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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest on the mass shooting in Virginia: “The employee who killed six people at a Walmart in Virginia and wounded at least a half-dozen others was identified by the company Wednesday as 31-year-old Andre Bing. Bing, who took his own life after opening fire on his co-workers Tuesday, was a manager on the overnight shift at the Walmart Supercenter in the city of Chesapeake and a longtime employee, the company said in a statement.”
* The latest on the mass shooting in Colorado: “A Colorado judge ordered the suspect accused of gunning down five people at a gay nightclub held without bond Wednesday, during the defendant’s first court appearance. The public got its first glimpse of Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, who made a virtual appearance from jail before 4th Judicial District Court Judge Charlotte Ankeny.”
* The latest on the mass shooting in Pennsylvania: “Four students were injured in a drive-by shooting near Overbrook High School shortly before noon on Wednesday, Philadelphia police said. ... The four students involved appeared to have nonlife-threatening injuries, according to a spokesperson with the Philadelphia School District.”
* For those keeping track, there have been eight mass shootings in the United States over the last week.
* Georgia’s abortion ban: “The Georgia Supreme Court Wednesday reinstated the state’s ban on abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. In a one-page order, the high court put a lower court ruling overturning the ban on hold while it considers an appeal. Abortion providers who had resumed performing the procedure past six weeks after the lower court ruling will again have to stop."
* Aid to Ukraine: "The U.S. is sending an additional $400 million in ammunition and generators to Ukraine, the White House announced Wednesday, and is pulling the gear from its own stockpiles to get the support to Kyiv as fast as possible as Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy sources and winter sets in."
* The thwarted attack on a New York synagogue was prevented by private citizens: “Early signs of a threat to shoot up a Manhattan synagogue were detected on Friday morning not by law enforcement officials but by an online security analyst working in a Manhattan office building.”
* Bolsonaro’s next move: “Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has challenged the election he lost last month to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, arguing votes from some machines should be ‘invalidated’ in a complaint that election authorities met with initial skepticism.”
* Encouraging ACA news: “The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it’s seeing a big uptick in the number of new customers buying private health insurance for 2023 from the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace. Nearly 3.4 million people have signed up for coverage — an increase of 17% compared to the same time last year. The boost in enrollment comes as the number of uninsured Americans this year reached a historic low of 8%.”
* Examples of national self-sabotage tend to lead to regrets: “Six and a half years after voting to leave the European Union, three years after the formal departure, two years after signing a post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels and one month after installing its fourth prime minister since the 2016 referendum, Britain is caught in — what else? — another debate over Brexit. Brexit may be in the history books, but ‘Bregret,’ as the British newspapers have called it, is back in the air.”
Have a safe holiday weekend.