10 things you need to know today: June 8, 2022

Republicans who voted for Jan. 6 commission survive primaries, Ukrainian forces may 'be forced to pull back' from Sievierodonetsk, and more

Voting in Orange County
(Image credit: Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Image)

1. Republicans who voted for Jan. 6 commission survive primary challenges

Five of the 35 House Republicans who angered former President Donald Trump by voting to create the Jan. 6 commission appeared on primary ballots Tuesday, and at least four of them survived. In Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District, incumbent Michael Guest is headed for a runoff against challenger Michael Cassidy. Reps. Chris Smith (N.J.) and Dusty Johnson (S.D.) both easily defeated their primary opponents, while Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa) ran unopposed. The race in California's 22nd Congressional District is still too early to call, but as of Wednesday morning, Rep. David Valadao was leading challenger Chris Mathys by around 6 percentage points. "Before, it was perceived to be a done deal that Trump could kill you, and now it's not so clear," said GOP consultant Bob Heckman.

Politico The New York Times

2. Ukrainian forces may 'be forced to pull back' from Sievierodonetsk, governor says

Ukrainian troops facing a fierce Russian attack in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk may be forced to give up ground, Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Wednesday. "Fighting is still going and no one is going to give up the city even if our military has to step back to stronger positions," Haidai said on television. "No one will give up anything. But it's possible (they) will be forced to pull back," . Sievierodonetsk and its twin city, Lysychansk, are the last major obstacle standing between Russian forces and total control of Luhansk Oblast. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said it has opened road and rail access between Russian territory and occupied Crimea.

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Reuters CNN

3. FDA panel endorses possible 4th COVID vaccine

A federal advisory committee on Tuesday recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize another two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, this one manufactured by Novavax. Should the FDA move forward with authorization, the Novavax vaccine would become the fourth shot available for U.S. adults and the first created using traditional vaccine production methods. First, however, the FDA must approve the Novavax manufacturing process, which has had its fair share of troubles over the last few years. The vaccine isn't expected to be available for weeks.

The Week The New York Times

4. Caruso and Bass advance to runoff in Los Angeles mayoral race

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and billionaire Rick Caruso — a longtime Republican who switched parties earlier this year — will face off in a November runoff to replace term-limited Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. As of Wednesday morning, Caruso led Bass 42 percent to 37 percent, with 18 percent of precincts reporting. Caruso, who spent $37.5 million of his own money on his campaign, says he would expand the police force and tackle the city's homelessness problem. Bass, a six-term congresswoman, has called Caruso "divisive" and compared him to former President Donald Trump.

Variety The Los Angeles Times

5. San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin recalled

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin conceded defeat in his recall election on Tuesday night. With 53 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday morning, 60 percent of voters backed the recall; several news outlets projected his loss Tuesday night. Boudin was elected in 2019, promising to eliminate cash bail and divert low-level offenders into mental health and drug treatment programs. During his first two years in office, violent and property crimes dropped, while burglaries and motor vehicle thefts rose. The recall campaign against Boudin, which was heavily funded by business groups, accused him of not doing enough to keep San Francisco safe.

The Week Politico

6. Matthew McConaughey calls for gun reform at White House

Matthew McConaughey visited the White House on Tuesday to meet with President Biden and deliver an impassioned speech in support of gun reform. The Oscar-winning actor is from Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting last month. At a White House press briefing, McConaughey delivered emotional remarks recounting stories about the shooting victims after meeting with their families. He urged lawmakers to "make the loss of these lives matter" by implementing gun control reforms, including raising the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 to 21. The actor said "responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals."

The Week The White House

7. Wyoming GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis 'surprised' by constituents urging action on guns

Two weeks after Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said she didn't think strengthening background checks on gun purchases would "be acceptable in the state of Wyoming," she revealed on Tuesday that she was "surprised" by "how receptive Wyoming callers seem to be to address guns in some manner." Lummis told CNN that since the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two teachers dead, her office has received an influx of calls from Wyoming residents who want something to be done to prevent future massacres. After hearing from constituents, Lummis said she is considering voting for a package that would include allowing gun background checks to examine juvenile criminal records.

CNN The Week

8. World Bank: 'recession will be hard to avoid' for most countries

Global economic growth will slow before the end of 2022, and most countries should begin preparing for a recession, the World Bank said in an economic forecast released Tuesday. "For many countries, recession will be hard to avoid," wrote World Bank president David Malpass. "Several years of above-average inflation and below-average growth are now likely," he added, "with potentially destabilizing consequences for low- and middle-income economies. It's a phenomenon — stagflation — that the world has not seen since the 1970s." At the beginning of 2022, the World Bank predicted the world economy would grow 4.1 percent. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that number has been revised to just 2.9 percent.

Fortune HuffPost

9. U.S. facing increased threat of extremism over next 6 months, DHS warns

The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday warned of an increased threat of extremist violence over the next six months, as midterm elections, the potential downfall of Roe v. Wade, and surging migration at the southern border exacerbate tensions nationwide. In its latest National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin, the DHS said the U.S. is already in a "heightened threat environment" and the aforementioned factors could make matters worse. "In the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets," DHS wrote. The bulletin notably focused far more on homegrown extremism than threats from abroad.

The Associated Press The Week

10. Current inflation levels are 'unacceptable,' Yellen says

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday at a Senate Finance Committee hearing that current levels of inflation are "unacceptable." She blamed high prices primarily on "disruptions caused by the pandemic's effect on supply chains" and "disturbances to oil and food markets resulting from Russia's war in Ukraine." To lower costs for Americans, Yellen pointed to President Biden's clean energy initiatives and his plan to lower prescription drug costs.

The New York Times CNN Business

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.