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Today's edition of quick hits:
* In response to India's crisis: "President Joe Biden will restrict travel from India starting Tuesday on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as India battles a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections."
* On a related note: "A high-stakes fight over drug companies' response to the coronavirus pandemic has split the Biden administration, with activists and progressives urging the White House to back an international petition to waive the companies' patents — and some senior officials privately signaling they're open to the idea."
* North Korea: "The Biden administration is charting a new course in an attempt to end North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program, striking a balance between President Donald Trump's grand bargain, leader-to-leader diplomacy and President Barack Obama's arm's-length approach to the crisis, said U.S. officials familiar with the plan."
* A tale of two economic reactions: "Economic reports released on both sides of the Atlantic this week painted very different pictures of how the United States and Europe are recovering from the pandemic. The lesson: Along with vaccines, it pays to unleash enormous amounts of public money in the face of a livelihood-destroying health crisis."
* A striking statistic: "The number of unaccompanied migrant children held in jail-like conditions by US Customs and Border Protection dropped nearly 84% in the span of a month, according to a White House official, underscoring the significant progress made by the administration after reaching record high custody figures."
* A resignation in Idaho: "An Idaho lawmaker who the police say is the focus of a criminal investigation into allegations that he raped a 19-year-old female legislative intern last month resigned on Thursday — the same day that an ethics committee recommended that he be suspended."
* Predictable: "West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill Wednesday banning transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams that align with their gender. On Friday, when pressed by MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle to provide an example of a trans child 'trying to gain an unfair competitive advantage' at a school in the state, Justice, a Republican, said he couldn't."
* Seems like a reasonable request: "A Democratic congressman is calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to remove Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) from the House Judiciary Committee over 'an untenable conflict of interest.'"
Have a safe weekend.