Good morning! On August 18, 1920, American women were given the right to vote when Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment, although women in some states and territories had been enfranchised since the 1860s. We weren’t the first country to embrace women’s suffrage, but we weren’t the last — women in Switzerland, for example, won the right to vote in federal elections in 1971; in Liechtenstein they had to wait until 1984.
Stat of the day: $6.51 million — Chris Christie’s legal fees for the Bridgegate scandal, which will be paid by the taxpayers of New Jersey, according to the North Jersey Record.
Ferguson –> Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has called in the National Guard to maintain order after protesters clashed with police again on Sunday night. Multiple people were reportedly shot during the melee. The protesters were defying a curfew imposed on Saturday. Daniel Politi has a roundup at Slate. ALSO: Gabrielle Bluestone reports for Gawker that police threatened to shoot one reporter, and mace MSNBC host Chris Hayes. Two other journalists say they were arrested despite the fact that they were following officers’ orders at the time. ALSO, TOO: The results of a preliminary autopsy on Michael Brown were released over the weekend. Frances Robles and Julie Bosman report for the NYT that Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head. They write: “One of the bullets entered the top of Mr. Brown’s skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when it struck him and caused a fatal injury.” AND: Sunday began with a very different tone, as Captain Ronald Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol delivered a “powerful and heartfelt speech” apologizing to Michael Brown’s family on behalf of the law enforcement community. You can watch it at Salon.
Sometimes turnabout is foul play –> The AP’s Susan Fraser reports that German intelligence “inadvertently” listened in on communications between senior US officials. But their target was Turkey, whose government is outraged at the revelation.
Adios? –> Esther Addley reports that Julian Assange, who has spent two years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London avoiding Swedish rape charges, may soon be leaving. Rumors have swirled that Assange will turn himself into British police, but he denied those reports on Sunday, saying only that he plans to leave soon.
Indicted –> In case you missed it, Texas Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on two counts of abusing the power of his office on Friday. At ThinkProgress, Ian Millhiser says the case may not convince a jury.
Expanded Iraq campaign –> The AP reports, “The US has expanded its air campaign in Iraq with attacks aimed at helping Iraqi forces regain control of the strategic Mosul dam.” Obama notified Congress on Sunday, promising that this new mission would be of a short duration.
Primary makeover –> Olivia Nuzzi reports for The Daily Beast that Sen. Rand Paul is trying to distance himself from his reputation as a foreign policy isolationist. She says he’s not going the full McCain and becoming a war hawk, but trying to stake out a middle ground.
“Concentration camp” –> That’s how Vice’s Alexander Reynolds described Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s jails after going undercover as a convicted drug trafficker.
Fading optimism –> Negotiators in Cairo aren’t optimistic that a long-term agreement ending the conflict in Gaza can be reached before the current ceasefire ends tonight.
Speaking of the Missouri National Guard –> Phillip O’Connor reports for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a Missouri National Guard sergeant “whose full-time state job was serving as part of a state military honor guard that pays last respects at the funerals of Missouri veterans” was removed from the detail after it was revealed that he “is a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who had a portrait of Adolf Hitler in his living room.” Despite losing his place in the honor guard, he remains a National Guardsman.
