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Today's edition of quick hits:
* Another exasperating day on Capitol Hill: "Sen. Joe Manchin hasn't signed onto a proposed billionaire tax, a key element of efforts by congressional Democrats to strike a deal Wednesday on a huge spending package."
* Also Manchin's handiwork: "Democrats are dropping family and medical paid leave from President Joe Biden's Build Back Better spending package, three Democratic sources familiar with the talks said, as the party feverishly works to narrow down the bill and secure an agreement."
* The latest appeal for secrecy: "Lawyers for former President Donald Trump urged a federal judge late Tuesday to block the Treasury Department and the IRS from giving his tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee."
* On a related note: "A Florida federal judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump's status as a former president does not exclude him from following Twitter's terms of service, the latest setback in his quest to get back on the social media platform after being banned this year."
* Baffling: "The three men Kyle Rittenhouse shot during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin can be labeled rioters, looters or arsonists if the teenager's defense team has evidence to support the characterizations — but they shouldn't be called victims, the judge in his murder trial ruled this week."
* Rare confirmations: "The Senate confirmed two Republicans nominated by President Joe Biden to top diplomatic posts Tuesday. Former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Turkey, and Cindy McCain, the widow of GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, will be the country's representative at the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture."
* I hope you saw Rachel's coverage of this last night: "Top election officials in a Senate hearing Tuesday detailed the stream of death threats and harassment that followed them after Donald Trump lied about his 2020 presidential election loss."
* Hmm: "Facebook has told employees to 'preserve internal documents and communications since 2016' that pertain to its businesses because governments and legislative bodies have started inquiries into its operations, according to a company email sent on Tuesday night."
* Virginia: "In the final weeks of Virginia's heated gubernatorial campaign, Republicans have been fanning the flames of transphobia, using a sexual assault in a Loudoun County school bathroom for political gain. Their argument is fairly basic ― that Democrat Terry McAuliffe and his ilk won't keep Virginians, especially children, safe. The election is Nov. 2. But the facts of the case don't line up with their fearmongering, as the trial on Monday made clear."
* A worthwhile assessment from Joe Weisenthal: "The economy is certainly feeling strains. There are aspects of the inflation dynamics that give consumers and policymakers heartburn. But if you zoom out a little bit, we're looking at a booming consumer, a booming stock market, booming corporate earnings, booming household wealth and booming activity for manufacturers. It looks like fiscal policy has been pretty powerful."
* Noted without comment: "Fox News' Neil Cavuto returned to the air Tuesday following his bout with COVID-19 and shared some of the threatening messages he received after he urged viewers on the conservative network get vaccinated.... Some wished him well. Others, not so much."
See you tomorrow.