5 things to know for June 29: January 6, Primaries, Roe v. Wade, Monkeypox, Bangladesh
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1. 6 January
The House committee investigating the Capitol Hill uprising on January 6, 2021, gathered on Tuesday for a hastily scheduled hearing that included shocking testimonies from Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. She revealed how then-President Donald Trump and his inner circle were warned of the risk of violence on January 6, and how Trump wanted to join his supporters during the riot. It was previously known that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol, but Hutchinson’s testimony stated for the first time that people around Trump had prior knowledge of this plan. According to her testimony, Trump was so angry at his Secret Service detail for blocking him from going to the Capitol that he threw himself on a presidential vehicle and tried to turn the steering wheel. After the testimony, a Secret Service official who was familiar with the matter told CNN that Tony Ornato, then White House Deputy Chief of Staff, denies that he told Hutchinson that the former president had grabbed the steering wheel or an agent on his detail.
2. Primary
Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Utah held primary elections on Tuesday for several closely watched races. In Colorado, Republicans rejected three election deniers running for government office. Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who pleaded not guilty after being charged with 10 counts related to allegations of tampering with voting machines, lost the GOP nomination to Secretary of State. On the other hand, the democratically inclined state of Illinois embraced Trump’s candidates. Darren Bailey, a conservative state senator backed by Trump, won the gubernatorial primary. In a debate, Bailey called Chicago a “criminal, corrupt, dysfunctional hell,” even though he is trying to become governor of the state where Chicago is the economic center. And in Mississippi, Republican House member Steven Palazzo, who was involved in an ethics investigation, lost his seat in a primary round.
3. Roe v. Wade
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at a news conference on Tuesday pledged to protect access to reproductive health care, including considering measures to increase access to medical abortion. This move comes after the Supreme Court on Friday released a decision that annulled Roe v. Wade. Becerra called the decision “contemptuous” and said it “unknowingly endangered the lives and health of millions of our fellow Americans.” Meanwhile, some companies, including Amazon and some major pharmacy chains, began restricting the purchase of emergency contraceptive pills this week, including Plan B, after seeing a sharp increase in sales, company representatives confirmed to CNN.
4. Apkoppor
The CDC has activated a new Emergency Operations Center for monkeypox, an extremely rare disease that is currently spreading around the world. The Biden administration also announced its intention to strengthen its response to monkey pox, with detailed plans to offer more vaccines and tests to the most vulnerable. The latest data shows at least 244 probable or confirmed cases of monkey pox in the United States. Experts say it spreads through close and prolonged contact with an infected individual. Early data suggest that gay and bisexual men make up a large number of cases, but the current risk of exposure is not exclusive to these communities, the CDC said. The first symptoms of monkey pox are usually flu-like. Then comes a widespread rash on various parts of the body with painful, raised smallpox.
5. Bangladesh
More than 7 million people in Bangladesh are in desperate need of protection and relief after what a relief organization has described as the worst flood to hit South Asia in human memory. Hundreds of thousands of homes near the border between Bangladesh and India are under water, and in the worst-affected areas, entire neighborhoods have been submerged, aid organizations said on Tuesday. At least 207 people in both countries have died since the floods began in April, according to official figures. Heavy rains have caused rivers in Bangladesh – a densely populated delta nation – to flood and lower areas bordering the Indian state of Meghalaya, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
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For so many years, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to serve time in federal prison on Tuesday for carrying out a year-long plan with her longtime confidant, the late Jeffrey Epstein, to groom and sexually exploit underage girls. Maxwell, Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, spoke in court with the victims, but stopped taking responsibility. “I’m sorry for the pain you’ve experienced,” Maxwell said. “I hope my conviction … brings you to an end.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.”
– NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and says that he is “confident” that Finland and Sweden will be able to join NATO quickly. This comes after Turkey agreed to support the two countries’ membership offers, removing a major obstacle they faced in joining the Security Alliance. Allied leaders are expected to meet today to decide on Finland’s and Sweden’s applications, he said.
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