Monday, June 27
- President
Joe Biden signed a national security memorandum to fight illegal fishing
as part of the United StatesÕ efforts in an international effort to crack
down on fishing violations. The memo directs the Defense Department, Labor
Department and Coast Guard to work towards Òending human trafficking,
including forced labor É while promoting safe, sustainable use of the
ocean.Ó An official claimed China was one of the largest fishing
violators.
- The
Supreme CourtÕs conservative majority ruled in favor of a public high
school football coach who sought to kneel and pray on the field after
games. The justices said the coachÕs prayer was protected by the First
Amendment. ÒThe Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual
respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and
nonreligious views alike,Ó Justice Neil Gorsuch
said.
Tuesday, June 28
- The
House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the
Capitol held its fourth hearing. It leaned heavily on the testimony of
Cassidy Hutchinson, aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark
Meadows, who gave a firsthand account of former President Donald TrumpÕs
behavior on, leading up to, and after Jan. 6, 2021. HutchinsonÕs testimony
was not announced in advance. Among other revelations, she claimed Trump
asked that the magnetic weapons detectors to be removed from the building;
that Trump wanted to join his supporters at the Capitol; and that Trump
was hesitant to call on his supporters to end the riot.
- Biden
responded to an incident in San Antonio, Texas, that resulted in the
deaths of at least 51 migrants trapped inside an abandoned tractor-trailer
in sweltering heat, one of the deadliest migration incidents along the
U.S.-Mexico border in recent history. Biden said it was Òhorrifying and
heartbreakingÓ and that ÒExploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is
shameful,Ó then vowed to crack down on migrant smuggling operations.
- U.S.
Central Command said it carried out a raid in Syria that targeted and
killed Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of
an al-Qaeda-aligned group called Hurras al-Din.
Wednesday, June 29
- Biden
announced that the U.S. will deploy military reinforcements across Europe
to counter RussiaÕs invasion of Ukraine. The announcement came as part of
a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid, Spain,
at the opening of the allianceÕs annual leadership summit.
- The
Supreme Court ruled 4-5 that Oklahoma can prosecute non-Native Americans
for crimes committed on tribal land when the victim is Native American.
The decision backtracks its 2020 ruling that a large chunk of eastern
Oklahoma remains under Native sovereignty.
Thursday, June 30
- The
Supreme CourtÕs conservative majority ruled that that the Clean Air Act
does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to
regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to
global warming, thus limiting federal power to control carbon dioxide
emissions.
- The
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Biden administration properly ended
TrumpÕs ÒRemain in MexicoÓ policy, which forced some asylum seekers to
wait in Mexico for their immigration hearings.
- Supreme
Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in
to start her lifetime appointment as the first Black woman on the
countryÕs top court. She replaced retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Friday, July 1
- The
Pentagon pledged to Ukraine a weapons package costing about $820 million
and comprised of two surface-to-air missile systems, four
counter-artillery radars, and about 150,000 rounds of artillery ammunition
to assist the fight against Russia.
Saturday, July 2
Sunday, July 3
- Rep.
Zoe Lofgren (D-Cali.) said on NBCÕs ÒMeet The PressÓ that she is not
surprised HutchinsonÕs Jan. 6 testimony has come under attack from Trump
and his allies. ÒWe always expected Trump world to try and discredit her,
and they are not disappointing us in that regard,Ó Lofgren said. ÒI
thought her testimony was credible. She has nothing to gain by stepping
forward and telling the truth. And Trump world has everything to lose by
the truth. So they are doing their best to try and attack her, to
discredit her.Ó