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Today's edition of quick hits:
* More on this tomorrow: "Republicans voted Wednesday to block the Senate from beginning debate on an infrastructure proposal, saying they wanted more time to finalize the details of the agreement. But that doesn't mean the deal is dead."
* Tragic conditions in China: "At least 25 people have been killed and large swathes of China's central Henan province were under water Wednesday, regional authorities said, after what some experts said was the region's heaviest rain in 1,000 years."
* A stunning decline: "Life expectancy in the U.S. plunged last year in the largest one-year drop since World War II, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday, further widening the longevity gap between the U.S. and comparable countries."
* The judge called the law "categorically unconstitutional," which was more than fair: "A federal judge on Tuesday blocked an Arkansas law banning nearly all abortions in the state while she hears a challenge to its constitutionality."
* That's a lot of miles: "Pacific Gas & Electric announced an ambitious plan on Wednesday to put 10,000 miles of its power lines underground to prevent the kind of wildfires that led the utility to bankruptcy court in 2019."
* Rare unanimity: "A dwindling pot of money to help crime victims won a new lease on life Tuesday after a unanimous Senate vote. On a nearly unheard-of 100-0 tally, the Senate cleared a House-passed measure that would provide a financial rescue for the Crime Victims Fund."
* An effort worth watching: "A bipartisan group of senators unveiled legislation on Tuesday that would significantly curtail presidential war-making powers, a long-shot effort that nonetheless reflected a growing interest among lawmakers to reassert congressional prerogatives on matters of war and peace."
See you tomorrow.