to improperly obtain his confidential tax records and exploit their use in news articles and a book. The lawsuit claims that the Times reporters, as part of an effort to obtain the tax records, relentlessly sought out Mary Trump, the former president’s niece, and persuaded her“to smuggle the records out of her attorney’s office” and turn them over to The Times.

5

Quake in Australia: A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit southeast Australia on Wednesday morning, damaging buildings and forcing hospitals to evacuate staff members and patients. It was an unusually large quake in a country less susceptible to major temblors than neighboring countries.