#1: On The J-Lo:
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot in a Las Vegas drive-through wedding chapel on Saturday night. Their relationship has been on and off over the past 20 years and has been the headlines on many tabloid magazine covers.
Lopez announced the marriage to her fans and said, “We did it.” Their engagement was made public in April on Lopez’ newsletter, “On The J Lo.”
Jennifer Lopez will take the name Jennifer Lynn Affleck.
#2: Severe Weather in Europe:
Europe is suffering through a major heatwave that is fueling wildfires in Spain and France. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as firefighters and airplanes fight the fires that are spreading through dry forests. Two people were killed in the blazes in Spain.
Areas from Portugal to the Balkan states are experiencing extreme temperatures and droughts. The UK is getting record-breaking temperatures. The extremes are attributed to climate change.
The hot weather is predicted in the UK to be so bad that rail operators warned the rails could be affected by warping, and school kids may be sitting in wading swimming pools instead of at their desks.
#3: Steve Bannon Trial:
Jury selection begins this week at the trial of Steve Bannon, former aide to ex-President Donald Trump. Bannon faces criminal charges for contempt of Congress, because he defied a subpoena to appear before the House Committee Investigating the January 5, 2021 Capitol Insurrection. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison
About a week ago, Bannon finally notified the committee that he was willing to testify, apparently hoping to delay the trial. Bannon has insisted that his testimony is protected by executive privilege claimed by Trump, but his lawyer this week said that the executive privilege claim has been waived, raising the question about whether it had actually been claimed to start with.
#4: Putin Visits Iran’s Supreme Leader:
Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Tehran, Iran and meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday. It’s his first trip outside Russia since crippling sanctions have been imposed on his country by the West. Putin sees the confrontation with the West as a declaration of war and is attempting to gain support from China, India and Iran.
“The contact with Khamenei is very important,” Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, told reporters in Moscow. “A trusting dialogue has developed between them on the most important issues on the bilateral and international agenda.”
#5: Buffalo Shooter Charged:
The alleged shooter in Buffalo, New York, who killed 10 people at a grocery store, was arraigned in federal court. He faces 27 hate crimes and firearm offenses. All of the victims were black.
Payton Gendron, who was 18 at the time of the incident, is also facing 10 counts of first-degree murder and 10 counts of second-degree murder in state court. He faces life in prison.
Gendron broadcast the attack on the live-streaming platform Twitch. He is a self-proclaimed white supremacist who allegedly targeted the grocery store because it was a popular shopping location in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Buffalo.
