U.S. and world news for June 17

Evidence that Proud Boys planned to kill Pence and Pelosi: The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attempted coup revealed yesterday that the FBI has evidence that members of the Proud Boys, the militia-like group that helped lead the invasion of the U.S. Capitol, were planning to kill Vice President Mike Pence had they been able to find him. The FBI has evidence that they also planned to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had they been able to find her. The mob actually got to within 40 feet of Pence although couldn”™t see him. The House committee presented evidence that defeated former President Trump made no attempt to protect Pence or even ask about his safety while inciting the mob against Pence during his rally and later via Twitter. The committee presented evidence from aides of Trump showing that Trump knew it would be illegal to try to overturn the election.

Biden says recession not inevitable: President Biden in an interview with the Associated Press said that an economic recession in the U.S. is not inevitable. He said that Republican claims that his administration”™s efforts to deal with the Covid pandemic are to blame for inflation is what he termed really bizarre and that he inherited a battered economy from Trump.

New hearing for Nasser rejected: The Michigan State Supreme Court this morning rejected a request for a new hearing from Larry Nasser, the sports doctor who worked for Michigan State University and a gymnastics company in Indianapolis. Nasser admitted to sexually assaulting more than 150 gymnasts and other athletes. He was sentenced to decades behind bars and already is serving time in a federal prison in a separate child pornography case.

World Cup coming to Meadowlands: New York has been selected as one of the host cities for the World Cup soccer matches in 2026. Games will be played at the MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Musk sued: Elon Musk, who heads Tesla and SpaceX, has been sued in federal court in Manhattan for $258 billon and is accused of managing a pyramid scheme to support the stock price of a cryptocurrency company called Dogecoin. The suit was fled by an investor, Keith Johnson.

Avenatti pleads guilty: Attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her dealings with Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Santa Ana, California, to wire fraud in a case involving him stealing money from four clients. He also pleaded guilty to obstructing the Internal Revenue Service while it was trying to collect taxes from a company he controlled. He”™s already serving time for stealing $300,000 from Daniels and attempting to extort money from Nike.

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore / Flickr Creative Commons