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Wednesday's Mini-Report, 3.17.21

Today's edition of quick hits.

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Today's edition of quick hits:

* The latest from Atlanta: "A man accused of killing eight people in three shootings at Atlanta-area spas told investigators he had a sexual addiction and saw the businesses as a temptation that he needed to eliminate, officials said Wednesday."

* White House: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday addressed the spa shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, saying he understands the concern among Asian Americans as investigators work to determine a motive. 'Whatever the motivation here, I know Asian Americans, they are very concerned, because as you know I have been speaking about the brutality against Asian Americans, and it's troubling,' Biden said."

* Quite a statement from Powell: "The Federal Reserve on Wednesday sharply ramped up its expectations for economic growth but indicated that there are no interest rate hikes likely through 2023 despite an improving outlook and a turn this year to higher inflation."

* IRS: "The Internal Revenue Service is pushing back the tax filing deadline for taxpayers from April 15 to mid-May, the agency confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday. The extension applies only to federal income taxes, not state income taxes."

* Schools: "The Biden administration is directing $10 billion from the recently passed stimulus package toward increased Covid-19 testing in schools, as the White House grapples with the difficult task of getting the nation's school children back into classrooms."

* The first unanimous vote for one of Biden's cabinet-level nominees: "Katherine Tai, a longtime congressional staff lawyer, won Senate confirmation on Wednesday as the first woman of color to serve as the top U.S. trade negotiator. The Senate approved her nomination 98-0, marking a rare bipartisan agreement in a deeply-divided Washington."

* Texas: "While many Texans last week were worried about sky-high electric bills from February's winter storms, the state's sole utility commissioner was privately reassuring out-of-state investors who profited from the crisis that he was working to keep their windfall safe."

* Good for Menendez: "Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., broke with Senate decorum Tuesday by calling Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., 'racist' on the chamber floor over Johnson's remarks about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot."

* They're both very conservative, pro-Trump Republicans, but these two clearly don't see eye to eye: "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday flatly rejected Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott's call for governors and mayors to return money from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, creating another fault line with his potential 2024 rival."

See you tomorrow.