Today’s edition of quick hits.
* I was really hoping he’d say the opposite: “Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday called for more vigilance in the fight against inflation, warning that additional interest rate increases could be yet to come. While acknowledging that progress has been made and saying the Fed will be careful in where it goes from here, the central bank leader said inflation is still above where policymakers feel comfortable.”
* Hawaii’s missing people: “Authorities in Hawaii have for the first time released a list naming 388 people who were still unaccounted for in the aftermath of the deadliest wildfires in America in more than a century, which killed at least 115 people.”
* If you haven’t been following China’s economic troubles, it’s time to start: “For much of the past four decades, China’s economy seemed like an unstoppable force, the engine behind the country’s rise to a global superpower. But the economy is now plagued by a series of crises. A real estate crisis born from years of overbuilding and excessive borrowing is running alongside a larger debt crisis, while young people are struggling with record joblessness. And amid the drip feed of bad economic news, a new crisis is emerging: a crisis of confidence.”
* The latest Jan. 6 arrest: “The FBI has arrested a Jan. 6 rioter who attacked police officers using a variety of items including a metal baton, a floor lamp and a shoe, according to court records. Curtis Logan Tate, known to online ‘Sedition Hunters’ as #ShinyCircleTattoo because of a distinct tattoo on his hand, was arrested in North Carolina on Thursday.”
* For Kyiv, the next U.S. election cycle isn’t just another year: “For President Joe Biden, strong backing for Ukraine’s effort to repel Russia’s invasion has been a rare issue where he’s mustered bipartisan support. But this week’s first GOP presidential debate — and recent comments on Ukraine by the 2024 GOP polling leader and former president, Donald Trump — show that unusual unity will face a stress test as the 2024 presidential campaign intensifies and the leading Republican contenders show antipathy toward the American backing of Ukraine.”
* I didn’t see the offensive against conversion-therapy bans coming: “In Iowa and across the country, efforts are spreading to curb the rights of LGBTQ+ kids and adopt restrictions on gender and sexuality in classrooms, youth sports and medicine. In recent years, local bans on conversion therapy in Florida also fell with the help of Liberty Counsel, which describes itself as a Christian ministry that is ‘restoring the culture by advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the family.’”
* George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley continues to use his position as a political pundit to defend Donald Trump. Turley’s arguments also continue to struggle badly in the face of independent scrutiny.
* The Chandrayan-3 Rover: “India’s lunar rover continued its walk on the moon Friday after the historic touchdown of India’s spacecraft near the moon’s south pole earlier this week, the country’s space agency said. The rover’s data collection and experiments could help determine if there is oxygen and hydrogen on the moon.”
Have a safe weekend.