Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Chicago’s latest mass shooting: “Four people have died from gunshot wounds and 14 others have been hospitalized following a drive-by shooting in Chicago, police said Thursday. At least three were in critical condition. The shooting happened late Wednesday in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Several media outlets said it happened outside a restaurant and lounge that had hosted an album release party for a rapper.”
* All is not well at the FDA: “The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official rejected broad uses of two Covid vaccines, citing unknown risks or injuries despite assurances of safety from dozens of staff experts, newly released documents show. The decisions by the official, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the agency’s new chief medical and scientific officer, stunned agency veterans.”
* In this report, the word “known” is doing a lot of work in the second sentence: “President Trump held a nearly one-hour phone call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday, in which the two leaders discussed resolving issues related to Iran and Ukraine, as well as other matters, the Kremlin said. The conversation was the sixth known call between the two leaders since Mr. Trump returned to office in January.”
* In related news: “A top Russian marine commander, who was recently promoted by President Vladimir V. Putin, has been killed in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement on Thursday.”
* The latest evidence of an anti-worker agenda: “The U.S. Labor Department announced plans this week to slash more than 60 regulations — including eliminating overtime and minimum wage protections for home health care workers and union organizing rights for migrant farmworkers.”
* I think we can all probably guess how this one will turn out: “The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to take up the hot-button issue of whether transgender girls and women are allowed to participate in sports on girls’ and women’s teams.”
* A fascinating discovery: “A newly discovered interstellar comet is hurtling around us, only the third interloper object to be observed in our solar system. It is not expected to pose an impact risk to Earth, but telescopes around the world have been able to detect the mystery visitor.”
Enjoy the holiday weekend. We’ll reconnect on Monday morning.