Today’s edition of quick hits:
* A sensible breakthrough: “The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that all medical facility employees will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, becoming the first federal agency to issue a mandate.”
* In related news: “California will require state employees and all health care workers to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or get tested weekly as officials aim to slow rising coronavirus infections, mostly among the unvaccinated.”
* Seems like a no-brainer: “Health care employers should mandate vaccinations for all their workers, a coalition of leading medical groups said Monday, as cases of Covid-19 continue to spike across the nation.”
* A case we’ve been following: “The chair of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee pleaded not guilty Monday and said he was ‘100% innocent’ of charges that he secretly lobbied the U.S. on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. Tom Barrack, 74, appeared in Brooklyn federal court for the first time, days after he was freed on $250 million bail following his arrest in California.”
* Many will benefit from this: “President Biden said Monday that long-term symptoms of covid-19 could be considered a disability under federal civil rights laws, an announcement timed to coincide with the 31st anniversary of the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act.”
* The latest from Surfside: “The identification of a 98th victim in the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, brought the painstaking process of searching for missing people to a close Monday.”
* Cause for concern: “A new worldwide wave of COVID-19. Natural disasters in China and Germany. A cyber attack targeting key South African ports. Events have conspired to drive global supply chains towards breaking point, threatening the fragile flow of raw materials, parts and consumer goods, according to companies, economists and shipping specialists.”
* Resolving a key labor dispute: “Hundreds of Frito-Lay employees ratified a contract on Saturday, ending a nearly three-week strike over forced overtime and long hours that many workers said had pushed them past the point of exhaustion, union officials said.” * I’m a little surprised we haven’t seen these sooner: “President Joe Biden is nominating eight new leaders for U.S. attorney positions across the country, including in the office overseeing the prosecutions of hundreds of defendants charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.” * What an odd case: “A federal appeals court on Friday sided with Florida in its challenge against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over federal regulations for cruise ships that the state said were too onerous and were costing it millions of dollars in foregone tax revenue.” See you tomorrow.
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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