Today’s Headlines and Commentary

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Former White House aides Matthew Pottinger and Sarah Matthews are expected to testify during the Jan. 6 House select committee’s prime-time hearing on Thursday, reports the New York Times. Pottinger, a former deputy national security adviser in the Trump administration, and Matthews, a former deputy press secretary, both resigned on Jan. 6. Their testimony is expected to detail what occurred during the 187 minutes between the breach of the Capitol and Trump’s call to his supporters to leave the building. The Thursday hearing will continue as planned despite a recent statement from committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson announcing that he tested positive for COVID-19.

Britain recorded its hottest day on record Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 40.2 Celsius (104.4 Fahrenheit) and still rising. The record comes as France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain face wildfires and forced evacuations, which have killed at least two in Spain and an elderly couple in Portugal. The heat has impacted Britain’s infrastructure, such as public transportation, which was not built to withstand such high temperatures. The U.K. government has instructed its citizens to stay home, but has told schools that they should remain open.

Putin traveled to Iran to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The meeting is intended to strengthen Russian relations with the two countries as well as cover the war in Ukraine, peace talks in the war in Syria, and the U.N.-backed proposal to resume exports of Ukrainian grain amid the global food shortage.

Chinese officials said their country would respond with “strong measures” if Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan. The statement comes after a report from the Financial Times said the Speaker intends to visit the island in August. Pelosi was supposed to visit Taiwan in April, but rescheduled the visit after testing positive for COVID-19.

Two cases of the Marburg virus have been reported in Ghana. The World Health Organization, which confirmed the cases, is sending specialists to the West African nation. Health officials are in the process of isolating close contacts, reports the Washington Post. The largest outbreak of the virus killed over 200 people in Angola in 2005.

The trial of the Parkland, Florida gunman began Monday. Numerous jurors covered their mouths with their hands as they watched and listened to audio and video of the mass shooting played on the first day, writes the New York Times. The sentencing trial is expected to last for several months as jurors decide whether the shooter should be imprisoned for life or executed.

The State Department disputed UAE claims that the U.S. had sought the arrest of Asim Ghafoor, the former lawyer for slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The UAE sentenced the civil rights lawyer to three years in prison for tax evasion and money laundering on Saturday. Authorities, who arrested Ghafoor at an airport in Dubai while he was on transit for a wedding in Istanbul, have presented the arrest as a coordinated effort with the U.S. government to “combat transnational crimes.”

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Tyler McBrien sat down with Tamar Hallerman to discuss the Fulton County special grand jury investigating potential criminal interference into Georgia’s 2020 elections.

Christian Bale argued that one way the Biden administration could reduce the federal deficit is to prevent the Pentagon from sending “wish lists” to members of Congress.

Kathleen Claussen and Timothy Meyer evaluated views on the role of the executive branch and Congress in trade executive agreements.

Katherine Pompilio shared a Justice Department Statement of Interest supporting the House select committee’s subpoena of former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

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