Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Leaders of the “Quad” get together: “President Joe Biden met with top world leaders here [in Berlin] Friday at a tenuous moment for Ukraine and the Middle East, two ongoing and volatile wars that have marked Biden’s time in office and will define his foreign policy legacy.”
* If you’re looking for a little light reading over the weekend, this is only 1,889 pages: “A federal judge on Friday ordered the release of a heavily redacted trove of evidence supporting the contention by federal prosecutors that former President Donald J. Trump illegally sought to overturn the 2020 election. In ordering the release, the judge was rejecting objections by Mr. Trump’s legal team that making even a largely blanked-out version of the material public now would constitute interference in the presidential election.”
* Wall Street: “Both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to new record highs Friday, sealing six straight weeks of gains. The broad market benchmark advanced 0.40% to close at 5,864.67. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 36.86 points, or 0.09%, to end at 43,275.91. The Nasdaq Composite, led by a post-earnings jump in Netflix, ended the day up 0.63% at 18,489.55.”
* The latest Jan. 6 prison sentence: “A Donald Trump supporter who stormed the Capitol and assaulted law enforcement officers now says she was ‘duped’ by the former president’s lies about the 2020 election. Dana Jean Bell was sentenced to 17 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Thursday.”
* A pre-election scramble: “The Biden administration is shelling out billions of dollars for clean energy and approving major offshore wind projects as officials race to secure major climate initiatives before President Joe Biden’s term comes to an end.”
* On the Korean Peninsula: “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said South Korea is a foreign and hostile nation, state news agency KCNA reported Friday, with photos showing Kim conferring with high-ranking soldiers and poring over a map labeled ‘Seoul’ at a command post. Kim discussed the use of ‘offensive forces’ against the South as retaliation for any move that infringes on the sovereignty of the North, the report said.”
* Unexpectedly good public health news: “After years of rising, the tide may finally be turning on deadly drug overdoses in America. Drug overdose deaths fell 12.7% in the 12 months ending in May, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘This is the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths,’ White House officials said in a statement.”
Have a safe weekend.