QUICK HITS

1 Health update: Bernie Sanders, 78, suffered “modest heart muscle damage” during his Oct. 1 heart attack but has since recovered well and is fit enough for the rigors of the presidential campaign and the White House should he win it, according to letters released Monday by his primary care physician and two cardiologists.

2 Mehta dies: Sonny Mehta, the urbane and astute head of Alfred A. Knopf who guided one of the book world’s most esteemed imprints to new heights through a blend of prizewinning literature by Toni Morrison and Cormac McCarthy, among others, and blockbusters such as“Fifty Shades of Grey” and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” has died at age 77. Mehta, the husband of author Gita Mehta, died Monday at his home in Manhattan. According to Knopf, the cause was complications from pneumonia.

3 Pumping gas: Israel on Tuesday began preliminary pumping of gas from a lucrative field in the Mediterranean Sea to its coastline rig, just days before it is to sign a major pipeline deal with Greece and Cyprus.

4 Gas deal: The German government has welcomed a deal between Russia and Ukraine to ensure the continued transit of Russian natural gas to Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the agreement finalized late Monday in Vienna a “good and important signal to guarantee the security of our European gas supply.”

5 Impeachment tweet: President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Democrats of seeking to avoid an impeachment trial in the Senate to protect Joe Biden and his son Hunter, whose service on the board of a Ukrainian energy company while his father was vice president has come under scrutiny.