President Trump sent a handwritten note to over a dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus informing them that he would not cancel his meeting on Wednesday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as they had requested.
Why it matters: The caucus of Democratic lawmakers had denounced López Obrador's visit to celebrate the newly enacted United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal as "a blatant attempt to politicize the important U.S.-Mexico relationship” and distract from the pandemic. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, turned down the White House's invitation on Monday.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said on Monday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus after displaying no symptoms.
Why it matters: Bottoms, one of several Black women on the shortlist to be Joe Biden's running mate, has risen to national prominence in recent months as part of mass protests over racism and police brutality — driven in part by the killing of Rayshard Brooks by Atlanta police.
President Trump's attacks are spreading to sports that are cornerstones of rural, conservative white American life.
Why it matters: The culture war that engulfed the NBA and NFL is reaching other major leagues, with teams that stonewalled activists for years suddenly showing a willingness to listen.
Foreign college students could be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer schools if their universities move classes entirely online this fall, according to guidance released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters Monday that he will not attend the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville this August due to coronavirus concerns, the Des Moines Register reports.
Why it matters: It's the 86-year-old's first time skipping the party's convention since he was elected to the Senate in 1980, and it underscores broader concerns about holding the mass gathering in a state where coronavirus cases are surging.
Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's only Black driver, responded to an attack from President Trump on Monday, writing in a statement posted to Twitter: "Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate. Even when it's HATE from the POTUS.. Love wins."
Driving the news: Trump demanded an apology from Wallace on Monday after the FBI determined that he was not a target of a hate crime, following an investigation into a noose found in his garage stall. Trump falsely claimed "the whole thing was just another HOAX," despite the fact that Wallace was not the person who reported the noose and that NASCAR's president confirmed that it "was real."
A white woman who called 911 to accuse a Black man of threatening her life in Central Park in March faces misdemeanor charges for making a false report, the Manhattan District Attorney's officeannounced Monday.
The big picture: The May 25 incident, which was caught on film, was one of several viral episodes that helped catalyze massive Black Lives Matter protests against the police killings of Black people in the U.S.
President Trump criticized possible moves by the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians to change their team names as "politically correct," writing in a tweet Monday that the teams are named "out of STRENGTH, not weakness."
Why it matters: Trump is continuing to dig in on the culture wars in an effort to appeal to his mostly white base, despite an overwhelming number of polls that indicate he will lose to Joe Biden in November if he doesn't appeal to a wider swath of voters.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a press briefing Monday that President Trump "was not making a judgment one way or the other" about NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate flag and that his attack on Bubba Wallace was an attempt to stand up for NASCAR fans who are unfairly painted as racist.
The state of play: McEnany was repeatedly grilled by reporters over the president's inflammatory tweet, in which he demanded that NASCAR's only Black driver apologize after the FBI determined that he was not a target of a hate crime and claimed that ratings had dropped after the sport banned the Confederate flag at its events.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday pushed back on President Trump's tweet suggesting NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace should apologize after the FBI determined last month that he was not a target of a hate crime when a noose was found in his garage stall before a race.
What he's saying: "You saw the best in NASCAR. When there was a chance that it was a threat against Bubba Wallace, [the drivers] all rallied to Bubba's side," Graham said on Fox News host Brian Kilmeade's radio show, per Mediaite.
Simon & Schuster announced Monday that it will publish a tell-all book written by President Trump's niece Mary on July 14 — two weeks earlier than previously planned — due to "high demand and extraordinary interest."
Why it matters: The current No. 1 book on Amazon's best-seller list — titled, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man" — is expected to shed light on intimate details of the president's family life from the perspective of Mary Trump, who has a doctorate in psychology.
The Treasury Department and Small Business Administration disclosed Monday the names of over 600,000 small businesses that received Public Paycheck Protection loans, as part of the pandemic stimulus program.
Why it matters: This data should help Congress and others analyze the effectiveness of PPP, which so far has disbursed over $500 billion, as debate begins on a new federal stimulus package.
A federal judge ordered Monday the shutdown of the Dakota Access Pipeline — a project at the heart of battles over oil-and-gas infrastructure — while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts a new environmental analysis.
Why it matters: The latest twist in the years-long fight over the pipeline is a defeat for the White House agenda of advancing fossil fuel projects and a win for Native Americans and environmentalists who oppose the project
There is an 89-point difference between the rate at which Republicans and Democrats approve of President Trump, the largest gap in Gallup's history, according to a poll out Monday.
By the numbers: 38% of all Americans approve of the job Trump is doing, the poll indicates. That number is 91% for Republicans and only 2% for Democrats. The difference surpasses the previous record of 87%, which was recorded in late January and early February polls around the time of the Senate impeachment trial.
The main trade groups representing hospitals, nurses and doctors issued a public letter today that urges "the American public to take the simple steps we know will help stop the spread of the virus: wearing a face mask, maintaining physical distancing, and washing hands."
The bottom line: Coronavirus cases are rising almost everywhere across the country, and the medical community now is begging the public to take preventive measures to avoid overwhelmed hospitals and higher death counts.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday that states can penalize faithless electors, the members of the Electoral College who do not support the winner of their state's popular vote in a presidential election.
Why it matters: The 2016 presidential election saw 10 electors vote for someone other than their state's chosen candidate — highlighting how faithless electors could have the potential to swing an election.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told "Fox & Friends" Monday that there are facts and statistics — without citing any — to back up President Trump's claim that 99% of coronavirus cases are "totally harmless."
The big picture: Nearly 130,000 Americans have died from the virus, and FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn declined to provide evidence to support Trump's claim over the weekend.
President Trump demanded Monday an apology from Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's only Black driver, after the FBI determined last month that he was not a target of a hate crime when a noose was found in his garage stall before a race.
Why it matters: The president's focus on kicking off a culture war is set to be a cornerstone of his 2020 campaign, often hinging on his opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement. As Axios' Jonathan Swan told the "Axios Today" podcast, "The ugly reality of this election is that, in some instances, it's going to look like a race war."
The Biden campaign is launching a new initiative today that will draft Hollywood celebrities for Instagram Live chats with campaign officials and other Biden supporters.
Why it matters: The campaign, called #TeamJoeTalks, is an attempt to open up a new front on social media, drawing on celebrities’ Instagram followers to help find and motivate voters while large parts of the country remain locked down.
In recent weeks, President Trump's rhetoric has become increasingly dark and reminiscent of his "American carnage" inauguration speech. The upcoming election has put a focus on his claims of a "left-wing culture war," the same language that Fox News host Tucker Carlson uses in his monologues.
If you want to understand the rhetorical roots of Trump's Independence Day speech at Mount Rushmore, go back and watch Tucker Carlson's monologues for the past six weeks.
Between the lines: Trump — or rather his speechwriter Stephen Miller — framed the president's opposition to the Black Lives Matter protest movement using the same imagery Carlson has been laying out night after night on Fox.
