By
Today's edition of quick hits:
* The latest from Texas: "Millions in Texas were struggling to stay warm Wednesday, many going for days without power, as continued winter weather, bitter cold and the looming threat of more ice meant the blackouts might last until the end of the week. By midday, more than 3 million people did not have electricity, according to tracking site poweroutage.us, as winter weather advisories, warnings or watches stretched from Texas to Virginia."
* On a related note: "White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the Biden administration is supplying emergency power generators to Texas and is prepared to move diesel to the state."
* I hope he's right: "President Biden said on Tuesday that every American who wanted a Covid-19 vaccination would be able to get one by the end of July, striking a more optimistic tone than he delivered last week when he warned that logistical and distribution hurdles would most likely mean that many people would still not have been vaccinated by the end of the summer."
* On the other hand: "Winter storms that have led to more than two dozen deaths and left millions of people without power are also likely to cause 'widespread delays' in Covid-19 vaccine shipments in the coming days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday."
* State-sanctioned cruelty: "Executioners who put 13 inmates to death in the last months of the Trump administration likened the process of dying by lethal injection to falling asleep.... But those tranquil accounts are at odds with reports by The Associated Press and other media witnesses of how prisoners' stomachs rolled, shook and shuddered as the pentobarbital took effect inside the U.S. penitentiary death chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana."
* Systemic reforms are needed: "At least 30 law enforcement officers from around the country took part in the rally on Jan. 6 that preceded the riot. Many are now being investigated."
* If you've heard about "doctored evidence" during Trump's impeachment trial, don't believe it: "Michael van der Veen wants you to believe the House managers cheated. They didn't."
* After the Trump era, an op-ed from a Defense secretary praising NATO is a big step in the right direction: "Alliances are not a burden; they are a benefit to both our individual and our collective security. Our shared principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law do not make us more vulnerable; they make us stronger as a team.... We are ready to consult together, decide together and act together. We are ready to revitalize our alliances. We are ready to lead."
* This issue continues to generate worthwhile discussion: "A congressional panel renewed debate Wednesday over reparations for slavery at a hearing on legislation that would create a commission to study the issue and make recommendations."
See you tomorrow.