Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Egypt recognized a new president over the weekend, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Note that President Obama took an interesting diplomatic step, offering congratulatory calls to both the winning and losing candidates.
* Worth watching: “Syria’s isolation deepened on Monday, hit by a rash of high-ranking military defectors who sought refuge in Turkey, new European Union sanctions and plans for an emergency NATO meeting over the Syrian shooting down of a Turkish warplane.”
* Not all of the economic news is bad: “Americans bought new homes in May at the fastest pace in more than two years, adding to evidence of a slow but steady housing recovery.”
* On the Supreme Court, check out E.J. Dionne Jr. on the campaign-finance ruling in Montana, and Scott Lemieux on Arizona’s immigration law. Also, Dahlia Lithwick will be on talking about the rulings with Rachel tonight.
* I’m delighted to see Lyle Denniston and SCOTUS Blog getting so much attention.
* A brutal fire in Colorado: “Flames forced thousands of Colorado residents from their homes over the weekend and disrupted vacation plans for countless visitors as smoke shrouded some of the state’s top tourist destinations, including majestic Pike’s Peak and tranquil Estes Park.” * This comes up from time to time, but the facts are sometimes forgotten: the U.S. Supreme Court really did interrupt the vote count in Florida and really did hand the 2000 election to Bush/Cheney. * And the Vatican is looking to improve its communications strategy, so it’s hired Greg Burke, a Fox News correspondent in Rome, to help out. In addition to his media background, Burke is a member of Opus Dei. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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