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Today's edition of quick hits:
* An overdue halt: "Israel's government agreed to what it said was a bilateral cease-fire with Hamas on Thursday to halt nearly two weeks of fighting that has left hundreds dead and parts of the impoverished Gaza Strip reduced to rubble. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet agreed 'to accept the Egyptian initiative for a bilateral cease-fire, which will take effect at a later date,' the government said in a statement."
* A story we're keeping an eye on: "New York Attorney General Letitia James' office is criminally investigating longtime Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg's personal taxes, an official close to the investigation told NBC News."
* At the White House: "President Joe Biden signed into law Thursday legislation addressing anti-Asian hate crimes, which have increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, after the measure passed Congress with bipartisan support."
* On the Hill: "The House on Thursday narrowly passed a $1.9 billion emergency spending measure to boost security for the U.S. Capitol complex and other government agencies that responded to the Jan. 6 attack on the building."
* Needless cruelty: "After signing two bills into law targeting transgender people over the past week, Tennessee's Gov. Bill Lee has approved legislation that bans gender-confirming treatment for young minors despite objections that the series of bills unfairly discriminate against an already vulnerable population."
* Progress: "Lawyers working to reach the migrant families separated by the Trump administration have found the parents of 54 more children in the past month, according to a court filing on Wednesday."
* This could be interesting: "Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos must testify in a class-action lawsuit about her handling of student loan forgiveness claims, which involved delays in the administration's decision-making and ultimate denial of a significant number of the applications, a federal judge ruled Wednesday."
* The smart way to look at labor shortages, to the extent that they exist: "That so many are complaining about the situation is not a sign that something is wrong with the American economy. It is a sign that corporate executives have grown so accustomed to a low-wage economy that many believe anything else is unnatural."
* A lot of folks like money: "New York and Maryland announced new lottery prizes Thursday for people who get their Covid-19 vaccinations — programs that follow the vaccine lottery in Ohio, a state that saw a 28 percent increase in vaccinations in the days after the incentive was announced."
* I always like headlines that tell an interesting story: "He bragged at the dentist's office about attending the Capitol riot, feds say. A tipster turned him in."
See you tomorrow.