Heat wave: An estimated 150 million people are expected to be affected by the heat wave that is building into the Midwest and East Coast. Temperature records are expected to be set in more than 200 cities from the Ohio Valley through the Northeast. At the same time, the town of Kirk, Oregon, recorded a temperature of only 19 degrees yesterday. Rio Grand Village, Texas, yesterday was the hottest place in the U.S. at 114 degrees.
Steve Bannon: CNN reports that when former Trump White House aide Steve Bannon goes to federal prison he will go to a prison with bars, not to a so-called Club Fed minimum security facility that some have described as having a country-club atmosphere. Bannon is under a judge’s order to report to prison by July 1. He was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress. Bannon was not eligible to serve his time in a minimum security facility because he has another case pending against him alleging he defrauded people of millions of dollars.
Boeing whistleblower: A Senate subcommittee has revealed testimony from a Boeing employee who has become a whistleblower that Boeing hid from the FAA the fact that broken or improperly manufactured parts had been installed on Boeing 737 MAX airliners. The whistleblower, identified as Sam Mohawk, had given testimony to subcommittee investigators. Boeing said it received the information from the subcommittee yesterday and has launched its own investigation.
Secret Service agent: The Secret Service confirms that one of its agents was involved in a hold-up while in Tustin, California, over the weekend. The agent was off-duty on Saturday night while President Biden was attending a fundraising event. A gunman held up the agent and stole a piece of luggage. The Secret Service agent subsequently fired his weapon as the gunman and at least one accomplice were escaping. Police are looking for a silver color Infiniti vehicle.
North Korea visit: Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a two-day visit to North Korea. Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jung Un were scheduled to hold extensive talks covering continued North Korean aid to Russia in its war with Ukraine and expanding trade between the two countries. Increasing tourism also is expected to be discussed. Banners welcoming Putin were in place along the streets of North Korea’s capital.
Immigration: President Biden is announcing that the Department of Homeland Security will take action to ensure that U.S. citizens with noncitizen spouses and children can keep their families together. This new process will help certain noncitizen spouses and children apply for lawful permanent residence, status for which they are already eligible. In order to be eligible, noncitizens must have resided in the U. S. for 10 or more years and be legally married to a U.S. citizen, while satisfying all applicable legal requirements. The White House says the action will protect approximately 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens, and approximately 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen.
