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Tuesday's Mini-Report, 5.18.21

Today's edition of quick hits.

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Today's edition of quick hits:

* Middle East: "Hours after President Joe Biden said he would support a cease-fire, dozens of Israeli jets launched more than 100 missiles into the Gaza Strip overnight as the fighting entered its second week."

* On a related note: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Tuesday for a cease-fire in the Middle East, ratcheting up pressure on the Biden administration to intervene more forcefully to help end the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas."

* It passed 364 to 62: "The House passed a bill Tuesday that aims to stem a spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. Approval sends the measure to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. The bill passed the Senate last month with only one vote in opposition."

* Andrew Brown Jr.: "North Carolina sheriff's deputies were justified in fatally shooting a Black man during an attempted arrest last month and no charges will be filed against law enforcement, prosecutors said Tuesday."

* A lot of folks seem to like money: "Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's $5 million lottery to encourage vaccinations appears to be an early win. State health officials said Monday that more than 25,400 Covid-19 vaccine shots were administered Friday, two days after the program was announced, making it the highest vaccination day in three weeks."

* Air pollution is a real problem: "Long-term exposure to air pollution has many health consequences, including accelerating brain aging and increasing the risk for dementia. Now new research suggests that short-term exposure to polluted air, even at levels generally considered 'acceptable,' may impair mental ability in the elderly."

* The wrong call: "The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that its decision last year banning non-unanimous jury verdicts in cases involving serious crimes did not apply retroactively, dashing the hopes of thousands of inmates for new trials. The 6-to-3 decision split along ideological lines, with the court's six Republican appointees in the majority and its three Democratic ones in dissent."

* When the criminal suspect is a judge: "A North Carolina court of appeals judge was summoned by a criminal court Friday after being accused of nearly hitting Black Lives Matter protesters at a demonstration in downtown Fayetteville on May 7. Judge John M. Tyson of Cumberland County has been summoned to appear in a courtroom in his own county next month where he will need to answer to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, the Fayetteville Observer reported."

* This would be dramatic: "Administration officials have quietly begun evaluating clemency requests and have signaled to activists that President Biden could begin issuing pardons or commutations by the midpoint of his term."

* The overall population of the detention facility will soon drop to below 40: "The Biden administration has approved three detainees at Guantánamo Bay for release to countries that agree to impose security conditions on them, including the oldest of the remaining wartime prisoners, lawyers and United States government officials said on Monday."

See you tomorrow.