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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* One of these days, we’ll stop talking about balloons: “President Biden said on Thursday that intelligence agencies have no indication that three objects shot down over North America in recent days were surveillance craft from China or any other power but vowed to establish new parameters to guard American airspace.”
* Seeking answers in East Palestine: “EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Thursday promised that the Biden administration would ‘get to the bottom’ of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month that resulted in a fire and a toxic chemical spill affecting residents and wildlife for miles.”
* On the Hill: “On Wednesday night, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., ‘checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression,’ his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said in a statement.”
* Additional fallout in Memphis: “Two Shelby County, Tennessee, sheriff’s deputies who arrived on the scene after Tyre Nichols was beaten by Memphis police officers have been suspended without pay, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.”
* A complaint worth watching: “A group of Tesla workers in Buffalo, New York, have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing the electric carmaker of firing at least 30 workers in response to their union organizing efforts.”
* The right call: “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is urging lawmakers to abolish the death penalty. ... Shapiro also announced he will continue the moratorium on executions established by his predecessor, Tom Wolf.”
* I fear GOP lawmakers saw this and laughed: “As the new Republican-led panel tasked with investigating the weaponization of government continued to issue new subpoenas this week, those who orchestrated the inquiry that its leaders have claimed as a model are warning the chairman against allowing his work to veer into partisan territory.”
* On a related note: “The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed the chief executives of five major tech companies seeking records and information about their content moderation practices.”
* Better late than never? “Two years ago, a class of eighth-graders in North Andover, Mass., led an effort that resulted in the exoneration of a woman who had been accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Now it’s Connecticut’s turn to atone. A joint resolution that was introduced in January would name and apologize to the people who were tried for witchcraft in the state some 375 years ago.”
See you tomorrow.