Today’s edition of quick hits.
* This strikes me as excessive, but for whatever reason, the Fed didn’t seek my input: “The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will raise its key interest rate by 0.75% as it seeks to fight sky-high inflation. It’s the second time in a row the Fed has raised rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, and the fourth rate hike of 2022.”
* Moscow should take the deal: “Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the Biden administration has made a ‘substantial’ offer to Russia designed to facilitate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and corporate executive Paul Whelan.”
* The latest legal consequences stemming from George Floyd’s murder: “Two former Minneapolis police officers who were found guilty on federal charges of violating the civil rights of George Floyd were sentenced to prison Wednesday.”
* At the White House: “President Joe Biden has tested negative for Covid and left isolation Wednesday after five days, using his relatively smooth recovery to make the case for more Americans to stay up to date on their vaccinations and take the antiviral Plaxlovid if they get infected.”
* Incredible progress: “Two new cases presented Wednesday at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal have advanced the field of HIV cure science, demonstrating yet again that ridding the body of all copies of viable virus is indeed possible, and that prompting lasting viral remission also might be attainable.”
* I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but too many Republicans voted against this: “The House passed a bill on Tuesday to allow a government agency to award grants into the cognitive effects of Covid-19. The legislation, titled the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act, passed in a 350-69 vote, with all opposition coming from Republicans.”
* And though this probably won’t generate a lot of attention, policies like these matter: “The Biden administration unveiled a new effort on Wednesday to hook up low-income residents with solar power — a move that could allow communities that have long been shut out of the fast-growing market for renewable power to reduce their utility bills.”
See you tomorrow.