Today’s edition of quick hits.
* President Biden in the Middle East: “Before the news conference, Biden met Thursday with Lapid, who said they spoke about ways to improve relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and their shared commitment never to allow a nuclear Iran.”
* Sri Lanka: “Sri Lankan protesters retreated from government buildings they seized and military troops reinforced security at the Parliament on Thursday, establishing a tenuous calm in a country in both economic meltdown and political limbo.”
* In Italy: “Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said he would resign on Thursday after the 5-Star Movement, a party in his ruling coalition failed to support a confidence vote, plunging Italy into political chaos.”
* I’m a little surprised the accused was let out: “A 48-year-old Seattle man arrested Saturday on suspicion of committing a hate crime against U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal was released from jail Wednesday. Seattle police released him because they could not say with certainty that he told the congresswoman to go back to India or that he threatened to kill her, according to King County prosecutors.”
* Vaccine: “The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted emergency use authorization to Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine, opening up another option for adults who have not received immunization against the virus.”
* The more developments like these, the better: “A major automaker, large truck stop chain and an electric vehicle charging company are proposing a network that would put charging plugs at 50-mile intervals along U.S. highways. General Motors, Pilot Travel Centers and EVgo said Thursday they will build 2,000 charging stalls at ‘up to’ 500 Pilot Flying J sites across the nation.”
* An important warning: “The Health and Human Services Department on Wednesday warned U.S. retail pharmacies that they risk violating civil rights law if they deny access to medication used in abortions under certain circumstances.”
* Jan. 6 investigation: “The Justice Department has asked the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol for evidence it has accumulated about the scheme by former President Donald J. Trump and his allies to put forward false slates of pro-Trump electors in battleground states won by Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020.”
* Barr was confirmed on a 66-to-28 vote: The Biden administration saw a key figure of its financial-regulatory team move into place as the Senate confirmed Michael Barr to become the government’s most influential banking regulator.
* The Secret Service really didn’t need another setback: “A U.S. Secret Service employee working on President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel was briefly detained after a ‘physical encounter’ there and has been sent back to the United States.” * This story is still going? “After denying claims from U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson that his office had a hand in the effort to get Vice President Mike Pence false elector paperwork, Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Kelly has launched an internal probe into his staff’s potential involvement.” * Another step in a progressive direction: “Mary McLeod Bethune on Wednesday became the first Black American to be represented with a state statue in National Statuary Hall, a central room of the United States Capitol, honored for her work championing education and civil rights.” * I think I’ll just flag this story without comment: “When Denis Vladmirovich Molla told authorities that his camper was set on fire and his garage defaced, the Minnesota man said that whoever carried out the attack was motivated by the ‘Trump 2020’ flag he had displayed from his vehicle…. But prosecutors have concluded almost two years later that Molla staged the entire incident.” 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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