Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Quite an event at the Brent Spence Bridge: “President Joe Biden on Wednesday held out the promised makeover of a dilapidated bridge over the Ohio River as a symbol of what can happen when Republicans and Democrats work together — even as he condemned what he labeled an “embarrassing” scene of GOP disarray back in Washington.”
* Note, the House adjourned after the sixth failed attempt to elect a speaker this afternoon, but the chamber is reconvening at 8 p.m. eastern.
* In Ukraine: “Amid anger in Russia over one of the deadliest strikes on Moscow’s forces in the war, official blame has fallen on the targeted soldiers themselves, with the suggestion that their cellphone use enabled Ukrainian forces to home in on their location.”
* Good news from the FDA: “For the first time, retail pharmacies, from corner drugstores to major chains like CVS and Walgreens, will be allowed to offer abortion pills in the United States under a regulatory change made Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration. The action could significantly expand access to abortion through medication.”
* A story we’ve been keeping an eye on: “Two men were charged on Tuesday in connection with attacks on four power substations in Washington State on Dec. 25 that left thousands without power, a crime that the authorities said had been intended as a ruse so that the men could burglarize a local business.”
* Nearly two years later: “The FBI on Wednesday increased the reward for information about pipe bombs placed outside both the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, just a day before the deadly insurrection blocks away at the Capitol building. The FBI Washington Field Office, the ATF Washington Field Division and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department announced they are offering as much as $500,000 — up from $100,000 — for information leading to the arrest of the suspect who placed the explosives.”
* A rapidly changing climate: “As 2022 turned to 2023, an exceptionally strong wintertime heat dome pounced on much of Europe, producing unprecedented warmth for January. As temperatures soared 18 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 20 Celsius) above normal from France to western Russia, thousands of records were broken between Saturday and Monday — many by large margins.”
* Dangerous nonsense: “The baseless tweets began to circulate within minutes of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s stunning collapse on the field during ‘Monday Night Football.’ Anti-vaxxers and right-wing provocateurs sought to link the injury that left Hamlin in critical condition and the coronavirus vaccine, without any evidence. Their claims built on years of coronavirus vaccine misinformation that has been seeded across social media. ... The tweets’ broad and rapid reach ... underscores how baseless claims related to the coronavirus can ricochet across Twitter with little friction since new owner Elon Musk rolled back the company’s policy against covid misinformation in November.”
See you tomorrow.