Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Saying goodbye to a giant: “Rep. John Lewis, the ‘conscience of Congress’ who represented Georgia for more than three decades, made his final trip to the U.S. Capitol on Monday, lying in state in the building where his former colleagues said farewell to the civil rights giant.”
* Portland’s aftershocks: “A series of strident new protests over police misconduct rattled cities across the country over the weekend, creating a new dilemma for state and local leaders who had succeeded in easing some of the turbulence in their streets until a showdown over the use of federal agents in Oregon stirred fresh outrage.”
* Escalating tensions: “After 35 years, the U.S.’s official presence in China’s Chengdu ended on Monday with the lowering of the American flag over the consulate in the southwestern city.”
* In the West Wing: “President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien has tested positive for the coronavirus. O’Brien, 54, has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site, the White House said Monday, according to a pool report.”
* On a related note: “Several National Security Council staffers told CNN that they weren’t informed that O’Brien tested positive and learned of the news from media reports.”
* A total of four Republicans would need to break ranks to defeat Shelton’s ridiculous nomination: “Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) said Monday she would join Sen. Mitt Romney (R., Utah) in opposing the nomination of economist Judy Shelton to the Federal Reserve’s board of governors.”
* Chief Justice John Roberts disappointed the right again: “A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court denied a rural Nevada church’s request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the state’s ongoing response to the coronavirus.”
* Dreamers: “The U.S. government said Friday that it’s putting all new DACA applications in a ‘pending’ bucket while officials decide whether to again try to end the program, meaning none have been accepted into the program for young immigrants even though the Supreme Court ruled last month that it was improperly ended.” * If he runs for office again, this will come up: “Chris Christie dreamed of becoming president. Now, he’s settling for a different role in Washington: lobbyist. The former New Jersey governor is making big money from businesses trying to tap the gusher of coronavirus relief funds coming from the federal government.” * What a mess: “The Sinclair Broadcast Group said Saturday it is pulling from the air an edition of its ‘America This Week’ program that discusses a conspiracy theory involving Dr. Anthony Fauci and the coronavirus.” * After playing golf and tweeting for hours over the weekend, Donald Trump announced yesterday he’ll be too busy on August 15 to throw out the first pitch at a Yankees game. Given the likelihood that the season will be canceled, it may be a moot point. 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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