Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest in the investigation: “Before a would-be assassin took aim at Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, local police officers notified the former president’s Secret Service detail that they were looking for a suspicious person in the area, a U.S. official told NBC News. The suspicious person, later identified as Thomas Crooks, 20, was first flagged to local police officers by rallygoers on their way into the event. The attendees reported they saw Crooks pacing and behaving strangely near the magnetometers, four officials told NBC News.”
* Expect a robust congressional investigation: “Members of Congress from both parties announced plans Monday to investigate how a shooter was able to get within striking distance of former President Donald Trump, demanding answers from the authorities responsible for protecting the Republican nominee for president.”
* In Illinois: “Two failures of the Nashville Reservoir dam in Illinois amidst intense flooding Tuesday have led officials to urge residents in nearly 300 homes to evacuate.”
* At the border: “Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plunged 29% in June, the lowest month of Joe Biden’s presidency, according to figures released Monday that provide another window on the impact of a new rule to temporarily suspend asylum.”
* Housing policy: “President Biden will unveil a new proposal in Nevada on Tuesday to cap rental costs nationwide, according to three people familiar with the matter. … Biden’s plan — which would need to be approved by Congress — calls for stripping a tax benefit from landlords who increase their tenants’ rent more than 5 percent per year, the people said. The measure would only apply to landlords who own more than 50 units, which represents roughly half of all rental properties, the people said.” * Apparently, some folks have a real problem with trans people: “SpaceX CEO and X owner Elon Musk said Tuesday he will move the headquarters of both companies from California to Texas. Musk vowed the moves in response to Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signing a new law on Tuesday that bars school districts in California from requiring parents to be notified of a child’s gender identification change.” * The effects of the Supreme Court’s poor judgment: “Federal prosecutors have begun moving to drop charges accusing Jan. 6 defendants of obstructing Congress’s confirmation of the 2020 presidential election results, offering new plea deals after the Supreme Court last month restricted the government’s use of that count, according to court filings. Some beneficiaries include members of the extremist Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who are not accused of other felony offenses, but whose leaders were convicted of conspiring to use force to oppose the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.” 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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