Jan. 6 hearings, May inflation report, Japan tourism expands: 5 things to know Friday

Editors
·5 min read

Jan. 6 panel: Probe shows Trump led effort to overturn 2020 election

Washington and large swaths of the U.S. are still reeling Friday after members of a House Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol began Thursday night to show Americans what they found. They started to outline their case that the insurrection was the final act of an intricate scheme orchestrated by former President Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election. The public hearing, which aired in prime-time at 8 p.m. ET on multiple TV networks. At the heart of the case is a fundamental point: Trump and his advisers "knew" he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden and evidence will show that. Committee members also argued the attack was "not a spontaneous riot," but the last chapter of a broader seven-part conspiracy. In the night's most disturbing and emotional account, Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who was injured during the attack, described a "war scene" and used the terms "carnage" and "chaos." She also noted she was "slipping in people's blood" that day.

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Inflation hit new 40-year high in May

Inflation unexpectedly hit a new 40-year high in May as gas, food and rent prices surged, underscoring that its expected decline could be painfully slow. The consumer price index increased 8.6% annually, up from 8.3% the prior month and the largest rise since December 1981, the Labor Department said Friday. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 1%, compared to a 0.3% rise the prior month. After inflation eased off its recent four-decade high in April, economists thought it had begun a grindingly slow descent. May’s return to historic levels shows otherwise, as a broad range of goods and services rose sharply.

Officer charged with murder of Patrick Lyoya could appear in court

Christopher Schurr – a Grand Rapids, Michigan, police officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head on April 4 – has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Thursday. If convicted, Schurr could face a lifelong prison sentence with the possibility of parole. Becker said the second-degree murder charge was the most severe possible, given the evidence he reviewed as there was not any indication of premeditation from Schurr. Schurr turned himself in, Becker said, and his arraignment could come as soon as Friday. Schurr, who is white, killed Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black refugee from Congo, after a traffic stop. Schurr chased after a fleeing Lyoya and the officer deployed his stun gun twice and missed. Schurr and Lyoya then struggled across a lawn in a residential neighborhood. Lyoya was on the ground when Schurr shot him. He had demanded Lyoya take his hand off the officer's Taser, video showed.

Japan resumes tourism after tight pandemic restrictions

Japan opened its borders to foreign tourists Friday for the first time since imposing tight pandemic travel restrictions about two years ago, but only for people on tours with fixed schedules and guides, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Tourists from areas with low COVID-19 infection rates who have received three vaccine doses will be exempt from testing and quarantine after entry. After facing criticism that its strict border controls were xenophobic, Japan began easing its restrictions earlier this year and currently allows entry of up to 10,000 people a day, including Japanese citizens, foreign students and some business travelers. Now, Japan will double the cap to 20,000 a day, according to Makoto Shimoaraiso, a Cabinet official in charge of pandemic measures. It will take some time before foreign visitors can come to Japan for individual tourism, Shimoaraiso said.

Judge to hold hearing to decide date of Weinstein trial in LA

A hearing to decide the date for movie mogul-turned-convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein's Los Angeles sex crimes trial will take place Friday. Weinstein, who is charged with sexually assaulting five women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills hotels in alleged encounters between 2004 to 2013, is facing 11 sex-crime charges. In addition to the hearing in Los Angles, English prosecutors said Wednesday they authorized police to charge ex-film producer Weinstein with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in London in 1996. The Crown Prosecution Service said that “charges have been authorized” against Weinstein following a review of evidence gathered by London’s Metropolitan Police in its investigation. Weinstein is currently in jail in Los Angeles.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan. 6 hearings, May inflation report: 5 things to know Friday