Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Israeli forces killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a drone strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, prompting the Lebanese militia to retaliate with a heavy rocket barrage across the border as international diplomats scrambled to prevent an all-out war.”
* Progress on inflation: “Federal Reserve officials at their June meeting indicated that inflation is moving in the right direction but not quickly enough for them to lower interest rates, according to minutes released Wednesday.”
* Polls suggest the public isn’t satisfied with the economy, but this isn’t what happens during tough economic times: “Travelers heading out for the July 4 holiday can expect plenty of company this year. Nearly 71 million people will be on the move over July 4th week, according to AAA — a new record that exceeds pre-pandemic totals.”
* A dangerous storm: “Jamaica was braced for impact Wednesday as Hurricane Beryl approaches the Caribbean island nation as a major Category 4 storm, with evacuations ordered ahead of forecasted life-threatening winds and floods. And while Beryl’s path is uncertain, state authorities in Texas have warned people in coastal areas to be prepared over the holiday weekend in case tropical weather reaches the United States’ Gulf Coast.”
* Bird flu: “A fourth person has tested positive for bird flu in the outbreak linked to dairy cows, this time in Colorado. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the patient, a dairy worker at a farm where cows had also tested positive for the virus, had eye symptoms and has recovered after getting the antiviral drug Tamiflu.”
* Before you ask, the judge in this case was appointed by George W. Bush: “A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a new rule against discrimination on the basis of gender identity in health care. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola in Gulfport, Mississippi, sided with 15 Republican-led states that sued to challenge the rule, arguing that it exceeded the administration’s authority.”
* The defense rests: “The defense for Sen. Bob Menendez rested Wednesday without the New Jersey Democrat testifying at his New York bribery trial. Lawyers for Menendez called several witnesses over two days in an effort to counter seven weeks of testimony and hundreds of exhibits and communications introduced by Manhattan federal prosecutors.”
* Hmm: “New campaign finance records show that Donald Trump’s political action committee paid the legal firm representing the former president’s longtime adviser Boris Epshteyn ahead of his pending criminal trial in Arizona.”
Have a safe holiday weekend.