The Perfect Enemy | 5 things to know for June 8: Primaries, Gun laws, January 6, Ukraine, Covid-19

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

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1. Primaries

The 2022 primary season continued yesterday across seven states: California, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, New Jersey and Mississippi. Rising concerns about crime and homelessness burst to the forefront in California, as San Francisco voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin. In the Los Angeles mayor’s race, Democratic Rep. Karen Bass and real estate developer Rick Caruso will advance to a November runoff. Bass, a longtime Democratic lawmaker who was on President Joe Biden’s shortlist for a running mate in 2020, could make history as the first woman and the first Black woman to lead America’s second-largest city if elected. Meanwhile, in House primaries across the country, Republicans largely opted to keep their incumbents, rejecting challenges from candidates who attempted to align themselves more closely with former President Donald Trump.

2. Gun laws

A growing number of senators appear to be moving toward a possible deal on gun control legislation — even though both sides admit there is far more work to do to reach a consensus between Democrats and Republicans on the issue, as any changes to gun laws can be met with stiff GOP resistance. The current changes to gun laws under consideration include hardening school security, providing more funding for mental health care and ensuring that juvenile records can be considered when a person between the ages of 18 and 21 wants to buy a semi-automatic weapon. Federal incentives for states to pass so-called red flag laws are also being discussed. However, despite the ongoing talks, it remains unclear whether there will be enough Republican support to push the legislation forward.

3. January 6

The House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection is set to unveil its work at a prime-time hearing Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The committee will present live testimony from two people who interacted directly with far-right extremists on and around the events of the riot, according to three sources familiar with the committee’s hearing agenda. This comes just days after the Justice Department announced a seditious conspiracy charge against the head of the Proud Boys — the second of its kind in the investigation. Separately, Fox News has decided not to air the hearings, which committee members have teased could be focused on former President Donald Trump’s role in undermining the 2020 presidential election results.

4. Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned yesterday Ukraine may face the “most difficult winter” in more than three decades as Russia’s invasion brings the threat of an energy crisis. According to Zelensky, there are “issues of purchasing a sufficient amount of gas for the heating season, coal accumulation, and electricity production,” as heat and power plants damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks remain in need of repair. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops are locked in fierce street battles in the eastern Donbas region and several other cities are facing a slew of air assaults. Russia is also claiming it has opened a land corridor to Russian-occupied Crimea, allowing civilians and goods to pass through the territory.

5. Coronavirus

Vaccine advisers to the FDA decided yesterday that authorizing Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine — which uses different technology from the three vaccines currently in use in the US — for emergency use in adults would be beneficial. If the full FDA gives the vaccine the green light, it will become the fourth Covid-19 vaccine authorized in the US. Novavax’s vaccine is made using small laboratory-built pieces of the coronavirus to stimulate immunity. This protein-based approach is a more traditional one for vaccine development than the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Tom Brady underwear video has the internet buzzing

Tom Brady’s wife posted this video of Tom in his boxer briefs… and let’s just say, everyone’s eyes immediately went there.

Taco Bell’s new floating restaurant delivers tacos from the sky

Orders at this new Taco Bell location are delivered via a “vertical lift” to cars. It’s official, we’re living in the future.

‘Chrisley Knows Best’ stars convicted of committing fraud, tax crimes

Hold your horses. This wealthy Southern family has some explaining to do…

A sponge may not be the most hygienic way to clean dishes

Studies show sponges are the perfect environment for potentially harmful bacterial growth. Here is a better alternative.

Kohl’s puts up a for-sale sign

The department store chain has attempted a handful of approaches to draw in customers and stave off competitors, but the strategies have not led to major improvements.

THIS JUST IN

One person dead after car driven into crowd in Berlin

A car has driven into a crowd in western Berlin, killing at least one person, authorities say. The vehicle struck people near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on a busy shopping street in the German capital, a spokesperson for Berlin’s fire department told CNN. More than a dozen people were injured, some of them seriously, in the incident this morning, a police spokesperson said.

TODAY’S NUMBER

That’s how many years it has been since this horrifying photo became a defining image of the Vietnam War and the 20th century. Taken outside the village of Trang Bang on June 8, 1972, the photo shows children fleeing a deadly napalm attack. It became known by the nickname given to the badly burned, naked 9-year-old at its center: “Napalm Girl.” The girl, since identified as Phan Thi Kim Phuc, ultimately survived her injuries and dedicated her life to spreading messages of peace.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. These regulations are not a step back — they’re a step forward for a civil society and the Second Amendment.”

— Actor Matthew McConaughey, delivering an emotional plea for action on guns at a White House press briefing yesterday. McConaughey said he and his wife, Camila Alves, spent most of the past week in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, visiting the families of those who were killed in the recent elementary school shooting. He called for universal background checks, raising the minimum age for purchasing an AR-15 to 21, a waiting period for purchasing AR-15s and the implementation of red flag laws.