Thursday morning news - July 1, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Anna Johansen Brown. 

President Biden visits site of condo collapse » President Biden is in Surfside, Florida today where a condo building collapsed a week ago, killing a still unknown number of people.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki…

PSAKI: Well, the president and first lady will be thanking heroic first responders, search and rescue teams and everyone who’s been working tirelessly around the clock. They will also be meeting with families who have been forced to endure this terrible tragedy.

Four more bodies were found Tuesday night, raising the death toll so far to 16 people. Nearly 150 others are still missing.

Crews searching for survivors have built a ramp that should allow the use of heavier equipment. That could speed up the removal of concrete, and the state fire marshal said that—“could lead to incredibly good news.”

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said Thursday…

BURKETT: We’ve got heavy, heavy equipment, and it’s actively lifting gigantic pieces of concrete out of that pile. We’ve got waves of first responders and rescue people all over the top of that mound.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. A 2018 engineering report found signs of structural damage and cracking in concrete columns.

Trump joins Texas governor at southern border » Fresh off his first rally since leaving the White House, former President Donald Trump made a high profile visit to the southern border on Wednesday.

With traffic and illegal crossings at the border surging since January, Trump hammered President Biden for reversing his policies.

TRUMP: All Biden had to do was go to the beach. If he would have just done nothing, we would have now the strongest border we’ve ever had.

Trump traveled to south Texas at the invitation of Gov. Greg Abbott, who told reporters...

ABBOTT: The increase of people coming across the border who have been apprehended has gone up more than 800 percent in just that May over May and in April it was the exact same thing.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 180,000 encounters on the Mexican border in May, the most since March 2000

The Republican governor also said the Biden administration’s polices are to blame.

In recent weeks, Abbott has rolled out plans to continue building the border wall and $250 million in state funds for that purpose.

Texas state troopers plan to begin arresting illegal border crossers and jailing them for state crimes, such as trespassing.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the border in El Paso, Texas last week. She said the problems on the border are a lingering consequence of Trump’s border policies.

House votes to form Jan. 6 committee » Democrats in the House voted Wednesday to launch a new investigation of the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.

AUDIO: On this vote, the yeas are 222 and the nays are 190. The resolution is adopted.

The party line vote will set up a special committee to probe the Capitol siege.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of the vote…

PELOSI: What we are seeking is the truth.

The action came after Senate Republicans blocked creation of an independent commission. Many GOP lawmakers said that commission would have been—and that the forthcoming House committee is redundant, as multiple panels have already probed the incident.

Republicans also rejected the new probe as “incomplete” because it would not look into other politically motivated incidences of violence.

Cosby freed after Penn. Supreme Court overturns conviction » Bill Cosby is a free man after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his conviction. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The 83-year-old comedian flashed the V-for-victory sign as he returned to his home in Philadelphia after nearly three years in prison.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned Cosby’s conviction for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004.

He could have served up to seven more years.

The state’s high court found that District Attorney Kevin Steele was obligated to honor his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby. After that promise, Cosby gave potentially incriminating testimony. The ruling precludes the possibility of further prosecution. Though the comedian only faced charges in Constand’s case, numerous other women accused Cosby of sexual abuse.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Donald Rumsfeld dies » Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has died at the age of 88.

Rumsfeld became the youngest person to serve as defense secretary at age 43 under then-President Gerald Ford. After years working in the private sector, he returned to the position in 2001 at age 68. He served under President George W. Bush until he resigned in 2006.

He’s heard here in a farewell message to U.S. troops:

RUMSFELD: You are the ones who live the successes and who endure the setbacks of this struggle, who find your daily missions a personal test of will.

Rumsfeld was also White House chief of staff under President Ford. Before that, he served six years as a Republican congressman from Illinois.

I'm Anna Johansen Brown. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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