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Opening statements are set to begin in Hunter Biden’s gun trial. Triple-digit heat moves across the Southwest. And court documents allege a former small-town mayor accused in three murders was enraged by his wife’s revelation of a sexual assault.
Here’s what to know today.
With jury selected, Hunter Biden trial begins opening statements
Opening statements are set to begin this morning in the federal criminal trial of Hunter Biden, who faces three counts tied to a possession of a gun while using narcotics.
Prosecutors from special counsel David Weiss’ office will lay out their case against President Joe Biden’s son, arguing that Hunter Biden certified on a federally mandated form that he wasn’t illegally using or addicted to illegal drugs, “when in fact … that statement was false and fictitious.”
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty.
The opening statements come a day after the trial in Wilmington, Delaware, opened with jury selection. After facing questions from attorneys, six men and six women, as well as four alternates were selected and sworn in. The group included an Obama voter, gun owners and people who have seen addiction up close. A powerful quorum of allies and family members were also in attendance to show their support, including First Lady Jill Biden, Hunter Biden’s half-sister, Ashley; and Kevin Morris, the entertainment lawyer who is helping pay Hunter Biden’s legal fees. Read more takeaways from Day 1 of the trial, as the first family’s long history, and deep Delaware roots, loomed over jury selection.
After opening statements from both sides, testimony begins with the prosecution’s first witness, an FBI special agent who will introduce evidence including text messages and excerpts from Hunter Biden’s book and audiobook. Here’s what else to expect.
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The world’s biggest election looks surprisingly close as Modi’s hopes for an India landslide fade
Early vote counting suggests Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win a rare third term on today, entering a new decade as leader of the world’s most populous country at a time when India is growing closer to the U.S. and gaining clout around the world. Modi enjoys wide support both at home and among the large Indian diaspora in the U.S. and elsewhere, with voters rewarding a leader they see as responsible for India’s rocketing economy and rising confidence on the world stage.
His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and allied parties appeared to have secured almost 300 of 543 seats in Parliament, according to early results, giving them a simple majority. But the opposition was doing better than expected in an election that exit polls had suggested Modi’s alliance would win by a landslide.
But critics say Modi has also eroded human rights in India, the world’s largest democracy, and stoked religious tensions, particularly against India’s Muslim minority, with Modi and other BJP candidates accused of hate speech and other inflammatory rhetoric during the campaign. India is also struggling to provide enough jobs for its 1.4 billion people, despite being the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
Heat waves grip the U.S.
An extreme heat wave has taken hold in Texas, and more pre-summer heat is in store for the Southwest in the first significant heat event of the season. Temperatures across Texas will feel as hot as 115 degrees, particularly in Abilene, San Antonio and Brownsville, and severe storms are anticipated in the Panhandle.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a heat wave throughout Arizona and parts of California through Thursday, with temperatures potentially climbing to 113 degrees in Phoenix and 108 in California’s Central Valley. The high temperatures also bring with it a fire risk. As of last night, the Corral Fire near San Francisco, which had grown to more than 14,000 acres, was about 75% contained. Here’s what to know about this week’s forecast.
This summer’s heat will likely be costly, too. The average cost of keeping an American home cool from June to September is set to hit $719, the highest in a decade and a steep rise from a $573 average in 2021, according to new projections. If temperatures continue to break records, the average cost could be even higher.
President Biden expected to sign executive action to temporarily shut down border
President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive action today that would temporarily shut down the southern border — and could go into effect immediately.
The executive order is expected to rely on a provision in the U.S. Code that gives the president authority to “suspend the entry” of certain migrants whenever the number of attempted border crossings is too high. For the executive action, that number is 2,500 people, and the border would reopen when the number falls to below 1,500, according to three people familiar with the discussion.
Daily encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border are currently averaging more than 4,000, according to Homeland Security Department officials, which suggests a shutdown could go into effect immediately.
A critical consideration before the Biden administration’s anticipated action was working with the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the outgoing Mexican president who supported Claudia Sheinbaum, who won this week’s election. Here’s what else to know.
More on Mexico’s presidential election:
- Sheinbaum is not only Mexico’s first female president; she’s also the country’s first Jewish president. In a country with one of the largest Catholic populations, that’s significant, one scholar said.
Ex-mayor allegedly went ‘raging out of the house’ before fatal shootings
A former small-town mayor accused in a triple-murder in South Dakota became enraged after his wife told him that a neighbor had sexually assaulted her, according to new court documents. Jay Ostrem, the former mayor of Centerville, about 40 miles south of Sioux Falls, was arrested last week in the deaths of three men found dead with apparent gunshot wounds. Now, a probable cause affidavit alleges that Ostrem’s wife told him shortly before the shootings that a man she had been drinking with forcibly kissed her and exposed himself, prompting Ostrem to leave “raging out of the house.”
One of the victims called 911 to report that his brother had been shot and killed by “a guy from across the street,” according to the document. Then, the caller said he had been shot too.
Politics in Brief
Today’s primaries: Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery and corruption trial looms large over key primary elections today in New Jersey, including one House race involving his son. Here’s what to know — plus other races to watch in Iowa, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota.
Fauci fights back: Dr. Anthony Fauci fended off attacks from Republican politicians at a fiery House subcommittee hearing in which various members asked about Covid conspiracy theories.
Trump verdict aftermath: The addresses and phone numbers of Michael Cohen’s family members were posted to a doxxing website. Meanwhile, multiple snap polls released in recent days reveal what Americans think of the verdict. And President Biden said at a campaign event last night that Trump is a “convicted felon” who “snapped” after the 2020 election.
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Staff Pick : The worrisome effect of drinking and napping on a flight
As someone who took a long flight just a few days ago, I was reminded how taxing a plane ride can be (not to mention navigating a busy airport). New research suggests there’s another layer of stress added to your body if you’re one who likes to order a mid-flight drink and then take a nap. It turns out the lower air pressure at higher altitudes can alter your blood oxygen saturation and your heart rate. The results were so surprising that one of the study’s co-authors warned: “Please don’t drink alcohol while being on an airplane.”— Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Did you know you’re supposed to be regularly cleaning your dishwasher? Here’s how to do it. And if you don’t have a dishwasher (but want one), a countertop dishwasher may be the way to go. These are the best ones.
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