Pence focus of Jan. 6 hearing, Buffalo suspect in court, 'Lightyear' in theaters: 5 things to know Thursday

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House committee probing Capitol attack reconvenes with Pence as focus

Focusing on former Vice President Mike Pence, the House Jan. 6 committee will unveil more evidence from a year investigating the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol during its next hearing Thursday. Former President Donald's Trump's effort to pressure Pence to overturn the election in his favor is what the committee will address when the hearing begins at 1 p.m. ET. Pence, as the Senate president, presided over the counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump tried to get him to reject electors from certain states President Joe Biden won. Pence became the target of the rioters when he refused to tamper with the results. The mob shouted "Hang Mike Pence" as they roamed through the Capitol. Trump also reportedly spoke approvingly of calls that Pence should be hung, according to witness testimony to the committee. Trump has denied that claim. John Eastman, an ex-Trump lawyer who allegedly formulated the plan for Pence to reject votes from seven states that were the difference in the outcome, may also be mentioned.

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Buffalo shooting suspect to appear in federal court after being charged

The Justice Department on Wednesday unveiled federal hate crimes charges against the suspected shooter in the Buffalo, New York, grocery store massacre last month, when authorities say he specifically targeted Black victims in an assault that left 10 people dead. The 26-count complaint, which includes 10 murder charges, makes Payton Gendron, 18, eligible for a possible death sentence if convicted. He is scheduled to appear in a Buffalo federal court Thursday morning on those federal charges. The criminal complaint filed Wednesday against Gendron coincided with a visit to Buffalo by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who met with the families of the people who were killed and placed flowers at a memorial outside the Tops Friendly Market, which has been closed since the May 14 attack. Garland, who halted federal executions last year, did not rule out seeking the death penalty against Gendron, who was already facing a mandatory life sentence without parole if convicted on previously filed state charges.

US heat wave: Some areas to see relief while others will see sweltering temps

People flocked to cooler spots in many parts of the U.S. Wednesday as a heat wave pushed temperatures into the 90s and beyond and may have caused the deaths of at least two people. The National Weather Service maintained an excessive heat warning through Wednesday evening for most of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. And the heat advisory in place for the Midwest and South stretched all the way east to the South Carolina shoreline, covering what is home to roughly a third of the U.S. population. Some areas were expected to get relief Thursday. But the hot weather moving out could bring severe thunderstorms east into the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and the mid-Atlantic region, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center forecast. Meanwhile, temperatures are forecast to climb well above normal across much of the Great Basin, Rockies and Southwest Thursday, the National Weather Service said. An excessive heat warning also was issued for parts of California and Arizona, where highs will again soar into the triple digits.

US Open golf championship begins Thursday

The U.S. Open begins Thursday in Brookline, Massachusetts, but all anybody wants to talk about is the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series. And Brooks Koepka – for one – is sick of it. "Y'all are throwing a black cloud on the U.S. Open," he told members of the news media. Golfers have had to address LIV after the PGA Tour suspended 17 golfers for joining the controversial new tour. The United States Golf Association, however, opted to allow LIV golfers – including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau – to compete in the U.S. Open. Golf Channel commentator Brandel Chamblee didn't pull any punches when talking about the golfers who joined LIV, saying, "They're destroying the game. And they are destroying their reputations."

Pixar's 'Lightyear' to blast into theaters ahead of the holiday weekend

"Toy Story" spinoff "Lightyear" lands in theaters for some showings Thursday evening before opening wide Friday. "Lightyear" essentially is the movie that Andy, the boy from "Toy Story," became obsessed with in the 1990s and spawned the Buzz Lightyear toy that he received for his birthday. The erstwhile Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America Chris Evans steps in for Tim Allen and voices a human Buzz that sees him dealing with the effects of a space mission that goes awry, facing existential crises, befriending a scene-stealing robot cat named Sox (Peter Sohn) and, later, trying to get a crew of rookies ready to battle the evil Zurg (James Brolin). In his ★★★ (out of four) review, USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt calls "Lightyear" a "spiffy space adventure" that "mostly works as an origin story for earnest space ranger Buzz Lightyear." However, he also says the movie "overall feels like a series of cobbled-together episodes that don't always flow smoothly."

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan. 6 hearing, Buffalo suspect in court: 5 things to know Thursday