By
Today's edition of quick hits:
* Notable court ruling, Part I: "A federal appeals court Monday rejected an effort by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn to have his criminal case thrown out immediately. By a vote of 8-2, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected Flynn's motion for an order that would have directed the judge who handled the case to dismiss it. That sort of extraordinary order is available only when there's no other option, the court said."
* Notable court ruling, Part II: "A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a U.S. House committee has no authority to sue President Trump's former White House counsel for refusing to testify, a victory for the Trump administration in its continuing fight with Congress over access to current and former administration officials."
* Notable court ruling, Part III: "A court has for the second time struck down a Trump administration attempt to limit the penalties faced by automakers who do not meet mileage standards. A Monday ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit found there is 'no ambiguity in the statute' that requires agencies to periodically increase penalties in order to keep track with inflation."
* A terrible milestone: "The U.S. has surpassed 6 million coronavirus cases as the country struggles to reopen schools and rebuild its economy as the pandemic rages with no end in sight."
* On a related note: "Coronavirus infections are rising sharply at the University of Alabama, where school officials have reported more than 1,000 cases since classes began Aug. 19."
* USPS: "House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., plans to subpoena documents related to mail delays and voting by mail from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the congresswoman announced on Monday. The subpoenas come after Maloney says DeJoy has withheld documents from Congress."
* Leadership voids rarely go unfilled: "Germany might be on its way to filling the void left by the U.S. in global health. But it's not going to admit it. In the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's confirmation that the U.S. will exit the World Health Organization -- leaving a gaping financial and political hole in global health -- Germany is trying to step up to the plate."
* Mary Trump: "President Trump on Saturday lambasted his niece who recently wrote a critical book about him and released recordings of family members talking about him, with the president calling her 'unstable.'"
* Oh my: "The Twitter account belonging to the late Herman Cain, who died after being infected with COVID-19 in July, issued an eyebrow-raising proclamation on Sunday night. 'It looks like the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media first made it out to be,' the account tweeted."
See you tomorrow.