Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Difficult diplomacy: “U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and other Middle East leaders in London on Friday, as U.S. and Israeli negotiators prepared to revive long-suspended talks to reach a cease-fire and hostage deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”
* The BRICS summit: “For three uninterrupted days this week, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, basked in the attention of other world leaders in the picturesque Russian city of Kazan, along the banks of the Volga River.”
* In Virginia: “A federal judge on Friday granted a Department of Justice request to block Virginia from systematically removing alleged noncitizens from the voter rolls this close to an election. U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles ordered the state to stop its program immediately and restore the voter registrations of more than 1,600 people who were removed in recent months within five days.”
* An overdue apology: “President Joe Biden delivered an apology Friday for a United States policy that forcibly separated generations of indigenous children from their families for more than 150 years and sent them to federally backed boarding schools for forced assimilation. “I formally apologize as president of the United States of America for what we did,’ Biden said in strident remarks. ‘It’s long overdue.’”
* Stacey Williams joins a painfully long list of women who’ve accused Trump of sexual misconduct: “Thirty-one years after Stacey Williams says she was groped by Donald Trump while Jeffrey Epstein watched, the 56-year-old writer, consultant and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model went public this week with her allegation.”
* I’ll be eager to learn more about the alleged arsonist’s motivations: “A blue U.S. Postal Service mailbox in Phoenix was set on fire overnight, damaging several ballots and other pieces of mail, authorities said.”
* At the pump: “Gas prices are falling fast, dipping below $3 a gallon in many parts of the country just before the presidential election. ... Gas prices are averaging $3.14 per gallon nationwide, within 8 cents of a 3-year low. They range from $2.70 to $2.90 per gallon throughout much of the GOP-leaning Sun Belt, according to AAA, the motor club firm.”
* An effort worth watching: “Florida’s Republican attorney general has asked a judge to stop the Justice Department from blocking the state’s investigation into Ryan Routh, the man charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump.”
* The DOJ receives an interesting request: “Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Justice Department today to designate a special counsel to probe Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser, for potentially violating a federal law that requires ‘certain agents of foreign principals who are engaged in political activities’ to publicly disclose their ties to a foreign principal.”
* Too many conservative Republican officials find strange things on which to waste their time: “Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) on Thursday night announced he was launching an investigation into the search giant Google, alleging the company was suppressing conservative views ahead of the presidential election.”
Have a safe weekend.