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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Ukraine: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday he had decided to dismiss Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov from his post and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s main privatization fund.”
* Ethan Nordean’s Jan. 6 sentence: “A Proud Boy known within the far-right organization for his drinking and brawling skills has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for his role in the Capitol riot, tying with the head of the Oath Keepers for the longest sentence dished out to a Jan. 6 defendant so far.”
* In related news: “Joe Biggs, a Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy who the government says ‘served as an instigator and leader’ during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison Thursday.”
* And speaking of Jan. 6 charges: “Three active-duty U.S. Marines were arrested and charged this week with breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the latest in a line of current or former members of the military associated with the riot.”
* The latest move that will get Beijing’s attention: “President Joe Biden’s administration has approved a military transfer to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, program normally used for sovereign states, according to a notification sent to Congress. The notification, which was seen by Reuters on Wednesday, informs congressional committees of the State Department’s intention to obligate up to $80 million in FMF funds in support of Taiwan.”
* Keep an eye on this one: “Some 3.6 million salaried workers may soon be able to earn overtime pay, according to a new proposal from the Biden administration. The rule would update the Fair Labor Standards Act to expand overtime eligibility to more people, and ensure salary thresholds that determine overtime access keep up with earnings data.”
* Sadly predictable developments in Nashville last week: “Tennessee Republicans on Tuesday ended a special session of the state legislature devoted to public safety without passing any new restrictions on firearm access, bringing to a close an emotional and chaotic week that was punctuated by tearful pleas from parents whose children survived a mass shooting at a Nashville Christian school.”
* Helping many seniors with drug prices: “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Tuesday announced the first 10 prescription drugs that will be subject to Medicare price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act, a critical step in the Biden administration’s attempt to drive down the high cost of prescription drugs for older people.”
* Bizarre developments in North Carolina: “When an online legal newsmagazine asked North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita S. Earls in June about a state report showing that most lawyers appearing before the court were white men, she said the court should examine the reasons for that disparity and address what she called implicit bias in the judiciary. As a result, a state judicial commission opened an investigation — not of the issue but of whether Justice Earls’ remarks had violated the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct.”
* Did the Affordable Care Act successfully bend Medicare’s cost curve? It sure looks like it: “For decades, runaway Medicare spending was the story of the federal budget. Now, flat Medicare spending might be a bigger one.”
See you tomorrow.