promoearn: 'This is explosive stuff'

Wednesday, June 29

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testifies during the sixth hearing by the House Select Committee on the January 6th insurrection.

Cassidy Hutchinson delivers bombshell testimony at Jan. 6 hearing.

Former White House assistant Cassidy Hutchinson delivered devastating testimony against former President Donald Trump before the House Jan. 6 committee. World leaders are meeting at a NATO summit in the Spanish capital amid Russia's war on Ukraine. Disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly will be sentenced for sexually abusing women and girls. And, the iconic iPhone first hit stores 15 years ago.

I'm Jane Onyanga-Omara, with Wednesday's news

🌅 Up first: In bombshell testimony Tuesday about the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson implicated then-President Donald Trump personally in what appears to be an intentional conspiracy to direct an armed mob to the Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. "I don't care that they have effing weapons. … They're not here to hurt me," she quoted Trump as saying before telling his security detail to allow heavily armed protesters past metal detectors and onto the Ellipse. Mick Mulvaney – the acting chief of staff under Trump from Jan. 2019 to March 2020 – called Hutchinson's testimony "explosive stuff" on Twitter. "I know her. I don't think she is lying," he added. Read more

😲 In "combustible" testimony, Cassidy Hutchinson, surprise Jan. 6 witness, quietly drops bombshells.

😲 Ketchup on the wall, a scuffle in the limo: A Trump assistant ignites the Jan. 6 inquiry.

😲 "Things could get very dark for the former president," writes ex-Trump aide Mick Mulvaney.

😲 Opinion: Cassidy Hutchinson puts her former boss and assorted Trump-supporting cowards to shame.

😲 Miss Day 6 of the Jan. 6 hearing? Trump knew mob was armed and dangerous, witness says.

Cassidy Hutchinson, top former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testifies at the House Jan. 6 committee on June 28, 2022.

Some more news to know now:

🚨 "Tragic loss of life": 51 dead after abandoned trailer filled with migrants found in San Antonio. Here's what we know.

🗳 Takeaways from Tuesday's primaries: Trump-connected candidates falter, voters pick new faces to replace retiring incumbents.

🚄 Fourth person dies after Amtrak derailment in Missouri; NTSB focuses on railroad crossing: What we know.

⚖️ Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.

Ghislaine Maxwell

USA TODAY

🌶 A chili crop failure has caused a Sriracha shortage — our product experts at Reviewed found the hot sauces to try instead.

🍽 10 red, white and blue foods that'll make your July 4th party sparkle.

🎾 Serena Williams loses thrilling three-set tiebreaker to France's Harmony Tan in her return to Wimbledon from injury.

June 28: Harmony Tan celebrates winning her first-round match against Serena Williams.

Susan Mullane, USA TODAY Sports

🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, Congress reporter Candy Woodall recaps Day 6 of the Jan. 6 hearings. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

'We're stepping up': At NATO summit, Biden says US will increase military presence in eastern Europe

President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday, as he arrived at the NATO summit in Spain, that the U.S. would step up its military presence in eastern Europe amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine . Biden announced the U.S. would establish a permanent troop in Poland and maintain an additional rotational brigade of 3,000 fighters and 2,000 personnel in Romania. "We're stepping up," Biden said. The president and other world leaders are gathering in Madrid as the military alliance faces its "biggest challenge" since World War II, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy is expected to address the 30 leaders via video link Wednesday. The gathering has already seen a breakthrough agreement between Turkey and Finland and Sweden for the Nordic countries to begin their accession process. They asked to join the alliance after witnessing Russia's brutal attack on its neighbor Ukraine, but Turkey had some misgivings that were overcome Tuesday.

🔵 Live Ukraine updates: Russian airstrike on Ukrainian shopping mall a "new war crime," French President Macron says.

🔵 "A kick in the gut": Finland's, Sweden's drive to join NATO a defeat for Putin, a win for the West.

🔵 Facing upheaval at home, Biden seeks to keep NATO military alliance behind Ukraine.

R. Kelly set for sentence, prosecutors press at least 25-year prison sentence

R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem "I Believe I Can Fly," is set to be sentenced on Wednesday. Prosecutors said in a memo that he deserves at least 25 years behind bars for sexually abusing women and girls. A New York City jury found Kelly guilty of racketeering and multiple other counts last year at a sex-trafficking trial that was seen as a signature moment in the #MeToo movement. Prosecutors alleged that the entourage of managers and aides who helped Kelly meet girls — and keep them obedient — amounted to a criminal enterprise. Several accusers testified in lurid detail during the trial, alleging that Kelly subjected his victims to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. Kelly's lawyers have argued that he deserves only a maximum of about 17 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

In a courtroom sketch, R. Kelly listens to the jury verdict at his sex-trafficking trial, Sept. 27, 2021, in federal court in New York.

Elizabeth Williams, AP

Just for subscribers:

🚨 "All about the money": 51 dead in San Antonio reveals harsh world of human smuggling.

🔵 Abortion is no longer a constitutional right. Americans are afraid Plan B is next.

🏎 "Time has come for action": Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 respond to racist comments.

✈️ Europe's airports are a mess. Here's how summer travelers can "prepare for the worst."

🍹 Where are the lesbian bars? Owners say they haven't died – they're evolving into queer spaces.

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Jury deciding Florida school shooter's sentence will be finalized

A jury of seven men and five women was tentatively chosen Tuesday for a penalty trial to decide whether Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz should be sentenced to death or get life in prison for the 2018 attack. The prospective jurors were chosen after three rounds of questioning that began on April 4 and dragged on through numerous delays caused by illnesses and other factors. The jury, which will be finalized Wednesday, will decide whether Cruz, 23, receives the death sentence or life in prison without parole for the murders of 14 students and three staff members at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. Opening statements are now scheduled for July 18. Cruz pleaded guilty in October to those murders and 17 counts of attempted murder, so the jurors will only decide his punishment. They must be unanimous for Cruz to get the death penalty — if at least one votes for life, that will be Cruz's sentence.

🚨 Run, hide, fight: School shooter drills can be traumatic, but do they work?

🚨 Previous coverage: Four years after Parkland, gunfire on school grounds reaches troubling new peaks.

Hearing to determine Deshaun Watson's NFL discipline continues

The NFL has insisted on an indefinite suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson while his legal team argued there's no basis for that punishment as both sides presented their cases in front of a retired judge Tuesday, two people in attendance told The Associated Press. The hearing will continue Wednesday and Watson is scheduled to be there, according to one AP source. It's expected to conclude Thursday but it's not known when a ruling will be made. Retired federal judge Sue Robinson is the disciplinary officer jointly selected and compensated by the NFL and the NFL Players Association and will determine whether Watson violated the league's policy. She could decide no violation occurred, or she could decide the quarterback violated the policy and deserves punishment. Watson has been sued by 24 women who accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and 2021, when he played for the Houston Texans. Twenty of the 24 lawsuits recently ended with confidential settlements.

Happy anniversary, iPhone: Revolutionary smartphone first went on sale 15 years ago

It's been 15 years since the iPhone first went on sale and ushered in a new era: the age of the smartphone. Before the evening of June 29, 2007, social media was in its infancy and cellphone cameras were basic. Announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs as a combination of the revolutionary iPod , a mobile phone and internet browser, the smartphone attracted much fanfare, and was named Invention Of the Year by Time magazine, which said "it's not a phone, it's a platform." "iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a January 2007 news release announcing the new phone. "We are all born with the ultimate pointing device — our fingers — and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse."