Today’s edition of quick hits.

* The White House has not yet endorsed this agreement: “Oman on Thursday agreed to the framework of a deal with Iran to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the global crude oil export route that Washington and Tehran have been wrestling to control since the war began, two Middle East diplomats with knowledge of the negotiations told MS NOW.”

* The senior senator from Kentucky: “Sen. Mitch McConnell returned home Thursday after a lengthy hospitalization followed by rehabilitation at a separate facility. The Kentucky Republican’s announcement comes amid growing speculation about his health and ability to serve in Congress.”

* Still waiting for the White House to express an interest in this: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked six additional states to a large outbreak of cyclosporiasis associated with iceberg lettuce, according to a C.D.C. official familiar with the investigation.”

* Speaking of public health, here’s some far more encouraging news: “The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first mRNA flu vaccine, enabling use of a technology that will make it easier to rapidly target a widely prevalent or particularly virulent strain of the virus.”

* The latest in a story we’ve been covering: “President Donald Trump’s financial records won’t be turned over to the BBC — not yet, anyway — thanks to an emergency order from the Trump-appointed judge in Florida who is presiding over his defamation case against the British broadcaster.”

* The next time the FBI director is on Capitol Hill, I hope someone asks him for more details on this: “FBI Director Kash Patel says he has forged new law enforcement partnerships with China and Russia, two longtime U.S. rivals, over the past year in hopes of gaining allies in combating transnational crime including fentanyl, cyber fraud and child sexual exploitation.”

* A remarkable story about Jennifer Mascott, a former conservative law professor who sits on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals: “A Trump-appointed federal appeals judge spent months running a Washington public affairs firm after being appointed to the bench last year, an arrangement that contributed to an exodus among the firm’s staff and clients and only ended when the firm went out of business at the end of June.”

* Reasonable questions: “Senate Democrats on Wednesday demanded that a South Korean company explain why it paid $2 million to President Donald Trump’s holding company while it was embroiled in a trade dispute with his administration, writing that the transaction ‘raises significant concerns about pay-to-play politics and the potential for bribery.’ The payment from Base Group Ltd. was described in the president’s June financial disclosure as part of a ‘letter of intent’ and a ‘nonrefundable development fee.’”

* And Republican Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota claimed at a public event this week that House Majority Whip Tom Emmer was “fighting for his damn life today,” which sparked considerable interest in the GOP leader’s health. In reality, according to Emmer, he had surgery on his foot and isn’t sure what Stauber was talking about.

See you tomorrow.

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