Today’s edition of quick hits.

• The “energy truce” still doesn’t exist: “Russian strikes left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, while Russian authorities reported major damage to an industrial site following Ukrainian drone attacks on Nizhny Novgorod region.”

• Whether the White House would recognize this as a warning is a matter of ongoing concern: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia could use Tuesday’s midterm election to launch a massive attack against Ukraine.”

• An appeal worth watching closely: “The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block California from counting mail-in ballots of about 20,000 voters whom the Department of Justice suggests may not be U.S. citizens. The DOJ’s petition to the Supreme Court came three days after the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the department’s bid to overturn a federal district court judge’s ruling that allowed the ballots to be counted.”* The White House’s campaign against Harvard continues to falter: “A federal judge on Monday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking Harvard University’s admissions records, the latest win for the Ivy League school in its battle with the White House.”

• Important new allegations related to Kennedy Center operations: “Kennedy Center leaders jeopardized the institution’s operations by tying millions of dollars in funding to keeping President Donald Trump’s name on its building, a Democratic congresswoman who serves on its board alleges in a court brief filed Friday.”

• In related news: “A mystery spread among Washington’s design community in the months following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a major two-year renovation of the Kennedy Center: Who got the job of organizing the $257 million project? … Instead of the several firms with experience in theaters, historic buildings or the Kennedy Center itself, the center turned to an unlikely architecture company, according to project plans obtained by The Washington Post and other news outlets: a small, little-known Minnesota firm whose specialty is designing regional elementary schools, high schools and churches.”* Best wishes for a speedy recovery: “Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was hospitalized Saturday after suffering a stroke at his son’s hockey game and is recovering, the lawmaker’s staff said in a statement.”See you tomorrow.