Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Entire neighborhoods were swept away: “As many as 10,000 people are missing and feared dead after a storm slammed into Libya, unleashing a devastating surge of floodwaters across the country’s east.”
* They have so few friends left: “Joined by his top military officials handling his nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.”
* Get ready for boosters: “Everyone ages 6 months and older should get the updated Covid vaccine this fall, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overwhelmingly recommended Tuesday. The final decision now falls to CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen, who is expected to sign off on the committee’s recommendations as soon as Tuesday evening.”
* Speaking of science: “A key ingredient in many over-the-counter cold and allergy medications called phenylephrine doesn’t work to get rid of nasal congestion, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel concluded Tuesday. The unanimous vote, which specifically declared oral formulations of phenylephrine ineffective, is expected to disrupt the market for OTC cold and allergy remedies, where consumers largely prefer pills over nasal sprays.”
* The end of the child tax credit led to a predictably horrible result: “The poverty rate in the U.S. has risen dramatically in the year since pandemic benefits ran out — and the child poverty rate has more than doubled, according to U.S. Census Bureau’s annual data on poverty, income and health insurance released Tuesday. Just a year ago, child poverty hit a historic low of 5.2%. The latest figures put it at 12.4%, the same as the overall poverty rate.”
* Difficult diplomacy with Iran: “The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. In addition, as part of the deal, the administration has agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States.”
* Keep last night’s A block in mind when reading this one: "Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as an outstanding person and talented businessman, just days after the chief executive officer of SpaceX acknowledged preventing Ukraine from using his company’s Starlink satellite network for an attack on Russian warships.”
See you tomorrow.