Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Mark your calendars: “The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case in federal court set a trial date for March 4, 2024, a schedule that could have a crucial impact on the 2024 race for the White House. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s decision sets the trial in the middle of the Republican presidential primaries and the day before Super Tuesday.”
* In related news: “Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, one of the defendants charged with racketeering in the Georgia 2020 election probe, took the witness stand Monday in an attempt to bolster his bid to move the Fulton County case to federal court.”
* At UNC: “Authorities at the University of North Carolina on Monday issued a shelter-in-place order on campus and alerted the community of a person of interest in an ‘armed and dangerous person situation.’ Campus police issued an all-clear alert for the community at 4:14 p.m., ET. Police did not elaborate why the situation was deemed safe.”
* Idalia is getting stronger: “Florida could see an even stronger hurricane this week than initially predicted, bringing dangerous winds and life-threatening storm surge to much of the state’s Gulf coast.”
* Indefensible: “A 20-year-old man has become the first Ugandan to be charged with ‘aggravated homosexuality,’ an offense punishable by death under the country’s recently enacted anti-gay law, prosecutors and his lawyer said.”
* Striking comments out of the Vatican: “Pope Francis has blasted the ‘backwardness’ of some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church, saying they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.”
* In case there were any lingering doubts: “Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed Sunday that Yevgeniy Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last week outside Moscow, ending days of fevered speculation about the fate of the Wagner Group leader.”
* Abortion politics in the commonwealth: “Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his political team are devoting significant resources to gaining Republican control of the General Assembly this fall, hoping to enact a conservative agenda that would include passing new abortion legislation, according to several sources familiar with the governor’s plans.” * As someone who already doesn’t love to fly, this won’t help: “Federal authorities have been investigating nearly 5,000 pilots suspected of falsifying their medical records to conceal that they were receiving benefits for mental health disorders and other serious conditions that could make them unfit to fly, documents and interviews show.” * An anniversary worth honoring: “Thousands converged Saturday on the National Mall for the 60th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, saying a country that remains riven by racial inequality has yet to fulfill his dream.” I’m taking a little summer break starting tomorrow, which I’ll explain in a housekeeping note in the morning.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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