Today's edition of quick hits:
* This vote is expected any minute now: "The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on the House-passed government funding bill, but its fate remains uncertain with Republicans threatening to block the measure. Lawmakers have until the calendar turns to Friday to approve funding for the government or a shutdown will be triggered."
* Striking trends: "During the early months of Covid-19 vaccinations, several major demographic groups lagged in receiving shots, including Black Americans, Latino Americans and Republican voters. More recently, the racial gaps — while still existing — have narrowed. The partisan gap, however, continues to be enormous."
* One of the bad things about toxic contagions is that they often spread: "One message advocated 'occupying election offices.' Another warned of 'coronavirus tyranny.' And a third extolled former president Donald Trump and Q.... The calls to action came not in anticipation of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Rather, they emerged this month in Germany, within a far-right group."
* Reported ivermectin fatalities: "A wave of misinformation touting the deworming drug ivermectin as a Covid treatment appears to be showing no signs of abating, with calls about the drug to poison control centers surging, and officials in New Mexico saying misuse of the medication contributed to at least two deaths."
* Immigration policy: "The Biden administration will move to publish a federal rule Tuesday to protect children brought to the U.S. by their migrant parents without the legal right to stay prior to 2007, known as Dreamers, after a federal court in Texas recently dealt a major blow to the Obama-era rule, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday."
* On a related note, the parties really are not the same on immigration: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday defended U.S. Border Patrol agents seen charging at migrants on horseback, saying he would hire them if they fear being fired."
* Jan. 6 fallout: A federal judge tore into a low-level defendant in the Capitol Riot Friday, moments after the man entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge stemming from the Jan. 6 unrest. 'You've disgraced this country in the eyes of the world and my inclination would be to lock you up, but since the government isn't asking me to do that ... I won't,' U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton shouted at Fort Pierce, Fla., resident Anthony Mariotto during a video hearing."
* Trump's response will probably be unpleasant: "Michigan businesswoman, political megadonor and former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos implicitly criticized the GOP's ongoing capture by former President Donald Trump in a Saturday address to the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference."
* I've been known to publish a typo or two, but c'mon: "Freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) tried to make a big splash on Friday by introducing articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. But she also introduced a major error in her press materials. 'IMEACH BIDEN,' shouted an image on her website."
See you tomorrow.
