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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* How to keep a political world in suspense: “We got some unexpected news in the Donald Trump grand jury investigation in New York. We were all set for a potential indictment Wednesday, but then suddenly heard that the grand jury not only wasn’t going to be voting but wouldn’t be meeting at all. It’s unclear why the apparent delay occurred or what comes next.”
* All eyes on the Fed again: “The Federal Reserve is raising its key interest rate by 0.25%, continuing on its crusade against inflation while warning that recent instability in the banking sector could weigh on the economy. In announcing their ninth consecutive rate hike — which increases the benchmark federal funds rate to a range of 4.75% to 5% — Fed officials said in a statement Wednesday that the ‘U.S. banking system is sound and resilient.’”
* A big strike: “School support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 a year in Los Angeles, barely enough to get by in one of the most expensive cities in America. The pay is a driving factor behind a three-day strike that has shut down the entire Los Angeles school system and put a spotlight on the paltry pay of support staff that serves as the backbone of schools nationwide.”
* Cautious optimism: “The North Carolina House of Representatives approved Medicaid expansion Wednesday on the first day of a two-day concurrence vote — the last step before the bill goes to Gov. Roy Cooper for his signature. .... [T]he passage of HB 76 would not immediately enact Medicaid expansion. The bill is tied to funding in the state budget, which lawmakers will craft over coming months. If the budget does not pass, neither can expansion.”
* A horrible, punitive step backwards for Uganda: “Uganda’s parliament passed a law on Tuesday making it a crime to identify as LGBTQ, handing authorities broad powers to target gay Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence.”
* The latest Jan. 6 sentence: “A Trump supporter who was recording with a GoPro strapped to his helmet when he jumped through a broken window to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was sentenced to nine months in prison on Tuesday.”
* A worthwhile hearing: “Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel attempted on Wednesday to win over lawmakers irate about the company’s planned COVID-19 vaccine price increase, weathering a barrage of criticism from Democrats angry at the company’s profits from its groundbreaking mRNA vaccine.”
* SCOTUS is still occasionally unanimous: “The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in favor of a student in Michigan seeking to hold his local school district accountable for, he alleges, failing to adequately meet his educational needs. In the unanimous ruling, the court said Miguel Luna Perez could pursue claims against Sturgis Public School District under the American with Disabilities Act.”
* Brutal statistics from the U.N. World Water Development Report: “A report issued on the eve of the first major U.N. conference on water in over 45 years says 26% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and 46% lacks access to basic sanitation.”
* Alex Jones, of all people, said he found Donald Trump’s “protest” rhetoric to be potentially dangerous, which seemed to speak volumes about where we find ourselves.
See you tomorrow.