Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A ceasefire deal: “President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a United States-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon. … Under the deal, which is set to go into effect Wednesday at 4 a.m. local time, the fighting at the Israel-Lebanese border will end, Biden said in outlining the ceasefire, which he said was ‘designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.’”
* An entirely predictable reaction: “Mexico’s president responded angrily Tuesday to President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to impose a 25 percent tariff on its products if the country didn’t curb the flow of irregular migrants and fentanyl, warning that the penalties would only wind up causing inflation and unemployment in the United States. President Claudia Sheinbaum also made clear that Mexico would retaliate with its own tariffs if Trump went ahead with his plan.”
* An important report in Brazil: “Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was fully aware of and actively participated in a coup plot to remain in office after his defeat in the 2022 election, according to a Federal Police report unsealed Tuesday. Brazil’s Federal Police last Thursday formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 other people of attempting a coup. They sent their nearly 900-page report to the Supreme Court, which lifted the seal on Tuesday.”
* Giuliani’s unraveling: “An angry Rudy Giuliani lashed out in court Tuesday at the judge presiding over the collection proceeding for the $146 million defamation judgment against him — and complained he’s having a hard time making ends meet.”
* A terrifying trend: “Flash displays of hate and white power are happening more frequently in the United States, a trend that experts say is a reaction to changing demographics, political turmoil and social catalysts. More than 750 such incidents have taken place since 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League, with more than half of them occurring in the last 18 months.”
* Those “caravans” that Trump often references? They rarely get close to the border: “[T]he large caravans they congregate in are often broken up by the Mexican authorities far short of the United States, sometimes because of attrition over the course of the long and grueling trip. Other times, they break up after talks between the Mexican authorities and the migrants themselves, who disperse after promises of temporary travel permits.”
* There’s a reason Bluesky keeps growing: “Elon Musk confirmed that posts containing links in their main text are deprioritized on X in a revelation that renews criticism that the platform is restricting the visibility of and access to external sources of information.”
* Some leaders still act with grace and dignity, even toward those who fail to do the same: “President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, the first lady, will attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration in January, a White House spokesman told reporters on Monday, according to reporting by Reuters.”
See you tomorrow.
