Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed 40 people around the eastern city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, according to the country’s health ministry, and at dusk more strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs.”
* The expected rate cut: “The Federal Reserve announced Thursday it was lowering its key interest rate by a quarter point — a widely expected move that coincides with inflation approaching the central bank’s 2% goal. In their statement, Fed officials noted that inflation remains ‘somewhat elevated,’ while unemployment has ‘moved up but remains low.’”
* On a related note, Powell made some news with this exchange: “Fed Chair Jay Powell said Thursday that he would not resign if president-elect Donald Trump asked him to. Asked whether he would step down amid chatter that Trump’s advisors had suggested he do so, Powell replied, ‘No.’”
* This really is quite funny: “Donald Trump’s win means some world leaders are deleting or reconsidering past posts and comments blasting the new president-elect.”
* H5N1 news: “Dairy workers who’ve been exposed to bird flu should be tested for the virus even if they don’t have symptoms and be offered Tamiflu to cut their risk of getting sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.”
* The climate emergency: “After Donald J. Trump’s election threatened to upend global efforts to fight climate change, a United Nations group on Thursday warned in a new report that developing nations need hundreds of billions of dollars per year in aid to adapt to a warming planet.” * Isn’t this the start of several horror movies? “A police search is underway after 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday night. Police in Yemassee, Beaufort County, said the Rhesus macaque primates escaped from Alpha Genesis, a business that provides ‘nonhuman primate products and bio-research services,” according to its website.” * Best wishes to the congressman for a speedy recovery: “U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly announced he has esophageal cancer days after his reelection to Congress. The Democratic congressman, who represents most of Fairfax County, all of Fairfax City and part of Prince William County, said in a statement released on social media Thursday morning that he learned of the diagnosis a few days ago.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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