QUICK HITS

1 El Salvador negotiated gang

truce: The government of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele secretly negotiated a truce with leaders of the country’s powerful street gangs, the U.S. Treasury announced Wednesday. The explosive accusation cuts to the heart of one of Bukele’s most highly touted successes in office: a plunge in the country’s murder rate.

2 New German chancellor takes office: Center-left leader Olaf Scholz on Wednesday became Germany’s ninth post-world War II chancellor, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure. Scholz’s government takes office with high hopes of modernizing Germany and combating climate change but faces the immediate challenge of handling the country’s toughest phase yet of the coronavirus pandemic. 3 Sealteam leaderdies

in training: A Navy SEAL commander has died from injuries he got during a training accident in Virginia. The Navy said Wednesday that Cmdr. Brian Bourgeois,

43, was injured Saturday when he fell while fast-roping down from a helicopter. Bourgeois, the commanding officer of SEAL Team 8, died Monday at a hospital in Norfolk. 4 Journalist freed: Lebanese authorities freed Wednesday an American journalist who was detained in Beirut last month. Nada Homsi said after her release that her arrest was part of an intimidation campaign used by Lebanon’s security agencies against foreign journalists. 5 Czechs Okdeployment: The

Czech government approved a plan Wednesday to deploy 150 service members in Poland to help guard the border with Belarus. Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said they will have a mandate to stay in Poland for 180 days.