Monday, June 20
- President
Joe Biden said he would consider a temporary suspension or reduction of
gasoline taxes in the face of rising prices, a move that could save
drivers about $0.184 a gallon.
Tuesday, June 21
- The
Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to allow more public funding of religious
institutions, in favor of two Christian families who challenged a Maine
tuition assistance program that excluded private schools that promote
religion. The decision overturns a lower court ruling that had rejected
the familiesÕ claims of religious discrimination.
- The
Supreme Court rejected a bid from the German pharmaceutical and chemical
manufacturer Bayer to dismiss legal claims by customers who say its weed
killer Roundup causes cancer, as it seeks to avoid potentially billions of
dollars in damages. The justicesÕ decision upholds a lower court decision
supporting $25 million in damages to California resident Edwin Hardeman,
who blamed his cancer on Roundup.
- Reversing
a move by former President Donald Trump, Biden set new rules for the
militaryÕs use of anti-personnel landmines that better align with the 1997
Ottawa Convention, an international treaty prohibiting the use,
stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
- Customs
and Border Protection started to enforce the ÒUyghur Forced Labor
Prevention Act,Ó which bans goods from Xinjiang, a region where China is
alleged to be committing genocide against Uyghurs
and other Muslim minorities.
- The
Senate released an 80-page bill with bipartisan support that includes
measures to tighten background checks on young people buying weapons, more
background checks, and the temporary removal of weapons from those
considered a danger to others or themselves.
- The
House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the
Capitol held its fourth hearing. Testimony revealed that Trump planned to
illegitimately replace electors in states where Biden had won the 2020
election; Rusty Bowers, a top Arizona legislator, said Trump wanted him to
overturn ArizonaÕs election results; Trump explicitly said he was looking
for enough votes to overturn the election result in Georgia; and TrumpÕs
pressure campaign sparked threats against election officials.
Wednesday, June 22
- Federal
Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified before Congress, saying the Fed is
committed to bringing down inflation, which has reached a 40-year high,
and that the economy is strong but faces an ÒuncertainÓ global environment
and could see further inflation.
- The
Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled 6-3 in a case that deemed
unconstitutional a New York state law that required gun owners to show
Òproper causeÓ to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense in public.
Justices determined that the law violates the 14th amendment, which says
no state can Òmake or enforceÓ a law that overrides the Òprivileges or
immunitiesÓ of citizens.
Thursday, June 23
- The
Jan. 6 House committee held its fifth public hearing. This hearing focused
on TrumpÕs attempt to get the Justice Department to Òlegitimize his liesÓ
about electoral fraud, per panel chair Bennie Thompson. The panel
described a handwritten note from former Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue that quoted Trump as saying, ÒJust say the
election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.Ó
It also said Trump contacted the Justice Department daily for updates on
fraud claims and outlined a plot by Trump's team to install former Justice
Department official Jeffrey Clark as acting attorney general to help
overturn the election.
- The
State Department announced that Deborah Lipstadt,
the U.S. envoy to combat antisemitism, will
travel to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to promote the
normalization of relations between Israel and the surrounding Arab
countries.
- The
Food and Drug Administration released a statement on its intention to ban
the sale and distribution of products from Juul,
a prominent e-cigarette company that many blame for widespread teenage vaping. The FDA said the company must stop selling and
distributing its products in the U.S. and remove what is already on the
market.
- The
Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Carlos
Vega, who appealed a lower court decision reviving a lawsuit by a hospital
employee named Terence Tekoh because Vega failed
to read Tekoh his Miranda warnings. The decision
shields Vega and any law enforcement officers facing a similar suit in the
future from having to pay monetary damages for failing to advise suspects
of their rights.
- The
Senate approved a bipartisan package of modest gun safety measures, the
most important of which is tightened background checks for would-be gun
purchasers convicted of domestic violence or significant crimes as
juveniles.
- Twenty-four
senators called on Biden to ensure direct U.S. involvement in the
investigation of the killing of Al Jazeera
journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
by Israeli forces last month.
Friday, June 24
- The
Supreme CourtÕs conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark
ruling that granted the federal right to abortion since 1973. The court
ruled in a Mississippi case that Òthe Constitution does not confer a right
to abortion.Ó This effectively leaves the legality of abortion to each
state. ÒThe authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and
their elected representatives,Ó the ruling reads. The decision received
widespread national and international condemnation, including from the
United Nations.
- Asadullah Haroon Gul, an Afghan prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay for
about 15 years without trial, was released from U.S. custody. Gul was one of the last two Afghan prisoners held at
Guantanamo Bay. He was handed over to the Taliban government as a result
of its talks with U.S. authorities.
Saturday, June 25
- A
group of 34 Senate Democrats sent a letter to Biden urging him to take
Òbold actionÓ on abortion rights and Òuse the full force of the federal
governmentÓ to protect abortion access. ÒThere is no time to waste,Ó the
letter reads, Ònearly half of the states already had laws in place to ban
abortion or severely restrict access as soon as the Supreme Court decision
came down É Those laws will leave millions of Americans without access to
essential reproductive health care.Ó
Sunday, June 26