Today's edition of quick hits:
* FDA news: "The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster dose for children ages 12 to 15."
* Good move from the White House: "President Joe Biden met virtually with independent farmers and ranchers on Monday to discuss initiatives to reduce food prices by increasing competition within the meat industry, part of a broader effort to show his administration is trying to combat inflation."
* Tell-tale indicator: "With at-home Covid-19 tests in high demand and their efficacy in question, health departments from California to Massachusetts are turning to sewage samples to get a better idea of how much the coronavirus is spreading through communities and what might be in store for health care systems."
* A terrifying disaster in Colorado late last week: "Hundreds of homes burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated after a rare wind-driven wildfire tore through suburban neighborhoods in Colorado on Thursday, authorities said."
* Given recent history, this is a story worth watching: "Bosnia's fragile multiethnic government is facing its greatest crisis since the Balkan wars. The Serb nationalist leader, Milorad Dodik, is threatening to tear the country apart."
* It looked like the Trump administration's Phase I deal with China wasn't going to work, and we now know it didn't work: "Beijing's commitment to step up purchases of U.S. goods and services under a 2020 trade pact expires Friday with China...
; ; ; agreed to pay $17.07 million to settle federal allegations of illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices on Friday, marking the Justice Department's first resolution unde...