Spotlight on Pence

A House hearing investigating the Capitol attack turned its focus on former Vice President Mike Pence. A Russian spy was captured after making an attempt to infiltrate a court investigating Ukraine war crimes. And it's official: New music from Beyoncé is on the way.

👋 Hey pals! Laura Davis here. It's Thursday, and there's Beyoncé news, so let's get to it.

But first, how many is too many? 🦜 A New York man has been arrested multiple times in a dispute over how many bird feeders he has in his yard. Read more.

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Hearings: Name-calling, death threats, intense pressure on Pence

Pence's refusal to single-handedly reject electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, as former President Donald Trump pressured him to do, was the subject of Thursday's House hearing investigating the Capitol attack. The panel heard from multiple witnesses who outlined Trump's effort to pressure his vice president to reject electoral votes for Joe Biden during the official certification of state results. The panel's leaders said the evidence showed Trump wanted Pence to either declare Trump the winner or send the votes back to the states to be counted again. According to videotaped witness testimony, on the morning of Jan. 6, Trump telephoned Pence and called him a "wimp" and the "p-word." But Pence resisted that coercion – even amid death threats from those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the day the House and Senate certified Biden's election win. Everything that happened today.

• '1776 Returns': Filing reveals Proud Boys Jan. 6 plan to storm buildings.

• Trump raised millions to fight election fraud. Here's where that money went.

It's official: New music from Beyoncé is coming

Beyhive, you ready? A new project from Beyoncé is coming. Buzz about a new endeavor from the singer began last week after she took down all of her profile photos from social media and people within her circle began dropping hints and seemingly-random adoration posts for the star. In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Tidal, the music streaming service formerly owned by Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z, announced official news: Her upcoming release "Renaissance" will arrive this summer with "Act I" coming July 29. Here's what we know.

What everyone's talking about

• Gun background checks still lack mental health records from 3 states.

• School thought it was serving milk to kids. Turns out it was floor sealant.

• Toddler was mauled by a pack of puppies. Was it 'littermate syndrome'?

• Louisiana man who rescued 13 kittens sees outpouring of support.

• 'Come and get me': Stephen Colbert fires back at Proud Boy who name-dropped him in court.

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Russian spy captured in attempt to infiltrate war crimes investigation

A Russian military spy posed as a Brazilian national in an attempt to get an internship at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, which is investigating war crimes allegations in Ukraine, the Dutch intelligence service said Thursday. The General Intelligence and Security Service named the Russian intelligence officer as Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov and said that in April he used an elaborately constructed identity to try to infiltrate the court. According to officials, his infiltration would have provided a "significant contribution" to Russian intelligence, and might also have been able to influence criminal proceedings. Cherkasov was detained at a Dutch airport and deported to Brazil, where he could face court proceedings.

• 2 U.S. military veterans feared captured in Ukraine. Latest updates.

• Many LGBTQ Ukrainians face hurdles entering U.S. under humanitarian programs.

Feds warn Lake Mead, Colorado River dangerously low

A top federal water official told Congress this week that shortages on the Colorado River system have taken an even grimmer turn, with a whopping 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of reduction in water use needed by 2023 just to keep Lake Mead functioning and physically capable of delivering drinking water, irrigation and power to millions of people. Levels at the reservoir have dropped to an all-time low of 28% of capacity, with no relief in sight, said Camille Touton, Bureau of Reclamation commissioner. Tens of millions of people, including residents of major cities like Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix, rely on the lower Colorado River basin system. What efforts are needed? Keep reading.

Real quick

• Closely watched Alzheimer’s study fails to prevent advance of disease.

• Baby formula production halted at Abbott plant after severe storm.

• Quick death penalty decision urged for Buffalo shooting suspect.

• WNBA champ Sue Bird announces 2022 will be her final season.

• Yellowstone flooding recedes as tourists evacuate. What's the damage?

How much water do we really need?

A viral trend going around has people drinking a gallon of water each day. Should you? Dehydration is a common cause of many of the ailments that bring patients to the ER on a daily basis, with headaches and dizziness, nausea, abdominal cramping and constipation, muscle aches and kidney stones. Biologically, this makes sense, given that 60% of our body is water. The benefits of adequate hydration are undisputed, but how much do we really need? The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 3.7 liters of fluids per day for men and 2.7 liters for women. It might seem like a lot, but remember that about 20% of our daily fluid intake comes from food. Drink up! And keep reading to learn more.

• Keep cool this summer by recognizing and preventing heat illness.

• Man found dead in Death Valley National Park after running out of gas during heat wave.

A break from the news

• 🛍 Amazon Prime Day 2022 starts July 12. Here's what we know.

• 🎢 No kids? No problem. What it's like going to Disney World solo.

• ⛽️ Is it actually dangerous to use your phone while pumping gas?

• 👀 Got spies? How to see if anyone is using your Gmail, Facebook, or Netflix accounts.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan. 6 hearings, Beyoncé, Russian spy captured, Lake Mead. Thursday's news.