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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Four-hour pauses: “Israel will begin to implement daily four-hour pauses in its fighting, the United States said today, amid growing pressure to allow for more aid to get into Gaza and more hostages held by Hamas to be released.”
* Keep a close eye on this one: “The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of letters containing suspicious powder that were sent to election workers in multiple states in recent days, law enforcement officials told NBC News.”
* In Illinois: “President Joe Biden put on a red United Auto Workers shirt on Thursday as he celebrated a labor deal that will prevent Belvidere’s Stellantis plant from closing, treating the factory’s salvation as a vindication of his decision to stand with striking union members as they demanded higher wages.”
* Airstrikes: “For the second time in nearly two weeks, the United States carried out airstrikes against a facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and its proxies in eastern Syria early Thursday, ratcheting up retaliation for a steady stream of rocket and drone attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria.”
* That’s a lot of people: “The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that nearly 5.5 million borrowers are enrolled in its new student loan repayment plan that offers lower monthly payments and caps interest accrual.”
* The latest resolved strike: “SAG-AFTRA, the union representing more than 150,000 film and television performers, reached a tentative deal on a new contract with the entertainment world’s top studios Wednesday — a major step that would revive an industry that has been virtually paralyzed for months.”
* The FBI is apparently on the move: “The General Services Administration has picked Maryland as the home of the new FBI headquarters, the agency confirmed Wednesday, after a lengthy and high-profile competition over where the new facility would be built.”
* A milestone worth celebrating: “President Joe Biden hit a milestone on Tuesday that he’ll certainly be touting on the campaign trail: He’s put 150 people into lifetime federal judgeships — and of those, 100 are women and 98 are people of color.”
See you tomorrow.