Hearings begin in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol. The LIV-PGA contention continues. And a Michigan police officer was charged with murder in the death of Patrick Lyoya.
👋 Hey! Laura Davis here. It’s Thursday, and we’ve got a lot of news, so let’s get going!
But first, a video from Mom is nice, but there’s nothing like the real thing. 💞 This Army mom wasn’t going to miss her daughter’s graduation for anything. See the sweet moment this mother and daughter were reunited.
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☀️ get outside today, because this weekend is going to be a scorcher. A dangerous heat wave headed to the Southwest – and some places could exceed 110 degrees. Check your local forecast here.
What will happen during the Jan. 6 hearings?
The Jan. 6 hearings are here. The House Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol holds its first public hearing Thursday in prime time. Since its formation last year, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol – as it’s formally known – has interviewed hundreds of witnesses and subpoenaed almost 100 allies of former President Donald Trump, as well as other individuals and businesses deemed responsible for events surrounding the attack on the Capitol. The hearings will examine the evidence the committee has gathered to answer simple questions: What happened that day? Who was involved in the planning and execution of the insurrection? And how can future attacks be prevented? But there’s a lot we still don’t know. Read more.
Questions + answers: When will the hearings begin and end? What has the committee already learned? Here’s what we know.
More controversy in the golf world
Seventeen golfers playing in the LIV Golf Series have been suspended for an unspecified period, the PGA Tour announced Thursday. The announcement came roughly 30 minutes after the Saudi-funded upstart tour teed off in London for its first 54-hole, team-oriented tournament. The PGA said the players made their choice to play in the LIV league for “financial-based reasons.” Those who choose to participate in the future will also be suspended. The LIV Golf Series responded Thursday with a statement saying the suspensions were “vindictive” and that it “deepens the divide between the Tour and its members.” The LIV tour is backed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia and has already landed big names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood.
What everyone’s talking about
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Foreign fighters in Ukraine sentenced to firing squad
Two Britons and a Moroccan were sentenced to death by firing squad Thursday by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine’s side. The Supreme Court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic found the men guilty of working toward a violent overthrow of power, an offense punishable by death in the republic recognized only by Russia – and only days before the invasion in February. The men were also convicted of mercenary activities and terrorism. Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim have a month to appeal.
👉 More news: ‘Endless caravan of death’ in Mariupol; Moscow’s chief rabbi in exile after refusing to support the invasion. Thursday’s latest Ukraine war updates.
Michigan officer charged with murder in death of Patrick Lyoya
A prosecutor filed a second-degree murder charge Thursday against the Michigan police officer who killed Patrick Lyoya, a Black man who was on the ground when he was shot in the back of the head following an intense physical struggle recorded by a bystander. Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker announced his decision against Grand Rapids officer Christopher Schurr, who killed Lyoya minutes after a traffic stop on April 4. “The death was not justified or excused, for example, by self defense,” the prosecutor said, reciting the elements of second-degree murder. Lyoya, who was 26 at the time of his shooting, was a Congolese refugee. His death of him sparked protests in Grand Rapids and beyond over the police department’s conduct and prompted discussions over the city’s commitment to racial equity, something it had pledged to improve in the wake of racial injustice protests in 2020.
real quick
Do police in schools do more harm than good?
The Uvalde, Texas, school shooting has rekindled a long-simmering debate over the presence of police in schools. The killing of George Floyd fueled a movement to end policing in schools, which critics said targeted Black children for arrest and criminalized childhood behavior. Now, school leaders and lawmakers around the country are looking to boost, not cut, the ranks of school resource officers since Uvalde. But researchers have found that campus policing does not reduce gun violence. Keep reading.
What is this thing? to chupacabra? A person with a strange hat who likes to walk at night? A large coyote on its hind legs? Whatever it is, the creeptacular image captured by a security camera inside the Amarillo Zoo in Texas has everybody stumped (and some of us are just plain freaked out 👀). Do you know what it is?
A break from the news
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism