Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Israel and Hamas moved ahead on a key first step of the tenuous Gaza ceasefire agreement on Monday by freeing hostages and prisoners, raising hopes that the U.S.-brokered deal might lead to a permanent end to the two-year war that ravaged the Palestinian territory.”
* At the Pentagon: “Media across the ideological spectrum said they will not sign the Defense Department’s restrictive new press policy by Tuesday’s afternoon deadline. The Washington Post, the New York Times and CNN said they wouldn’t sign, as did Newsmax and the Washington Times.”
* Deadly gun violence in Mississippi: “At least eight people were killed across rural Mississippi after shootings broke out in three towns on Friday night and early Saturday morning during the heart of high school football season. Two of the shootings, in Heidelberg, Miss., and Rolling Fork, Miss., occurred on public high school campuses that were hosting games.”
* Mass shooting in South Carolina: “Four people were killed and four others critically injured after an early-morning shooting on Sunday at a bar on St. Helena, an island off the coast of South Carolina, according to the authorities.”
* The Smithsonian closes its doors: “The 21 museums operated by the Smithsonian Institution, many of them top tourist attractions in Washington, were closed as of Sunday morning as the federal government shutdown stretched into its second week.”
* Will he get political pushback from his base for getting vaccinated? “The White House on Friday released a memo from President Donald Trump’s physician summarizing his visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center earlier in the day, which included a Covid vaccine booster and a flu shot.” * At the White House: “President Trump announced early Sunday that he was appointing Dan Scavino, a deputy chief of staff and one of Mr. Trump’s most trusted advisers, as the head of the presidential personnel office. Mr. Scavino will replace Sergio Gor, whom Mr. Trump in August said he would nominate to be the U.S. ambassador to India.” * The fact that the pope quoted Hannah Arendt struck me as especially amazing: “Pope Leo XIV encouraged international news agencies on Thursday to stand firm as a bulwark against the ‘ancient art of lying’ and manipulation, as he strongly backed a free, independent and objective press.” 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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