Opening statements to begin in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial
Opening arguments are set to begin now that the jury is seated in Hunter Biden’s federal gun charges trial in Delaware. And a young attendee on the House floor has social media abuzz. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, June 4.
Opening arguments to begin in Hunter Biden trial
Day two of Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial in Delaware will see opening statements begin. On the first day of trial on Monday, June 3, 12 jurors and four alternates were sworn in.
The 12-member jury consists of six men and six women.
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The president’s son faces three felony charges stemming from allegations he bought and was in possession of a gun while he was on drugs in 2018.
While President Joe Biden was not at the trial on Monday, first lady Jill Biden could be seen sitting directly behind her step-son, along with his half-sister and Hunter’s wife. President Biden did, however, issue a statement on the trial offering support for his son.
The first witness expected to be called after Tuesday’s opening statements is an FBI agent who was responsible for investigating the case.
If convicted on all counts, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.
Biden to sign executive order temporarily limiting border crossings
President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday, June 4, that would temporarily shut down the U.S. southern border with Mexico when illegal crossings between ports exceed 2,500 a day.
With daily border crossings averaging well above that, the executive action could lead to an immediate shutdown of the border. The Department of Homeland Security estimates an average of around 4,000 border encounters every day.
Migrants would not be able to apply for asylum if they cross the border during the shutdown period. The border would only reopen when daily crossings drop down to 1,500 a day.
The White House has invited border city mayors and Democratic lawmakers to accompany the president when he makes the announcement.
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US Attorney General to respond to GOP’s threats of contempt
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is set to appear before a House committee that is threatening to hold him in contempt on Tuesday, June 4.
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have been critical of Garland for not complying to a congressional subpoena to release audio recordings of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur over his handling of classified documents.
“Certain members of this Committee and the Oversight Committee are seeking contempt as a means of obtaining — for no legitimate purpose — sensitive law enforcement information that could harm the integrity of future investigations,” Garland will say, according to prepared remarks released by the Justice Department. “This effort is only the most recent in a long line of attacks on the justice department’s work.”
Garland is also expected to counter Republicans’ claims that former President Donald Trump’s conviction in his New York trial was controlled by the Justice Department, with Garland saying that “conspiracy theory is an attack on the judicial process itself.”
Vote counting underway in India’s election
The results of polls in India will soon be released as vote counting in the world’s biggest election continues.
After six weeks of polls and 642 million votes cast, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking to win a rare third term and continue his decade in power.
Early results were indicating his party is currently on course to win around 300 of India’s 543 parliament seats, though Modi’s opposition is said to be doing better than expected.
Voters heading to polls over the past several weeks had to deal with an extreme heat wave, with temperatures reaching over 120 degrees. The severe weather is being blamed for dozens of deaths in the country, including more than 30 poll workers.
China plants flag on far side of the moon, returning to Earth with samples
China’s lunar spacecraft, Chang’e-6, lifted off from the far side of the moon Tuesday with rock and soil samples. The spacecraft deployed China’s flag on the moon’s surface before entering orbit.
The probe launched in May and landed on the far side of the moon on Sunday, June 2, to collect samples and will return them to Earth later in June.
The country has made significant progress in space exploration, including launching a space station.
The returned samples are expected to provide new insights into the moon’s geology and history. China aims to put a person on the moon by 2030.
Congressman’s 6-year-old son steals show during his father’s speech
When Republican Rep. John Rose, Tenn., took the mic on the House floor on Monday, he did not expect his speech to go viral. But thanks to his 6-year-old son, it did just that.
As the Tennessee lawmaker was delivering his serious speech criticizing last week’s verdict in former President Trump’s trial, cameras captured his young son starting to make not-so-serious faces behind his dad.
After the speech was broadcast live on C-SPAN, the boy’s facial expressions and hand gestures soon turned into countless memes and videos, turning the recent kindergarten graduate into a social media star.
Rose said his son is with him for the week and in a social media post of his own, explained the origins of his son’s behavior saying, “This is what I get for telling my son, Guy, to smile at the camera for his little brother.”
[KARAH RUCKER]
WITH THE JURY IS SEATED — OPENING ARGUMENTS ARE SET TO BEGIN IN HUNTER BIDEN’S FEDERAL GUN TRIAL
AND — WE’LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE YOUNG ATTENDEE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR WHO HAS SOCIAL MEDIA TALKING
THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.
TODAY IS TUESDAY, JUNE 4TH.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
I’M KARAH RUCKER.
DAY TWO OF HUNTER BIDEN’S FEDERAL GUN TRIAL IN DELAWARE WILL SEE OPENING STATEMENTS BEGIN.
ON THE FIRST DAY OF TRIAL ON MONDAY — 12 JURORS AND FOUR ALTERNATES WERE SWORN-IN.
THE 12-MEMBER JURY CONSISTS OF SIX MEN AND SIX WOMEN.
HUNTER BIDEN FACES THREE FELONY CHARGES STEMMING FROM ALLEGATIONS HE BOUGHT — AND WAS IN POSSESSION OF — A GUN WHILE HE WAS ON DRUGS IN 20-18.
WHILE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WAS *NOT AT THE TRIAL YESTERDAY… FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN COULD BE SEEN SITTING DIRECTLY BEHIND HER STEP-SON — ALONG WITH HIS HALF-SISTER AND HIS WIFE.
PRESIDENT BIDEN DID, HOWEVER, ISSUE A STATEMENT ON THE TRIAL OFFERING SUPPORT FOR HIS SON.
THE FIRST WITNESS EXPECTED TO BE CALLED AFTER TODAY’S OPENING STATEMENTS IS AN F-B-I AGENT WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR INVESTIGATING THE CASE.
IF CONVICTED ON ALL COUNTS — HUNTER BIDEN FACES UP TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON AND 750-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN FINES.
PRESIDENT BIDEN IS EXPECTED TO SIGN AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TODAY THAT WOULD TEMPORARILY SHUT DOWN THE U-S SOUTHERN BORDER WITH MEXICO WHEN ILLEGAL CROSSINGS BETWEEN PORTS EXCEED 25-HUNDRED A DAY.
and with daily border crossings averaging well above that — the executive action could lead to an immediate shutdown of the border.
MIGRANTS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR ASYLUM IF THEY CROSS THE BORDER DURING THE SHUTDOWN period.
the border would only REOPEN when daily crossings DROP DOWN TO 15-HUNDRED A DAY.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIALS SAY RIGHT NOW — AUTHORITIES ARE SEEING AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT FOUR-THOUSAND ENCOUNTERS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER EVERY DAY.
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS INVITED BORDER CITY MAYORS AND DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS TO ACCOMPANY THE PRESIDENT WHEN HE MAKES THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS MORNING — ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND IS SET TO APPEAR BEFORE A HOUSE COMMITTEE THAT IS THREATENING TO HOLD HIM IN CONTEMPT.
REPUBLICANS ON THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HAVE BEEN CRITICAL OF GARLAND FOR NOT COMPLYING TO A CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENA TO RELEASE AUDIO RECORDINGS OF PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT HUR OVER his HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS.
IN PREPARED REMARKs RELEASED BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT – GARLAND WILL SAY “Certain members of this Committee and the Oversight Committee are seeking contempt as a means of obtaining — for no legitimate purpose — sensitive law enforcement information that could harm the integrity of future investigations.
This effort is only the most recent in a long line of attacks on the Justice Department’s work.”
GARLAND IS ALSO EXPECTED TO COUNTER REPUBLICANS’ CLAIMS THAT TRUMP’S CONVICTION IN HIS NEW YORK TRIAL WAS CONTROLLED BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT – WITH GARLAND SAYING THAT THEORY IS “AN ATTACK ON THE JUDICIAL PROCESS ITSELF.”
ON MONDAY — IT WAS DOCTOR ANTHONY FAUCI TESTIFYING IN FRONT OF A HOUSE COMMITTEE ON THE COVID PANDEMIC — YOU CAN FIND OUR COVERAGE OF THAT HEARING NOW ON THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP.
TODAY WE WILL LEARN THE RESULTS OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ELECTION – AS VOTE COUNTING IS UNDERWAY IN INDIA.
AFTER SIX WEEKS OF POLLS AND 642 MILLION VOTES CAST – INDIA PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI (MOE-DEE) IS LOOKING TO WIN A RARE THIRD TERM – HOPING TO CONTINUE HIS DECADE IN POWER.
EARLY RESULTS WERE INDICATING HIS PARTY IS CURRENTLY ON COURSE TO WIN AROUND 300 OF INDIA’S 543 PARLIAMENT SEATS – THOUGH HIS OPPOSITION IS SAID TO BE DOING BETTER THAN EXPECTED.
VOTERS HEADING TO POLLS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS HAD TO DEAL WITH AN EXTREME HEAT WAVE – WITH TEMPERATURES REACHING OVER 120 DEGREES.
THE SEVERE WEATHER IS BEING BLAMED FOR DOZENS OF DEATHS IN THE COUNTRY – INCLUDING MORE THAN 30 POLL WORKERS.
CHINA’S LUNAR SPACECRAFT, CHANG’E-6, LIFTED OFF FROM THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON TUESDAY WITH ROCK AND SOIL SAMPLES. THE SPACECRAFT DEPLOYED CHINA’S FLAG ON THE MOON’S SURFACE BEFORE ENTERING ORBIT.
THE PROBE LAUNCHED LAST MONTH AND LANDED ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON ON SUNDAY — COLLECTING SAMPLES AND WILL RETURN THEM TO EARTH LATER THIS MONTH.
THE COUNTRY HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN SPACE EXPLORATION, INCLUDING LAUNCHING A SPACE STATION.
THE RETURNED SAMPLES ARE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE MOON’S GEOLOGY AND HISTORY. CHINA AIMS TO PUT A PERSON ON THE MOON BY 2030.
FINALLY THIS MORNING – WHEN CONGRESSMAN JOHN ROSE TOOK THE MIC ON THE HOUSE FLOOR ON MONDAY – HE DID NOT EXPECT HIS SPEECH TO GO VIRAL. BUT THANKS TO HIS 6-YEAR-old SON — IT DID JUST THAT.
AS THE TENNESSEE LAWMAKER WAS DELIVERING HIS SPEECH CRITICIZING LAST WEEK’S VERDICT IN FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S TRIAL – CAMERAS CAPTURED HIS YOUNG SON STARTING TO MAKE NOT-SO SERIOUS FACES BEHIND HIS DAD.
REP. JOHN ROSE | R-TN
“Regardless of one’s opinion of the current nominee, we’d be well-served to remember the long and cherished tradition we have in this country of settling our political differences at the ballot box.”
[KARAH RUCKER]
AFTER THE SPEECH WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON C-SPAN — the boy’s FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND HAND GESTURES SOON TURNED INTO COUNTLESS MEMES AND VIDEOS — TURNING THE RECENT KINDERGARTEN GRADUATE INTO A SOCIAL MEDIA STAR.
CONGRESSMAN ROSE SAYS his son IS WITH HIM FOR THE WEEK – AND IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF HIS OWN – EXPLAINED THE ORIGINS OF HIS SON’S BEHAVIOR – SAYING “THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR TELLING MY SON “GUY” TO SMILE AT THE CAMERA FOR HIS LITTLE BROTHER.”
THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS TUESDAY.
WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.
UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
