June 4 top stories

Hello, it is June 4. Here are today’s top stories.

Takeaways from Fauci’s combative House hearing about Covid pandemic

Dr. Anthony Fauci testified on Monday at a House subcommittee hearing about the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the origins of the virus. The hearing was Fauci’s first public testimony on Capitol Hill since his retirement from government service at the end of 2022.

Fauci on Monday fended off a variety of attacks from Republican politicians at a fiery hearing called to discuss lessons learned during the pandemic. He denied a wide range of claims that have been made against him in recent years.

Here are key takeaways from the hearing:

Fauci said the U.S. still needs to tighten communication gaps between the federal response and local public health officials. He said there was a “disconnect between the health-care system and the public health system”.

Fauci said it’s possible the virus had leaked from a lab – he said that, given that the pandemic’s origins remain unknown, he personally keeps an open mind. But he denied concealing any relevant information about a potential leak.

Fauci clarified that the 6-foot social distance guideline did not come from him but from the CDC.

Fauci emotionally detailed threats against him and threats against his wife and daughters.

The subcommittee did not present any evidence linking Fauci to the coronavirus’ origins.

During the hearing Monday, Democrats championed Fauci as a stalwart public servant and accused Republicans of unnecessarily vilifying him.

Louisiana lawmakers vote to allow pedophiles to be surgically castrated

A person found guilty of a sex crime against a child in Louisiana could soon be ordered to undergo surgical castration (surgical removal of the testicles), in addition to prison time.

Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a bill Monday that would allow judges the option to sentence someone to surgical castration after the person has been convicted of certain aggravated sex crimes – including rape, incest and molestation – against a child younger than 13.

Several states, including Louisiana, currently can order such criminals to receive chemical castration, which uses medications that block testosterone production in order to decrease sex drive. However, surgical castration is a more invasive procedure.

The bill received overwhelming approval in both of the GOP-dominated chambers. Votes against the bill mainly came from Democrats, however, a Democratic lawmaker authored the measure. The legislation now heads to the desk of conservative Gov. Jeff Landry, who will decide whether to sign it into law or veto it.

Currently, there are 2,224 people imprisoned in Louisiana for sex crimes against children younger than 13. If the bill becomes law, it can only be applied to those who have convicted of a crime that occurred on or after August 1 of this year.

U.S. to allow Ukraine to use its weapons to strike inside Russia

Multiple sources reported that U.S. officials said the Biden administration has quietly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia – solely near the area of Kharkiv – using limited U.S.-provided weapons last Thursday, a major reversal that will help Ukraine to better defend its second-largest city.

One of the U.S. officials said: “The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them.”

They added that the policy of not allowing long-range strikes inside Russia has not changed.

Multiple sources said this is a stunning shift the administration initially said would escalate the war by more directly involving the U.S. in the fight. But worsening conditions for Ukraine on the battlefield – Russian forces have made gains and improved their position in the Kharkiv area – led the president to change his mind.

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74-year-old woman taken to Nebraska funeral home while still alive

A 74-year-old woman, Constance Glantz of Lincoln, Nebraska, thought to be dead was found breathing ahead of her funeral.

On Monday, June 3, the local sheriff’s office held a press conference where authorities confirmed the incident that Glantz was the individual who was nearly buried alive. The local chief deputy explained: “A physician had seen her in the last seven days, and the physician is willing to sign the death certificate, and that there was nothing suspicious at that time of the death – all of those fit. Under such circumstances, a coroner’s investigation would not be required and no law enforcement officer dispatched. That’s the reason. This is a very unusual case. Been doing this 31 years, and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before.”

What happened? Earlier that same day – at 9:44 a.m. local time, staff at The Mulberry nursing home in Waverly had pronounced Constance, who had been in hospice care, dead. Her body was then transported to the local funeral home. However, approximately two hours later, a staff member at the funeral home called 911 for a medical emergency after noticing the woman was still breathing. When an ambulance arrived, they performed CPR on her and brought her to a local hospital. She is still alive.

Police are still investigating and trying to determine what transpired in it. They added that Glantz’s family had been notified of the situation.

See Alex’s report on Pat Sajak’s retirement from hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’.

Pat Sajak in last week as host of “Wheel of Fortune”

Thanks, Callie.

Pat Sajak, the long-time host of “Wheel of Fortune,” is now in his last week as a host. His final episode is set to air this Friday, June 7. He has been a host for 41 seasons.

Who will replace him? Ryan Seacrest will. Seacrest said he is truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of Sajak. Seacrest said he has been working on studying the rulebook and all of the scenarios that the rulebook has inside of it to prepare for his hosting duties.

Vanna White will still be on the show as a co-host. She will be turning “Wheel” letters for at least two more years, up to 2026.

Thanks for the report. That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!

Takeaways from Fauci’s combative House hearing about Covid pandemic

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/02/fauci-covid-research-investigative-panel-00161109

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/science/fauci-hearing-covid-origins.html

Louisiana lawmakers vote to allow pedophiles to be surgically castrated

https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-surgical-castration-sex-crime-offender-234cdd9da804382d90dec409756dc445

U.S. to allow Ukraine to use its weapons to strike inside Russia

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/31/biden-eases-ban-on-ukraines-use-of-us-weapons-inside-russia

https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-allows-ukraine-use-us-supplied-arms-strike-inside-russia-near-kharkiv-area-2024-05-30/

74-year-old woman taken to Nebraska funeral home while still alive

https://www.1011now.com/2024/06/03/woman-pronounced-dead-comes-back-life-lincoln-funeral-home/