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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Putin makes an important change: “Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced the commander leading his forces in Ukraine just three months after he handed him the job. Gen. Valery Gerasimov will take over from Sergei Surovikin, the country’s defense ministry said on Telegram Wednesday, a change that comes as Kyiv warns is planning a major new offensive after months of battlefield setbacks for Moscow.”
* Quite a mess: “Flights across the United States resumed Wednesday morning, several hours after the Federal Aviation Administration suffered a computer outage that forced it to halt all departures nationwide while it scrambled to resolve the issue.”
* Illinois is the ninth state to take this step: “Assault weapons can no longer be sold in Illinois. The state immediately banned the sale of the military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines Tuesday evening, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature on a bill the House had passed just hours earlier.”
* In California: “Northern California braced for more downpours Wednesday as southern and central regions of the state got a break from torrential rains and prepared for another strong system just days away. Flood alerts still impacted about 5 million Golden State residents Wednesday, though that’s down from about 30 million Tuesday.”
* Turmoil in Peru: “A young medical student in his work uniform, desperate, his family said, to help injured protesters. A 22-year old man who had finally saved up enough to study mechanics. An ice cream vendor returning home after a long day of work. None took part in the demonstrations that have consumed Peru for a month. But all were killed in southern Peru on Monday, casualties in what became the deadliest day of clashes between protesters and government forces since the country erupted in violence last month.”
* There’s been a whole lot of good factory news lately: “The climate and tax bill President Biden signed in August to increase the use of green energy and electric cars while expanding domestic manufacturing appears to be yielding some results. A Korean solar company, Hanwha Qcells, announced on Wednesday that it would spend $2.5 billion to build a large manufacturing complex in Georgia.”
* Speaking of Biden, the president has a new Wall Street Journal op-ed, making the case that both parties should be able to cooperate when it comes to Big Tech, finding “common ground on the protection of privacy, competition and American children.”
* Fascinating: “NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — the next-generation observatory that has already beamed back some of the clearest and most stunning views of the universe — was used for the first time to confirm the existence of an exoplanet, scientists announced Wednesday.”
See you tomorrow.