Wednesday, June 5, 2024

6/5 WAKE-UP CALL: Garland Stonewalls Committee Hearing


Attorney General Merrick Garland’s hearing before the House Judiciary Committee devolved into a partisan brawl. Republicans accused him of conspiring to go after Donald Trump with local prosecutors over whom he has no control, and Democrats accused Republicans of squandering their oversight authority to boost Trump’s campaign. The GOP seeks to hold Garland in contempt for refusing to hand over audio of President Biden’s interview with a special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents while out of office. Garland released a transcript, but said sharing the audio would chill witness cooperation in future investigations. At Garland’s request, Biden asserted executive privilege over the records.

➤TESTIMONY BEGINS IN HUNTER BIDEN GUN TRIAL: Lawyers on both sides of Hunter Biden’s gun-charges case gave opening statements. President Biden’s son is accused of lying on a federal form about his drug use when he bought a gun six years ago. 

Testimony from the junior Biden’s ex-wife and his brother Beau Biden’s widow, with whom Hunter had a romantic relationship after Beau’s death, is expected to spotlight family dynamics. The federal prosecutor emphasized that no one is above the law. The defense lawyer told the jury that evidence would show Hunter Biden had recently finished rehab and wasn’t using drugs at the time of the gun purchase or in the weeks before.

➤HUNTER'S WIFE UNHINGED: Hunter Biden’s wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, got into a heated confrontation with a former Trump White House aide during a brief recess at her husband’s trial on federal gun charges, according to an NBC News report. In the hallway of the J Caleb Boggs Federal Building on Tuesday, Melissa allegedly confronted Garrett Ziegler – who Biden is currently suing for his alleged role in publishing emails and photos from Biden’s laptop. Upon seeing Ziegler, Melissa approached him and pointed her finger in his face, loudly saying, “You have no right to be here you Nazi piece of s****.”  Ziegler apparently did not respond before Melissa walked away.

➤HAMAS DEMANDS ISRAEL COMMITMENT TO WITHDRAW FROM GAZA: Hamas cannot agree to any deal unless Israel makes a "clear" commitment to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a senior official from the Palestinian militant group said on Tuesday.

Qatar, which alongside the United States and Egypt has been mediating talks between Hamas and Israel, has also urged Israel to provide a clear position that has the backing of its entire government to reach a deal."We cannot agree to an agreement that doesn't secure, guarantee, and ensure a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and completing a real serious swap deal accordingly," Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told a televised press conference.

A three-phase proposal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday involved in its first phase a six-week ceasefire when Israeli forces would withdraw from "all populated areas" of Gaza and some hostages - including the elderly and women - would be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.


➤GOP LAWMAKERS SEEK SANCTIONS ON ICC: The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court over its prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli officials related to the war in Gaza. The vote was 247 to 155, with 42 Democrats joining Republicans in backing the measure. The measure is not expected to become law, but reflects continuing support for Israel in Congress amid international criticism over the Middle East country's campaign in the Gaza Strip. The White House last month criticized the ICC's decision to seek the warrants. The bill is not expected to be brought up for a vote in the Senate, which is narrowly controlled by Biden's fellow Democrats. The legislation, opens new tab would impose sanctions on people involved in ICC prosecutions of Americans or citizens of U.S. allies that are not ICC members, including Israel.

➤REPORT..BIDEN FADING:  According to the Wall Street Journal, President Biden, who is 81 years old, has faced scrutiny regarding his age and cognitive fitness. While the White House insists that he remains sharp and vigorous, some insiders have observed moments where he appears slower. Previously known for his negotiation skills, Biden’s reputation has diminished in recent times, especially with Republicans in control of the House.

➤BIDEN'S MIGRANT CRISIS: President Joe Biden said Republicans left him “no choice” but to act alone to head off a surge in border crossings this summer, his most significant action to address the migrant crisis that has threatened his reelection hopes.Biden assailed Donald Trump, his general-election opponent, for sinking a bipartisan immigration deal, calling it “an extremely cynical political move.” And he cast his actions as necessary to bring “order” to a US asylum process straining under a record influx of migrants. “Frankly, I would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation,” Biden said. 

The president also urged Democratic allies critical of his asylum crackdown to be patient, saying he would speak “in the weeks ahead” about how to make the immigration system “more fair and more just.”

➤TRUMPS AIDES CHARGED IN SCHEME:  Wisconsin's attorney general has filed felony forgery charges against an aide and two attorneys who worked for former President Donald Trump in 2020 for their part in a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election by submitting false slates of electors. The charges are the first to be filed by state prosecutors against anyone involved in the scheme. Charges were filed against: Kenneth Chesebro, a Wisconsin native and lead architect of the fake elector plan; former Dane County Judge Jim Troupis, who represented Trump in Wisconsin during the 2020 election; and Mike Roman, a former Trump aide.


⚾PHILLIES 2 BREWERS 1: Nick Castellanos hit a walk-off double to right field in the 10th inning as the host Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Tuesday. With pinch runner Whit Merrifield on second base to open the bottom of the 10th, the Brewers' Joel Payamps (1-2) intentionally walked Bryson Stott before Castellanos hit a first-pitch sinker for the winning hit. Alec Bohm hit a solo home run and Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber each drew two walks for the Phillies, who have won the first two games in the three-game series. Philadelphia has five wins in the past six contests.

⚾MLB SCORES: 

  • Yankees 5 Twins 1
  • Phillies 2 Brewers 1
  • Rays 9 Marlins 5
  • Mariners 4 Athletics 3
  • D-Backs 8 Giants 5
  • Angels 4 Padres 2
  • Reds 4 Rockies 1
  • Astros 8 Cardinals 5
  • Tigers 3 Rangers 1
  • Cubs 7 White Sox 6
  • Braves 8 Red Sox 3
  • Orioles 10 Blue Jays 1
  • Mets 6 Nationals 3
  • Guardians 8 Royals 5
  • Pirates 1 Dodgers 0
➤MLB ISSUES LIFETIME BAN: MLB suspended five players Tuesday for betting on baseball, including a lifetime ban on Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano, with each in the group wagering on major league games in blatant violation of league rules. The penalties closely follow a similar lifetime suspension levied by the NBA on Raptors center Jontay Porter, and federal bank and tax fraud charges on Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani—with both of those incidents also happening just in the last two months. The latest cases continue to show the uneasy relationship between the growth of legal sports betting and leagues working to maintain competitive integrity.


➤WEDNESDAY'S WEATHER:



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