The Full Belmonte, 6/10/2022
House Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney during the opening of the hearing on the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
“The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol held its first prime-time hearing Thursday, detailing the findings of the panel's investigation and playing new disturbing video of the riot. The panel showed some never-before-seen material, including bird's-eye view footage from security cameras that showed the enormous pro-Trump mob as it started swarming the Capitol grounds. The footage also showed how the crowd took its cues directly from Trump, with one rioter reading a Trump tweet over a megaphone for the other rioters to hear. In addition to other closed-door depositions of members of Trump’s team, the committee also revealed testimony from Trump White House officials who said the former President did not want the attack to stop, angrily resisted his own advisers who were urging him to call off the rioters, and thought his own vice president ‘deserved’ to be hanged as the violent crowd chanted ‘Hang Mike Pence.’” Read more at CNN
“The congressional Jan. 6 committee held its first prime-time hearingThursday night about the attack on the Capitol and the events leading up to it. Here are six takeaways from the first of June’s hearing, after nearly a year of investigation.” Read more at Washington Post
“A team of scientists responsible for determining the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic released its first report Thursday, saying that all hypotheses remain on the table -- including a possible laboratory incident. The 27-member advisory group convened by the World Health Organization said available data suggests the virus jumped from animals to humans, but there are still gaps in ‘key pieces of data.’ The most closely genetically related viruses were found in bats in China and Laos, according to the report, but a ‘spill-over event to humans’ has not been identified. The preliminary report also said that it is important to evaluate the possibility that Covid-19 was introduced into the human population through a laboratory incident because lab leaks have happened in the past. And since there is no new data available, the group said the lab-leak theory cannot be ruled out.” Read more at CNN
“As Ukraine tries to hold on to key frontline cities, Russia is struggling to provide basic public services to civilian populations in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, according to a British intelligence report published today. The report claims that access to drinking water, internet connectivity and phone services remain inconsistent, while the Ukrainian city of Kherson ‘likely faces a critical shortage of medicines’ and Mariupol runs the risk of a cholera outbreak. Last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that many occupied areas remained without electricity, water or sewage services. The report also comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin compared himself favorably to Peter the Great, a Russian monarch from the late 17th century, using the likening to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine.” Read more at CNN
Phil Mickelson plays from the pine needles on the 3rd hole.Adrian Dennis, AFP via Getty Images
“About 30 minutes after LIV Golf teed off in its first event in London, the PGA Tour announced seventeen golfers participating in LIV's event would be suspended for an unspecified period. Anyone who chooses to participate in future LIV events will also be suspended. The LIV Golf tour was formed in 2020, backed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, a nation accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses. The PGA tour said players made their choice to participate in the Saudi-backed league for ‘financial-based reasons. ‘LIV Golf Series responded Thursday with a statement saying the suspensions were ‘vindictive’ and that it ‘deepens the divide between the Tour and its members.’” Read more at USA Today
“Ryan Kelley, a Republican running for governor in Michigan who was at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, was arrested at his home in Allendale, Mich., on Thursday morning, according to Mara R. Schneider, a special agent with the F.B.I.
Mr. Kelley is the first person running for election in a major state or federal race to be charged in connection with the attack. According to a criminal complaint, Mr. Kelley was charged with committing violence against a person or property on restricted grounds, damaging federal property, disorderly conduct and entering a restricted building or grounds without permission. All four charges are misdemeanors, according to Bill Miller, a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office in the District of Columbia.” Read more at New York Times
“AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas school police chief criticized for his actions during one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history said in his first extensive comments, published Thursday, that he did not consider himself the person in charge as the massacre unfolded and assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response.
Pete Arredondo, the police chief of the Uvalde school district, also told the Texas Tribune that he intentionally left behind both his police and campus radios before entering Robb Elementary School. An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers behind a locked classroom door that the chief said was reinforced with a steel jamb and could not be kicked in.
Poor radio communications is among the concerns raised about how police handled the May 24 shooting and why they didn’t confront the gunman for more than an hour, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go in.” Read more at AP News
“The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for Pennsylvania to count mail-in primary ballots received by the Election Day deadline but lacked a state-required handwritten date on the return envelope.
There are relatively few “undated” ballots, though they could make a difference in tight races. But the sense of urgency surrounding the Supreme Court’s action diminished last week, when Republican Senate candidate David McCormick conceded to rival Mehmet Oz. McCormick, who trailed Oz by less than 1,000 votes, sued to have the votes counted, and Pennsylvania’s commonwealth court agreed.
But there were not enough of the ballots to make a difference, McCormick decided. Oz will face Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) in the general election, a crucial race for both parties hoping to win control of the Senate in November.” Read more at Washington Post
A Washington County Sheriff's Office deputy talks to bystanders following a shooting at Columbia Smithsburg manufacturing Thursday, June 9, 2022 in Smithsburg, Maryland.Colleen McGrath, AP
“A 23-year-old man shot four coworkers -- three fatally -- at a manufacturing plant in western Maryland Thursday before fleeing the scene and exchanging gunfire with state police, authorities said. A trooper and the suspect were wounded and hospitalized, according to Lt. Col. Bill Dofflemyer of the Maryland State Police. Investigators have not yet established a motive for the shooting. The incident is the 254th mass shooting this year, as the country is on pace to match or surpass last year's total, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Separately, a man was shot and killed by a police officer outside of an Alabama elementary school Thursday after an altercation with a school resource officer, Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton said during a news conference. At least 34 students were inside Walnut Park Elementary School when the man tried to get inside, Gadsden City School Superintendent Tony Reddick told CNN.” Read more at CNN
“A prosecutor has charged a Grand Rapids police officer with second-degree murder for shooting Patrick Lyoya in the back of his head during a traffic stop.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Peter Nickeas and Ray Sanchez
“Two Britons and a Moroccan were sentenced to death by firing squad Thursday by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine's side. Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim have a month to appeal. The Supreme Court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic found the men guilty of working toward a violent overthrow of power, an offense punishable by death in the republic recognized only by Russia – and only days before the invasion in February. They men were also convicted of mercenary activities and terrorism. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called the decision a ‘sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy.’” Read more at USA Today
“India is facing a firestorm after some of the country's ruling party officials made derogatory comments about Islam. The United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Oman, and Iraq are among at least 15 Muslim-majority nations to have condemned the remarks made by India’s ruling party spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, which were described as ‘Islamophobic,’ with several countries summoning India's ambassadors. The incident sparked protests in neighboring Pakistan and prompted calls from around the region to boycott Indian goods. Sharma, who is now suspended, later withdrew her remarks and said it was never her intention to ‘hurt anyone's religious feelings.’” Read more at CNN
“The median listed rent for an available apartment in the U.S. rose above $2,000 a month for the first time ever. Combined with rising mortgage rates, housing in the U.S. is becoming less affordable for everyone at every level.” Read more at NPR
“While a growing number of states are trying to address the mental health crisis among youths, many schools are woefully short of therapists and the budget to hire them. Some have begun to provide another option for students: excused absences for mental health reasons.” Read more at NPR
“Emerging evidence reveals an uptick in developmental delays and challenging behaviors in children belonging to the so-called “COVID generation.” Born during or shortly before the pandemic, many of these children are talking, walking and interacting later and less frequently. They're also more prone to certain behaviors, like outbursts, physical aggression and separation anxiety. It's unclear how much the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic fallout are to blame. But experts note many young children in recent years have had uneven access to health and child care and relatively little exposure to the outside world.” Read more at USA Today
FILE - In this Oct 29, 2013 photo, Sriracha chili sauce is produced at the Huy Fong Foods factory in Irwindale, Calif. Bottles of the popular Sriracha hot sauce could be hard to find on store shelves this summer. Southern California-based Huy Fong Inc., told customers in an email earlier this year that it would suspend sales of its famous spicy sauce over the summer due to a shortage of chili peppers. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
“IRWINDALE, Calif. (AP) — Bottles of the popular Sriracha hot sauce could be hard to find on store shelves this summer.
Southern California-based Huy Fong Inc., told customers in an email earlier this year that it would suspend sales of its famous spicy sauce over the summer due to a shortage of chili peppers.
The company said in its April 19 email that all orders submitted after that date would be fulfilled after Labor Day.” Read more at AP News