Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest on the Robb Elementary mass shooting: “Security video published Tuesday by two Texas news outlets shows police officers retreating from the classroom where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.”
* The inflation data continues to be discouraging: “The Consumer Price index, which measures changes in the cost of a basket of goods, jumped 1.3% in June compared to the 1% increase in May — a sign that inflation kept burning hot last month.”
* On the other hand: “Gasoline prices that surged in recent months have reversed course in July, giving consumers a welcome break. Gasoline was a major reason that U.S. consumer prices were 9.1 percent higher in June than a year earlier, the biggest annual increase in four decades. But now gas prices have declined 28 days in a row, the longest decline since the collapse in energy demand in early 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic paralyzed the economy. Energy analysts say American consumers are spending $140 million less on gasoline daily than they were a month ago.”
* Upheaval in Sri Lanka: “Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country on Wednesday, hours before he was due to step down after a people’s uprising over a devastating economic crisis ended his family’s grip on the island nation.”
* Biden abroad: “President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday for his first trip to the Middle East as president, looking to show support for that nation amid low expectations that his visit will lead to any fundamental shift in the growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.”
* He sure does seem nervous about this: “Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN he would fight a judge’s order for him to testify before a grand jury in the probe over Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia.”
* This case will probably last a while: “Twitter is suing Elon Musk to force the tech titan to commit to his bid to purchase the company for $44 billion.” * Rare currency parity: “For the first time in two decades, the U.S. dollar is equal to the euro in value as Europe grapples with growing recession fears and the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine.” * I’m not surprised Bolton helped plan coups, but I didn’t expect him to say so out loud and on camera: “John Bolton, who was national security adviser during the Trump administration, revealed in a TV interview Tuesday that he has played a role in planning coups in foreign countries.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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