QUICK HITS

1 Capitol architect fired: President Joe Biden has fired the embattled Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, following a scathing inspector general report. The White House said Monday that Blanton’s appointment was terminated. It comes as House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy said Monday he’d lost confidence in Blanton’s ability to do the job. The report found “administrative, ethical and policy violations” by Blanton, a Trump-era appointee.

2 Jetliner dive investigated: Federal investigators are seeking more information about an incident in which a United Airlines plane dropped to within about 800 feet of the ocean surface after taking off from Hawaii. United says the pilots are getting additional training. The Boeing 777 dropped more than 1,400 feet before climbing again, according to data from tracking service Flightradar24. The plane then continued to San Francisco. No injuries were reported.

3 Hip-hop artist dies: David Jude Jolicoeur, known widely as Trugoy the Dove and one of the founding members of the Long Island hip hop trio De La Soul, has died. He was 54. Jolicoeur had said he was battling congestive heart failure. De La Soul was part of the hip-hop tribute at the Grammy Awards last week, but Trugoy was not onstage with his bandmates.

4 Chinese accused of laser attack: The Philippines has accused a Chinese coast guard ship of hitting a Philippine coast guard vessel with a military-grade laser and temporarily blinding some of its crew in the disputed South China Sea. According to the Philippines, the Chinese ship also maneuvered dangerously close to block the Philippine patrol vessel.

5 Talks resume: Colombia’s government and its largest remaining rebel group met in Mexico City on Monday to resume peace talks aimed at resolving a conflict dating back to the 1960s.