Good morning
Police in the Brazilian Amazon have found two bodies while searching for British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous activist Bruno Pereira.
Regional Police Chief Eduardo Fontes said one of the two men arrested in connection with the couple’s disappearance confessed to killing them and led officers to the gravesite.
The announcement appeared to bring a tragic conclusion to the 10-day search into the couple’s disappearance on June 5. The couple’s disappearance has underscored the growing dangers defenders of Brazil’s environment and indigenous communities face under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
The third panel hearing will show Trump pressuring Pence to overturn the election
Donald Trump pressured Mike Pence in 2020 to accept a certified voter rejection program to win the election Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol will focus its third hearing on how Donald Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to confirm Joe Biden’s election victory.
The panel will examine the origins of Trump’s pressure campaign on Pence and outline how Pence rejected the former president’s plan. Despite being told outright that the scheme was unlawful, Trump ignored his top White House advisers to pursue the modus operandi, it is argued.
The committee will show how Trump’s false public statements about Pence having the power to refuse to count votes for Biden put his life at risk as the mob chanted “hang Mike Pence.”
-
What does that mean so-called pence strategy mean for Trump? His involvement makes him liable for the crimes of obstructing an official process and conspiring to defraud the United States, the panel argues.
Two US volunteers in Ukraine feared capture by Russia
Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, are US military veterans living in Alabama who have volunteered to go to Ukraine to help with the war effort. Both are missing. Composed: Reuters/Associated Press
Two American volunteers in Ukraine have disappeared and are believed to have been captured by Russia, officials and family members said.
Both Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, are US military veterans from Alabama who traveled to Ukraine to support Ukraine’s war effort. The couple has not been heard from for days.
White House spokesman John Kirby said he could not confirm the disappearance of the two Americans, but said, “If it’s true, we will do everything we can to get them home safely.” to travel to Ukraine.
-
What does this mean for the US? If confirmed, the two would be the first Americans known to have been captured. It would complicate efforts in the war as the US tries to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
-
It comes after two Britons and a Moroccan have been sentenced to death by pro-Russian officials in eastern Ukraine. Britain has condemned the verdict as a show trial.
-
The heads of state and government of the EU’s three largest nations, Germany, France and Italy, will visit Kyiv on Thursday in a demonstration of support for Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to urge the leadership to supply Ukraine with more weapons.
In other news…
John Hinckley, pictured in 2003, was 25 when he attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981. He was released from court oversight on Wednesday. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
-
John Hinckley, who shot and wounded former President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was freed from court oversight. He has been living in the Virginia community since 2016 after spending decades in a Washington psychiatric hospital after being acquitted of attempting to kill Reagan for insanity.
-
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said she has not been able to speak to detained Uyghurs or their families. and was accompanied by government officials during her visit to Xinjiang. Activists and some Western governments called it a propaganda coup for Beijing.
-
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers have argued that she should be sentenced to “well under” 20 years in prison recommended by the parole board in their sex trafficking case. They claimed an inmate threatened her life and claimed another 20 years in prison “would be worth the money she would receive for the murder of Ms Maxwell”.
-
Joe Biden has signed an executive order aimed at stopping discrimination against transgender youth and ending federal funding for so-called conversion therapy for transgender youth. It comes amid a series of anti-LGBTQI+ laws introduced in state legislatures over the past year.
Stat of the day: The US will save 7.4 million lives worldwide if it reaches net zero by 2050
Ten US states could save 3.7 million lives worldwide by reducing their emissions to net zero. Photo: Iuliia Bondar/Getty Images
A total of 7.4 million lives will be saved worldwide this century, according to a landmark analysis, if the US achieves net-zero emissions by 2050. Research from the Climate Impact Lab found that just 10 states could save 3.7 million lives by reaching net zero, largely due to their high fossil fuel consumption. Texas alone could save 1.1 million lives.
Don’t miss this: “I Was Willing to Risk Death”: Five Women With Abortions Before Roe
Trudy Hale, Sarah Thompson, Frans Moreland Johns, Barbara Lee, and Carol Deanow Composite: Photos provided
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade this summer, as expected, those living in about 20 states in the South and Midwest will lose abortion rights. Five women from the United States share their experiences with abortion in the pre-Roe v Wade era. “Often people talk about abortion as the end,” says Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights executive director Kelli Wescott McCannell. “The women in our program have lived for decades since their abortions, which shows what this abortion made possible for them.”
Last Thing: Can You Scare Yourself Happily?
Daniel Lavelle explores an abandoned mill at night. Photo: Joel Goodman/The Guardian
Fear is said to be just as conducive to mental well-being as practicing mindfulness. So, of course, writer Daniel Lavelle tries to pack as much horror into a few weeks as possible. So he rates a range of thrills, from roller coasters to midnight in the woods.
Register
Sign up for the morning US briefing
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you are not already registered, subscribe now.
Get in touch
If you have questions or comments about any of our newsletters, please email [email protected]
Comments are closed.