Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Crushing despair in India: “While there are no official figures to demonstrate how many bodies have been cremated across the country, photos and video of smoldering funeral pyres in India’s makeshift crematoriums have come to symbolize the country’s Covid-19 crisis. Parking lots in New Delhi are now also being converted to accommodate the rising number of bodies.”
* Not a moment too soon: “U.S. aid flights will begin arriving in India on Thursday and continue into next week, bringing urgent supplies like oxygen support, personal protective equipment, and rapid diagnostic tests to the hard-hit country.”
* Georgia: “Three Georgia men previously charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury and charged with hate crimes and attempted kidnapping.”
* On the Hill: “Key lawmakers intent on striking a bipartisan deal to overhaul U.S. police practices left a Capitol Hill meeting Thursday afternoon without striking a deal — but striking an upbeat tone on the talks.”
* The latest out of Chicago: “City officials in Chicago released body camera footage on Wednesday showing a police officer fatally shooting Anthony Alvarez, 22, after an early-morning foot chase on the city’s Northwest Side in March.”
* The latest out of Alameda County: “Gerardo Gonzalez traveled home this month from North Carolina, where he attends college, to Oakland, California, to spend time with his two brothers and their mother for her 45th birthday. But instead of cutting a birthday cake last Tuesday, he and his family were mourning the loss of his eldest brother, Mario, 26, who died in police custody April 19 after officers in Alameda County pinned him facedown on the ground for five minutes.”
* Seems sensible: “Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a key plan Thursday to tie the future of COVID-19 restrictions in Michigan to the percentage of residents who get their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.”
* Only Ted Cruz and Mike Lee voted no on this: “The Senate overwhelmingly authorized $35 billion to improve the nation’s water infrastructure, offering a show of bipartisan support for a sliver of infrastructure legislation even as lawmakers remained divided over the scope of President Biden’s $4 trillion economic agenda.” * USPS: “Biden’s three nominees to the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board won approval from a Senate committee Wednesday and will advance to the full chamber for a final confirmation vote.” * And as of today, NASA has a new administrator: former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), himself a former astronaut, was confirmed in the Senate by unanimous consent. 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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