By
Today's edition of quick hits:
* The end of our longest war: "President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan as the country appeared increasingly at risk of spiraling into civil war, announcing the U.S. military mission there will conclude on Aug. 31, earlier than initially announced."
* The latest out of Haiti: "Haitian officials say four suspects were killed and six others arrested following the early morning assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise."
* The latest Jan. 6 arrests: "The Justice Department unveiled a major indictment Thursday against five Floridians accused of attacking at least seven police officers during the US Capitol insurrection. Prosecutors say the defendants, all from the Tampa Bay area, repeatedly attacked members of Washington, DC's police force. They allegedly used stolen riot shields and flagpoles to assault officers in the head and neck, and later resorted to punching, kicking, and elbowing the officers."
* The latest from Surfside: "Sixty people have been confirmed dead in the partial collapse of the Miami Beach-area condo building, as crews who have been toiling on the pile nonstop paused briefly early Thursday to mark two weeks since half the building came down."
* The troubled Olympics: "The Tokyo Olympics will take place without spectators, organizers said on Thursday, as a resurgent pandemic forced Japan to declare a coronavirus state of emergency for the capital that will run throughout the event."
* Crossing a new global threshold: "The official global Covid-19 death toll has topped 4 million, about equal to the population of Los Angeles, according to data from Johns Hopkins University released late Wednesday."
* Giuliani's humiliation continues: "A local appeals court in Washington, D.C., suspended Rudy Giuliani's authority to practice law in the city Wednesday."
* Capitol Hill: "The remaining temporary fencing installed around the Capitol in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection will likely be dismantled starting Friday, House Sergeant-at-Arms William J. Walker said in a Wednesday memo to lawmakers and staff."
* A story we've been following for a while: "A government watchdog found the Trump-appointed leader of Voice of America (VOA) erred in his dismissal of six employees, which was likely retaliation against whistleblowers and wrongly stripped some of them of their security clearances."
See you tomorrow.