Pence testifies:Â Former Vice President Mike Pence has honored a subpoena his lawyers and lawyers for Donald Trump tried to block and testified before Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal grand jury investigating the efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election and keep Trump in power. Pence spent approximately seven hours in the federal courthouse where the grand jury was meeting. Pence had stated publicly that if he did wind up testifying he would tell the truth.
First Republic Bank:Â The news agency Reuters reports that federal banking regulators have organized a series of urgent meetings to try to save First Republic Bank. Reuters reports that the feds are trying to line up other banks and private equity companies to provide a lifeline of financing to keep First Republic from failing.
California landslide:Â A landslide in San Clemente, California, has shut down railroad service along a section of the Pacific Coast, forced the evacuation of some homes and resulted in the closing of a cultural center. The landslide is an outgrowth of torrential rains that have hit California this spring.
Helicopter midair:Â Three soldiers have been killed in the midair collision and crash of two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters near Healy, Alaska. The helicopters were assigned to the 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright, which is near Fairbanks. Last month, nine people were killed when two Army helicopters collided midair near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Russian missiles:Â Russia attacked civilian targets in Ukraine this morning with about 20 Cruise missiles and a number of drones. Two of the missiles hit an apartment building in the city of Uman in the central part of the country. The exact number of people killed and wounded was not immediately established but reports indicated there were about twenty to thirty casualties.
Oil company profits:Â ExxonMobil this morning announced first quarter 2023 profits of $11.4 billion on first quarter revenues of $86.5 billion. Chevron Oil this morning reported a $6.5 billion profit for the first quarter of 2023 on $50.8 billion in revenues.
