Primaries: While the Democratic primary in the New York 16th Congressional District in which Westchester County Executive George Latimer defeated Congressman Jamaal Bowman has shaken up progressives in the party, other primaries in the U.S. also made news. Utah Congressman John Curtis beat a candidate backed by Donald Trump to win the chance to run on the Republican line for the Senate seat now held by Mitt Romney. Far-right Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert won a primary for the Colorado 4th District House seat. Conservative commentator Jeff Crank defeated a candidate backed by Trump, Dave Williams, to win the Republican primary for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.
Pier: CNN reported this morning that an estimated 6,000 pallets of aid supplies remain stacked up at the floating pier that was built by the U.S. military so that aid for Gaza civilians can be brought in by sea. CNN reported that the U.S. military said it is moving about 800 pallets a day into Gaza but that is not enough to turn around the desperate situation facing civilians. The Pentagon has denied it is planning to shut down the pier, according to CNN. Â
Trial begins: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich went on trial today in Moscow on espionage charges. Gershkovich has been held in jail by then Russians for about 15 months. Observers were kicked out of the courtroom before the trial started behind closed doors. Both the Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government deny that the reporter was a spy.
Whirlpool: The news agency Reuters reported today that the German company Bosch is trying to decide whether to make an offer to buy U.S. appliance manufacturer Whirlpool. Whirlpool has a current market value of about $4.8 billion. Neither Whirlpool nor Bosch would comment on the report. Reuters said that Bosch has been facing increasing competition from Asian manufacturers and a purchase of Whirlpool would help its competitive position.
Proclamation: President Biden today issued a proclamation pardoning former members of the military who were convicted of crimes because of personal sexual choices. The proclamation said, in part: “Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Many of these patriotic Americans were subject to a court-martial. While my Administration has taken meaningful action to remedy these problems, the impact of that historical injustice remains.” The proclamation throws out those court martial convictions.
Spaceship: The two astronauts who rode to the International Space Station on board Boeing’s Starliner space vehicle may not be able to return to the Earth until about July 20. They originally were expected to remain at the space station only for a week. Problems with the spacecraft have forced several delays in the return mission. The problems have included helium leaks and issues with the vehicle’s thrusters.
