By
Today's edition of quick hits:
* The latest milestone: "Half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one Covid-19 shot, the government announced Sunday, marking another milestone in the nation's largest-ever vaccination campaign but leaving more work to do to convince skeptical Americans to roll up their sleeves."
* Deadly shooting in Austin: "A former Texas sheriff's detective suspected of gunning down three people in Austin was captured on Monday walking along a rural road, police said. Stephen Broderick, 41, was spotted in Manor and responding city police officers and Travis County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched at 6:53 a.m. CDT before his arrest at 7:05 a.m., according to a police statement."
* Deadly shooting in Kenosha: "A person was arrested after a shooting at a Wisconsin bar left three people dead and three others injured, authorities said Sunday. The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that the person, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide."
* Mass shooting in Shreveport: "Five people were hospitalized after being shot and injured in Shreveport, Louisiana, CBS-affiliated television station KSLA reported late on Sunday, the third multiple shooting reported in the United States with 24 hours."
* That's an enormous number of troops: "The European Union's foreign policy chief has estimated that more than 150,000 Russian troops have already amassed for the biggest military buildup ever near Ukraine's borders and that it will only take 'a spark' to set off a confrontation."
* Closing arguments: "After nearly three weeks of testimony, closing arguments are underway Monday in Derek Chauvin's trial in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, declined to take the stand last week, bringing the defense close to an end in the high-profile trial."
* Brian Sicknick: "Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes a day after he confronted rioters at the Jan. 6 insurrection, the District's chief medical examiner has ruled. The ruling, released Monday, likely will make it difficult for prosecutors to pursue homicide charges in the officer's death. Two men are accused of assaulting Sicknick by spraying a powerful chemical irritant at him during the siege."
* As it turns out, Cuomo's troubles can get worse after all: "The New York State comptroller has issued a referral authorizing the state attorney general to begin a possible criminal investigation into Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's use of state resources in relation to his most recent book."
* From late Friday: "The Justice Department on Friday sued Roger Stone, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, accusing Stone and his wife, Nydia, of owing nearly $2 million in unpaid federal income taxes and fees."
* Interesting research: "A new study, to be published in The North Carolina Law Review, documents a broader trend at the Supreme Court. The study tracked every reference to the news media in the justices' opinions since 1784 and found 'a marked and previously undocumented uptick in negative depictions of the press by the U.S. Supreme Court.'"
* Someone should probably let Ted Cruz's travel agent know: "Electricity outages in Texas could occur again this summer -- just a few months after the devastating winter storm that left millions of Texans without power for days -- if the state experiences a severe heat wave or drought combined with high demand for power, according to recent assessments by the state's grid operator."
* It's worth pausing to celebrate footage like this: "NASA's miniature Mars helicopter Ingenuity achieved the first powered flight on another planet on Monday. The 4-pound solar-powered helicopter ascended above the Martian surface, hovered and then touched back down, mission control said."
See you tomorrow.