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Today's edition of quick hits:
* President Joe Biden's pitch for his Build Back Better agenda: "'I want to set one thing straight: These bills are not about left versus right, or moderate versus progressive,' Biden said, speaking at a union training center in Howell. 'These bills are about competitiveness versus complacency. They're about opportunity versus decay.'"
* A potentially scary scene: "Capitol police responded to a suspicious SUV outside the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday morning and used a flash-bang to force the person out of the vehicle, according to authorities."
* A worthwhile hearing: "Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen on Tuesday told lawmakers that the company systematically and repeatedly prioritized profits over the safety of its users, painting a detailed picture of an organization where hunger to grow governed decisions, with little concern for the impact on society."
* Vaccine news: "Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency use authorization for a booster dose of its one-shot coronavirus vaccine, becoming the third company to ask the Biden administration to approve additional doses."
* Zero MIAs: "When the last American military cargo jet flew out of Afghanistan in August, marking the end of the United States' longest war, it also signaled a largely overlooked accomplishment. For the first time in the nation's history, a major conflict was ending without the U.S. military leaving any troops behind: no one missing in action behind enemy lines, and no nameless, unidentified bones to be solemnly interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. It is a stunning change from previous wars that ended with thousands of troops forever lost, their families left to wonder what had happened to them."
* Summer Zervos' case: "A divided New York appeals panel has rejected President Donald Trump's effort to dismiss or stall a lawsuit brought by a former 'Apprentice' contestant who claims Trump sexually assaulted her a decade ago."
* A change worth watching: "For over 100 years, young men have registered for the draft. Now, Congress is poised to make a historic change for gender equality by requiring women, for the first time in American history, to do the same. But while support for the change is bipartisan, Congress is leaving the details for later."
* I'm a big fan of postal banking: "The U.S. Postal Service has quietly begun offering a handful of new or expanded financial services in four cities, a potential first step toward a return to postal banking, which advocates say could help rescue the agency's finances and assist millions of people who have limited or no access to the banking system."
* Quite a career: "The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis S. Collins, says he is stepping down by the end of the year, having led the research center for 12 years and become a prominent source of public information during the coronavirus pandemic."
See you tomorrow.