5 things to know for June 29: Jan. 6, Primaries, Roe v. Wade, Monkeypox, Bangladesh

By CNN

Published June 29, 2022 4:44 AM

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN

Government officials switched on two new supercomputers this week to help improve your weather forecasts. The computers, named Dogwood and Cactus, rank among the 50 fastest computers in the world and will help deploy more advanced, realistic climate models. This is good news if you live in a region that experiences extreme weather events because officials will be able to respond quicker — and more precisely — when Mother Nature decides to be less forgiving.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

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1. January 6

The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill insurrection reconvened Tuesday for a hastily scheduled hearing that featured shocking testimony from Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. She revealed how then-President Donald Trump and his inner circle were warned about the potential for violence on January 6, and how Trump wanted to join his supporters during the riot. It was previously known that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol, but Hutchinson’s testimony established for the first time that people around Trump had advance knowledge of this plan. According to her testimony, Trump was so enraged at his Secret Service detail for blocking him from going to the Capitol that he lunged to the front of a presidential vehicle and tried to turn the wheel. After the testimony, a Secret Service official familiar with the matter told CNN that Tony Ornato, then-White House deputy chief of staff, denies telling Hutchinson that the former President had grabbed the wheel or an agent on his detail.

2. Primaries

Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Utah held primary elections Tuesday for several closely watched races. In Colorado, Republicans rejected three election deniers running for statewide office. Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who pleaded not guilty after being indicted on 10 counts related to voting machine tampering allegations, lost the GOP nomination for secretary of state. On the other hand, the Democratic-leaning state of Illinois embraced Trump’s candidates. Darren Bailey, a conservative state senator who was endorsed by Trump, won the gubernatorial primary. Bailey, in a debate, called Chicago a “crime-ridden, corrupt, dysfunctional hellhole,” though he is seeking to become governor of the state for which Chicago is the economic center. And in Mississippi, Republican House member Steven Palazzo, who was embroiled in an ethics probe, lost his seat in a primary runoff.

3. Roe v. Wade

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a news conference on Tuesday pledged to protect access to reproductive health care, including considering steps to increase access to medication abortion. This move comes after the Supreme Court released a decision Friday overturning Roe v. Wade. Becerra called the decision “despicable,” and said it “unconscionably put at risk the life and health of millions of our fellow Americans.” Meanwhile, some companies, including Amazon and some large drug store chains, began this week limiting purchases of emergency contraceptive pills, including Plan B, after seeing a sharp increase in sales, company representatives confirmed to CNN.

4.Monkeypox

The CDC has activated a new Emergency Operations Center for monkeypox, an extremely rare disease currently spreading around the world. The Biden administration also announced its intention to beef up its response to monkeypox, detailing plans to offer more vaccines and tests to people who are most at risk. The latest data shows at least 244 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox in the US. Experts say it is spread by close and prolonged contact with an infected individual. Early data suggest that gay and bisexual men make up a high number of cases, but the current risk of exposure is not exclusive to these communities, the CDC said. Initial symptoms of monkeypox are typically flu-like. Next comes a widespread rash on various parts of the body with painful, raised poxes.

5. Bangladesh

More than 7 million people in Bangladesh are in desperate need of shelter and emergency relief after what one aid agency has described as the worst flooding to hit South Asia in living memory. Hundreds of thousands of homes near the Bangladesh-India border are underwater, and in the worst-hit areas whole neighborhoods have been submerged, aid agencies said Tuesday. At least 207 people in both countries have died since the floods began in April, according to official figures. Torrential rain has caused rivers in Bangladesh — a densely populated delta nation — to overflow, submerging areas that border the Indian state of Meghalaya, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Woman mistakes someone else’s cat for her own

You’ve got to be kitten me… This viral video shows the moment a woman realized she accidentally stole someone else’s cat! Watch the moment here.

Analysts accuse Bed Bath & Beyond of turning off AC in stores to save money as sales plummet

A new report says the company’s sales have cooled down while customers are heating up.

Early human fossils found in cave are a million years older than expected

Researchers say these human fossils are 3.4 million to 3.6 million years old. Check out the photos here.

Gigi and Bella Hadid stun runway with partially ‘shaved’ heads

This fashion runway spectacle was bold — and bald.

These ‘flying’ ferries could get you to work in half the time

A Swedish startup has unveiled new gravity-defying boats that could hit the water as soon as next year.

TODAY’S NUMBER

That’s how many years Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to serve in federal prison Tuesday for carrying out a yearslong scheme with her longtime confidante, the late Jeffrey Epstein, to groom and sexually abuse underage girls. Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, spoke in court to the victims, but stopped short of taking responsibility. “I am sorry for the pain that you’ve experienced,” Maxwell said. “I hope my conviction… brings you closure.”

TODAY’S QUOTE

“I’m pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.”

— NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, saying he is “confident” that Finland and Sweden will be able to join NATO quickly. This comes after Turkey agreed to support the two countries’ membership bids, removing a major hurdle they faced in order to join the security alliance. Allied leaders are expected to meet as early as today to make a decision about Finland and Sweden’s applications, he said.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

The Artist Who Paints What She Hears

Just imagine, what would your favorite song look like? Watch this woman use her senses to paint what she hears. (Click here to view)

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