Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Some encouraging inflation data: “Inflation eased last month as energy prices tumbled, raising hopes that a surge in prices increases may have peaked.”
* On the other hand: “The U.S. economy will need tight monetary policy ‘for some time’ before inflation is under control, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Friday in remarks that warned of slower growth, a weaker job market and ‘some pain’ for households and businesses.”
* An unexpected lawsuit: “Moderna said Friday that it is suing Pfizer and BioNTech, alleging that the two companies copied Moderna’s technology to make their Covid vaccine Comirnaty.”
* How infuriating: “For the second time in 48 hours, Howard University students were forced to evacuate the school’s Washington, D.C., campus because of a bomb threat — the latest in a string of dozens of threats against historically Black colleges and universities this year.”
* Arizona’s latest mass shooting: “A law enforcement officer and a suspect were among four people who were killed Thursday in Arizona after the officer tried to serve an eviction notice, authorities said.”
* Kentucky’s latest mass shooting: “Two people are dead and two others wounded in a shooting at a Kentucky homeless shelter Thursday night, police said.”
* A provocative p.r. strategy: “The White House hit back at Republicans in an uncharacteristic manner Thursday by using its Twitter account to go after GOP lawmakers who are bashing President Joe Biden’s move to cancel some student debt after they personally benefited from having Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven during the Covid pandemic.”
* The Fulton County probe: “An investigation in Georgia focusing on possible interference in the 2020 presidential election is turning its attention to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorney Sidney Powell in a sign that the criminal probe is widening to include some of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies.” * A trend worth watching: “California moved Thursday to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035, a first-in-the-nation mandate the state’s leaders hope will jolt the automotive industry and truly make electric vehicles mainstream. Other states led by Democrats, including New York and Oregon, are expected to swiftly follow California’s lead in a liberal-state push to fight climate change — moves not unlike past mandates on emissions and car safety.” * Noted without comment: “Some of the biggest names at Fox News have been questioned, or are scheduled to be questioned in the coming days, by lawyers representing Dominion Voting Systems in its $1.6 billion defamation suit against the network, as the election technology company presses ahead with a case that First Amendment scholars say is extraordinary in its scope and significance.” Have a safe weekend.
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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