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Today's edition of quick hits:
* Vaccinations matter: "The number of Covid-19 cases in the United States rose 10 percent this week as the highly contagious delta variant gained further ground, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday."
* This didn't generate a lot of chatter, but it's important: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a bill repealing a Trump-era rule that rolled back regulations on methane emissions -- a particularly potent greenhouse gas believed to contribute significantly to the climate crisis -- from the oil and gas industries."
* The latest Jan. 6 fallout: "More than a dozen arrests in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were announced or unsealed Wednesday, revealing charges against alleged supporters of extremist right-wing groups including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and 'boogaloo boys' movement, and individuals accused of attacking the property of news media."
* On a related note: "An Alabama man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to joining with other members of the far-right Oath Keepers in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Federal prosecutors said Mark Grods, 54, of Mobile, was arrested Wednesday after agreeing Monday to plead guilty to criminal charges — an unusual move, suggesting that he was already cooperating with investigators."
* DeSantis' law is a mess: "A federal judge on Wednesday night blocked a Florida law that would penalize social media companies for barring the speech of politicians, striking a blow to conservatives still fuming over the suspension of former President Donald Trump and allegations that Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube censor right-wing views."
* UNC: "In a 9-4 vote, the board of trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Wednesday approved tenure for Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones."
* Stunning: "A Washington state lawmaker wore a yellow Star of David — a Holocaust-era symbol that Nazis forced onto Jews — while voicing his opposition to COVID-19 vaccinations during a speech last weekend."
* Quite a revelation: "In a call secretly recorded by an individual working for the environmental group Greenpeace UK, a veteran oil-industry lobbyist described efforts by Exxon Mobil to undermine government action on climate change."
* Some Republicans who face Donald Trump's ire ignore him, but some exceptions are notable: "Then there is Chris Kapenga, president of Wisconsin's Senate, one of the Republicans singled out by Mr. Trump. He responded to the former president with a letter that approaches North Korean-style levels of Dear Leader obsequiousness."
See you tomorrow.