5 things to know for June 22: Primaries, Gun laws, January 6, Ukraine, Bill Cosby

CNN
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If you’re one of the millions of Americans still waiting for your tax refund from 2021, we have good news for you. The IRS announced that it will finally finish processing last year’s backlog of tax returns this week, which means your refund will soon arrive in your mailbox or bank account.

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The primary season continued on Tuesday with more elections in Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and Washington, DC. In Alabama, Katie Britt, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, became the state’s Republican candidate for the Senate, CNN projected. Trump originally endorsed Rep. Mo Brooks, but withdrew that endorsement in March after Brooks made comments urging Trump supporters to outrun the 2020 election. In Georgia, however, two Trump-endorsed GOP House candidates lost their respective primary qualifiers. Tuesday’s election also set the matchups for several key House races in Virginia and Georgia. And in Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser won her Democratic primary and is now poised to win a third term.

The Senate passed a key vote on Tuesday to advance bipartisan gun safety legislation, a major step to move the bill forward as lawmakers come under pressure to respond to the recent spate of mass shootings. The bill still has a number of hurdles to clear, however. In the Senate, he will face two more major votes – first to break up a filibuster, then in the final passage. The vote to break up a filibuster will be a critical and high-stakes moment for the legislation since it will take 60 votes to move forward, meaning at least 10 Republicans will need to join Democrats in backing them. This latest move to push the bill forward is the clearest sign yet that he is likely to overcome this filibuster. If so, the bill will go to a final pass vote. The House would then have to pass the measure.

The House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the United States Capitol held its fourth public hearing on Tuesday, focusing on then-President Donald Trump’s lobbying campaign. on officials from states like Georgia and Arizona, where the 2020 election results were close. The panel featured testimony from three Republican officials who were all recipients of Trump’s post-election outreach — and all testified to their reluctance to participate in schemes that would undermine the election. Several witnesses also told the committee that Trump was personally involved in the effort to come up with fake voter lists in key battleground states — a key part of the larger effort to overturn the government’s legitimate election victory. President Joe Biden.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said a new accountability team will be formed to identify and prosecute anyone who has committed war crimes in Ukraine. The team, according to Garland, will be led by the Justice Department’s best-known Nazi hunter, Eli Rosenbaum — who has helped the department revoke citizenship or deport accused Nazis in more than 100 cases. The announcement is a strong signal from the ministry that it is interested in investigating war crimes in Ukraine and follows an earlier effort to lock down the assets of Russian oligarchs. Meanwhile, heavy fighting is taking place in southern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. And in Kherson, which has been under Russian control since March, other activists, politicians and journalists have reportedly been abducted.

A Los Angeles jury has found beleaguered comedian Bill Cosby liable in a civil case brought by Judy Huth, a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her as a teenager in the 1970s. The jury, made up of eight women and four men, awarded Huth $500,000 in damages. « It’s been so many years, so many tears, » Huth said, reacting to the verdict. Through his lawyers, Cosby, 84, has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. Since 2005, more than 50 women have come forward to accuse Cosby of sexual assault. After being convicted of assault, Cosby served just under three years in a Pennsylvania state prison before his conviction was overturned on appeal. He was released from prison in September 2021.

Biden to seek 3-month gas tax suspension

President Biden will ask Congress in a speech today to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes through the end of September, administration officials said, calling the move necessary to provide relief to Americans but itself insufficient to resolve the problem of soaring energy prices. Biden will also call on states to take action to remove their own gasoline and diesel taxes, and he will ask oil refining companies to increase capacity ahead of their scheduled meeting later this week with government officials. administration.

Earthquake hits eastern Afghanistan

More than 900 people are believed to have died and hundreds more injured after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan today, according to the official Bakhtar news agency. The earthquake struck about 28.5 miles southwest of the city of Khost, near the country’s border with Pakistan.

NFL star Rob Gronkowski announces retirement

Eleven seasons and four Super Bowl rings later, Gronk is hanging up his cleats for the second time.

This Ivy League school is eliminating student loans for undergraduates

Thanks to generous donors, many students at this prestigious institution will graduate debt-free.

Where is the healthiest American community?

Click here to see if you live in one of the healthiest communities in the United States!

Meet the first Mexican-born woman to be sworn in to Congress

Republican Representative Mayra Flores of Texas made history on Tuesday.

Dave Chappelle said his old high school theater will no longer be named after him

Some of the comedian’s recent comments and jokes have sparked controversy.

$103.5 million

That’s why Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov auctioned off his 2021 Nobel Peace Prize – with all proceeds going to help Ukrainian refugee children. According to UNICEF, around 7.5 million Ukrainian children have been deeply affected by the ongoing conflict, including being separated from their families, lacking basic supplies and resources, and facing the daily threat of explosives.

“You could never ask a child to return to this school or a teacher to return to this school. Already. »

– Mayor of Uvalde, Texas, saying Robb Primary School will be demolished, after a gunman opened fire inside a classroom, killing 19 children and two teachers on May 24. On Tuesday, Mayor Don McLaughlin sharply criticized authorities leading the investigation into the shooting and said he and other city officials were never told the progress of the investigation. The mayor also said he requested body camera video from all agencies responding to the shooting and received none.

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How are food ads made?

Get ready to have your mouth watering! This is how photographers make food so appetizing in commercials. (Click here to see)