Today’s edition of quick hits:
* A scary scene in Dallas: “A rifle-toting gunman wearing tactical gear and carrying multiple magazines was fatally shot Monday after exchanging fire with federal officers outside a downtown Dallas court building, police said.”
* A scary scene in Toronto: “Two people were shot at a rally celebrating the Toronto Raptors’ first NBA championship on Monday afternoon, according to police, amid a celebration that saw thousands of fans crowd into the city’s downtown core. Police also said that two firearms were recovered and two people were in custody.”
* Terrorism in Nigeria: “At least 30 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing in northeastern Nigeria, emergency services reported on Monday, in an attack bearing the hallmarks of the Boko Haram jihadist group.”
* A 7-2 ruling: “The Supreme Court declined on Monday to change the longstanding rule that says putting someone on trial more than once for the same crime does not violate the Constitution’s protection against double jeopardy — a case that drew attention because of its possible implications for President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.”
* More from SCOTUS: “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dealt a partial victory to the owners of an Oregon bakery who were fined for refusing to provide a cake for a lesbian commitment ceremony. The justices wiped out lower court rulings against the bakers and sent the case back for another round of hearings.”
* Unexpected news out of Cairo: “Egypt’s former president, Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who rose to office in the country’s first free elections in 2012 and was ousted a year later by the military, collapsed in court during a trial and died Monday, state TV and his family said.”
* A discouraging record: “Lawmakers set a new record Sunday by leaving the federal minimum wage untouched since July 24, 2009, the first year of former President Barack Obama’s first term. The rate hasn’t been increased from $7.25 in a whopping 3,615 days, making it the longest dry spell since the federal minimum wage was enacted under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938.” * Donald Trump told George Stephanopoulos: ‘[T]here’s never been a time in the history of our country where somebody was so mistreated as I have been.” The two strongest impulses in the president’s personality are self-aggrandizement and self-pity. * Ironically, Trump’s tweet on this roughly coincided with unconnected tweets about free speech: “President Trump is ‘all in’ for a constitutional amendment banning desecration of the American flag, he said in an early-morning tweet Saturday, backing an effort by two Republican senators.” Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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." Recommended
