QUICK HITS

1 Governors ask DOJ to halt protests at justices’ homes: The Republican governors of Virginia and Maryland, where the homes of Supreme Court justices have become the targets of protests, are demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland enforce a federal law that forbids demonstrations intended to sway judges on pending cases.

2 U.K. warns ‘no choice but to act’ to change Brexit deal: Britain’s foreign secretary warned the European Union on Thursday the U.K. will have “no choice but to act” to revoke parts of a Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland if the EU does not show flexibility. Post-brexit arrangements for border and customs checks in Northern Ireland have become “the greatest obstacle”to forming a new government in Belfast, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.

3 Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates edge up to 5.3%: Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged up again this week, with interest on the key 30-year loan at its highest level since 2009. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday the 30year rate ticked up to 5.3% from 5.27% last week. By contrast, the average rate stood at 2.94% a year ago.

4 Biden nixes 3 offshore oil lease sales, curbing new drilling this year: The Interior Department confirmed Wednesday it will not hold three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska that had been scheduled to take place, taking millions of acres off the auction block. The decision effectively ends the possibility of the federal government holding a lease sale in coastal waters this year.

5 Senate confirms Powell for 2nd term as Fed fights inflation: The Senate on Thursday confirmed Jerome Powell for a second fouryear term as Federal Reserve chair, giving bipartisan backing to Powell’s high-stakes efforts to curb the highest inflation in four decades. The vote was 80-19.