Axios

Frustration inside the Senate GOP conference is boiling among conservatives at the way Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is handling the bipartisan gun reform negotiations — putting the man who aspires to succeed Mitch McConnell as Republican leader in a political jam.

Why it matters: Some senators are viewing these negotiations as a test case for how Cornyn would fare as lead negotiator for the party should he replace McConnell one day.

The Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday presented evidence that top Trump allies in the administration, the campaign and the media were well aware his plans to overturn the election had no legal basis.

Why it matters: The committee is using the hearings to make a comprehensive case for Trump's culpability in the attack on the Capitol as the Justice Department watches closely.

Two of former Vice President Mike Pence's legal aides testified Thursday that the former vice president repeatedly resisted former President Trump's pressure to reject electoral votes during the third public Jan. 6 committee hearing.

Why it matters: The witnesses' testimonies underscored the "pressure campaign" against Pence by Trump to reject election results — and how Pence "never budged from the position" that he did not have the power to unilaterally overturn the election.

A federal judge said Thursday that the Department of Justice must decide whether it seeks the death penalty for the man accused of killing 10 people during a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, in May, according to Reuters.

Driving the news: The Justice Department charged Payton Gendron, 18, with 26 counts of federal hate crimes and firearm violations on Wednesday, though Attorney General Merrick Garland declined to say if the department will seek the death penalty as punishment.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday doubled down on the state's recommendation against vaccinating young children, saying that Florida does not plan to offer vaccines for toddlers or infants through state programs.

Why it matters: Florida is the only state that hasn't pre-ordered COVID vaccines for children under five as states wait for federal regulators to authorize the shot for the littlest Americans.

The Department of Justice on Wednesday renewed its request for the Jan. 6 select committee to turn over witness transcripts, saying that the "failure" to hand them over has hindered the DOJ's investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.

The big picture: This is the latest spat between the Jan. 6 panel and the DOJ, and the first time the department has suggested the committee has undermined the federal investigation into the attack on the Capitol.

Former Vice President Mike Pence refused to leave the Capitol on Jan. 6 despite urging from Secret Service because he "did not want to take any chance that the world would see the vice president of the United States fleeing the United States Capitol," his former counsel testified on Thursday.

Driving the news: The committee displayed photos of Pence in an underground location during the riot, including one showing Pence reading former President Trump's tweet from that day. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) also said that the rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol came within 40 feet of the former vice president.

• "Make no mistake about the fact that the Vice President's life was in danger," Aguilar said.

Dr. John Eastman, the conservative legal scholar and ex-lawyer for former President Trump who championed the theory along with Trump that the vice president could unilaterally reject electors, sought a presidential pardon in the aftermath of Jan. 6.

Why it matters: The revelation came out in a hearing of the Jan. 6 select committee, where the panel sought to prove that Trump and those around him were fully aware of the illegality of their plans.

Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti on Thursday pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and a tax charge in a federal court in Southern California, according to AP.

Why it matters: Avenatti is already serving two prison sentences from prior convictions for stealing nearly $300,000 from his former client, adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and from attempting to extort Nike out of more than $20 million.

The Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday released testimony from a slew of Trump administration aides about a "heated" phone call in which former President Trump berated his then-vice president for refusing to overturn the election.

What they're saying: "It started off [in a] calmer tone ... and then it became heated," former White House lawyer Eric Herschmann told the committee.

John Eastman, the ex-lawyer of former President Trump, has denied that there was anything wrong with his correspondence with conservative activist Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Why it matters: The statement comes a day after the Washington Post reported that the email communications, shared by people involved in the Jan. 6 committee's investigation, show Ginni Thomas' "efforts to overturn the election were more extensive than previously known."

President Trump's legal adviser said that though former Vice President Al Gore should not have been able to overturn the 2000 election and Kamala Harris should not be able to overturn the 2024 election, then-Vice President Mike Pence "should do it today," Pence's own counsel testified to the Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday.

Driving the news: "Al Gore did not have a basis to do it in 2000, Kamala Harris shouldn’t be able to do it in 2024. But I think you should be able to do it today," Greg Jacob recalled Eastman saying in a conversation before Jan. 6.

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows expressed doubts about former Vice President Mike Pence's ability to unilaterally reject electors, a former top Pence aide testified to the Jan. 6 committee.

Why it matters: The testimony, which played at a committee hearing on Thursday, specifically focused on former President Trump's efforts to pressure Pence to try to overturn the election and demonstrated how even Trump's top aides questioned the legality of his plans.

It's been 50 years since the Watergate break-in that resulted in the fall of President Richard Nixon, but the story of the three Latinos on an anti-communist crusade who carried out the burglary is still little known.

Why it matters: This came at a time when both political parties were courting Cuban Americans and Mexican Americans, who have had decades-long divisions in political ideology.

Former federal judge J. Michael Luttig testified Thursday that if former President Trump succeeded in convincing former Vice President Pence to declare Trump the president in 2020, it would have been "the first constitutional crisis since the founding of the republic."

The big picture: Luttig advised Pence that his only role was to "count the electoral college votes as they have been cast," rejecting Trump campaign attorney John Eastman's legal theory that Pence could unilaterally reject electors.

More than two dozen Catholic organizations, anti-abortion centers and other conservative groups in a new letter are demanding the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute attacks on churches, pregnancy resource centers and Supreme Court justices.

Why it matters: Abortion-related violence historically has been driven by anti-abortion extremists, but the leaked Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade has spurred a wave of attacks from abortion-rights proponents.

Herschel Walker, Georgia's Republican Senate nominee seeking to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), is facing new scrutiny after revelations of multiple children that had not been publicly discussed, as first reported by The Daily Beast.

Why it matters: Walker, who has spoken about the problem of "fatherless" homes, had only talked about his 22-year-old son, Christian, on the campaign trail. But the Daily Beast found Walker has three other children by three other women.

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack plans to seek testimony from conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the panel’s chair said Thursday.

The latest: Thomas told the Daily Caller she would agree to an interview. “I can’t wait to clear up misconceptions. I look forward to talking to them," she said.

Americans now are more familiar with Juneteenth than they were a year ago, when President Biden signed into law a bill to make it a federal holiday, according to a new Gallup poll.

The big picture: Approximately six in 10 Americans say they know "a lot"or "some" about Juneteenth, compared to less than four in 10 in May 2021.

Search interest in gas prices has risen steeply in the U.S. as the national average hit an unprecedented $5 per gallon on June 11, new Google Trends data shows.

Driving the news: "Gas prices" was in the top three most searched topics in 121 out of 435 congressional districts during the week of June 6-13, according to data Axios' midterms dashboard.

Baby formula manufacturer Abbott announced late Wednesday it has paused production at its plant in Sturgis, Michigan, due to a severe storm system that caused flooding.

Why it matters: The U.S. has faced a baby formula shortage because of supply chain issues compounded by the earlier closure of Abbott's Sturgis facility after an FDA product recall. The plant resumed production of EleCare and other specialty and metabolic formulas on June 4.

A Confederate flag-wielding father and son were on Wednesday found guilty of obstructing lawmakers from certifying the 2020 election through their actions during the Capitol insurrection, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: Prosecutors and law enforcement witnesses allege that Kevin Seefried, 52, and Hunter Seefried, 24, were among the first 15 rioters to breach the U.S. Capitol.

Arizona swing voters in our latest Engagious/Schlesinger focus groups said they're skeptical the Senate's bipartisan gun reform framework will make a meaningful difference in curbing gun violence or crime anytime soon.

The big picture: Getting inflation and gas prices under control was the most-cited priority — followed by protecting abortion rights — in two Monday night focus groups with 13 Arizonans who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, then Joe Biden in 2020.

Across the country, candidates who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 are running for office — and, in some cases, finding shocking success.

Driving the news: Ryan Kelley, a leading Republican candidate for Michigan governor, was arrested by the FBI last week on misdemeanor charges related to the Capitol riot, including engaging in violence on restricted grounds.

House Republicans welcomed to the Capitol on Wednesday a new self-described "anti-woke" business lobbying group, amplifying their hostility toward the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and broader "environmental, social and corporate governance" (ESG) movement.

Why it matters: The U.S. Chamber used to wield enormous power within the GOP as the representative of business interests. But the country's largest lobbying group is now viewed with contempt across large swaths of the Republican Party.

The Florida Department of Health said Wednesday that it has not pre-ordered COVID vaccines for children under 5 because it does not recommend the shot for all children.

Why it matters: Every other state has pre-ordered vaccine supply for the age group as they wait for federal regulators to authorize the shot, per McClatchy.

There are now a record 100 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes, according to the U.N.

The big picture: That number — which represents more than the total population of France, Turkey or Vietnam — means 1 in every 78 people on earth has been forcibly displaced. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have exacerbated the crisis.