Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Big news on student loans: “The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it would extend the payment pause on federal student loans, as President Joe Biden’s debt cancellation plan remains blocked in court. The payment pause, which was previously set to expire in January, will be extended until June 30 or until the litigation is resolved — whichever comes first.”
* In Georgia: “Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Tuesday testified before a Georgia grand jury investigating possible interference in the 2020 presidential election. Graham’s office said in a statement he testified for just over two hours and answered the grand jury’s questions.”
* Conditions in Ukraine: “Millions of Ukrainians face a deadly winter — and it isn’t just the risk of being hit by Russian bombs. Energy supply cuts caused by Russia’s heavy bombardment of the country’s infrastructure are combining with freezing cold winter weather to create a deadly cocktail, the World Health Organization has warned.”
* You’ve all been boosted, right? “Updated boosters rolled out by Pfizer and rival Moderna in September have been a hard sell for vaccine-weary Americans. Only about 13% of U.S. adults so far have gotten a ‘bivalent’ shot that targets the omicron strain and the original coronavirus. On Tuesday, White House officials announced a renewed push for more Americans to get the latest shots. The first look at the new shots’ real-world effectiveness shows they work, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.”
* Seditious conspiracy trial: “Jurors began deliberating Tuesday in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot case accusing Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four of his extremist group associates of a violent plot to stop the transfer of presidential power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden.”
* For now, Alabama is pausing its practice of killing its citizens: “Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey sought a pause in executions and ordered a ‘top-to-bottom’ review of the state’s capital punishment system Monday after an unprecedented third failed lethal injection.”
* A rail strike remains possible: “A union representing rail conductors narrowly voted to reject a collective bargaining agreement orchestrated by the Biden administration, moving one step closer to a crippling freight rail strike that appeared averted two months ago.”
* The latest marijuana pardons: “Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday she is pardoning an estimated 45,000 people convicted of simple possession of marijuana, a month after President Joe Biden did the same under federal law.”
* There’s work to do in the VMI community: “Ever since Virginia Military Institute began rolling out new diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives last year, a fierce and well-funded group of conservative alumni has been attacking the efforts to make VMI more welcoming to women and minorities. Now the mostly White alumni group has turned its sights on a new target: the first Black superintendent at the nation’s oldest state-supported military college.”
* All is not well at Twitter: “More than a third of Twitter’s top 100 marketers have not advertised on the social media network in the past two weeks, a Washington Post analysis of marketing data found — an indication of the extent of skittishness among advertisers about billionaire Elon Musk’s control of the company.”
See you tomorrow.