Thursday morning news: June 22, 2023

JORDAN: [gavel strikes] The committee will come to order, and we welcome everyone to today’s hearing.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Durham » John Durham, the special counsel who investigated the origins and handling of the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe testified before Congress on Wednesday.

JOHN DURHAM: The FBI, CIA, and others received briefings about intelligence suggesting that there was a Clinton campaign plan underway to stir up a scandal tying Trump to Russia.

Durham’s yearslong probe found evidence of wrongdoing and anti-Trump bias by some within the Justice Department.

The top Democrat on the panel, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, accused Republicans of overblowing the Durham report after only one person was convicted of a crime in connection with the probe.

JERROLD NADLER: I understand that, like the former president, many MAGA Republicans had a lot riding on the Durham investigation. I understand that they might be disappointed with where it landed. But that is no excuse for making things up.

But GOP Congressman Mike Turner said just because certain people weren’t convicted of a crime does not mean they should escape all accountability.

MIKE TURNER: And that’s certainly why we’re holding hearings over the next two days to find out why aren’t people being held accountable.

Powell testimony » Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testified that with inflation still stubbornly high, more rate hikes are likely this year.

He says inflation has slowed down somewhat since the middle of last year.

JEROME POWELL: Nonetheless, inflation pressures continue to run high and the process of getting inflation back down to 2% has a long way to go.

The Fed last week froze interest rates in place after 10 straight hikes, so it could take time to gauge how higher interest rates for loans are affecting the economy.

Biden China » The more conciliatory tone between the White House and China lasted only a matter of hours. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: China is reacting angrily to comments President Biden made during a fundraising event in California on Tuesday when he called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a “dictator.”

That’s a view shared by most in Washington. But it caught senior administration officials off guard.

It came just one day after Secretary of State Tony Blinken returned from a diplomatic mission to Beijing to help “stabilize” crumbling relations between the two world powers,

Biden also said, quote, “The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment is he didn’t know it was there.”

Beijing called Biden’s remarks “absurd” and “an open political provocation which violated China’s political dignity.”

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Garland on Hunter Biden deal » Attorney General Merrick Garland responded Wednesday to questions about the plea bargain that Hunter Biden struck with the Justice Department a day earlier that will likely see the president’s son avoid jail time.

Garland said he would leave the matter in the hands of U.S. Attorney David Weiss.

MERRICK GARLAND: Who was appointed by the previous president and assigned to this matter by the previous administration, that he would be given full authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate.

Republicans note that Weiss, still ultimately reports to Garland. And they insist Hunter Biden received a “sweetheart deal.”

He will plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses. In exchange, the Justice Dept. will not prosecute him on a felony weapons charge.

Pentagon abortion » Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is blocking more than 200 U.S. military officer’s appointments until the Pentagon ends its policy of paying for the travel of service members seeking abortions.

The Biden administration says the senator is putting America’s military readiness at risk. But Tuberville counters:

TUBERVILLE: These jobs are being done as we speak, they're not empty. It is not affecting our readiness, anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

Tuberville says the Pentagon’s abortion policy is a violation of the Hyde Amendment, a law that bars taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.

Arkansas transgender law » A federal judge has struck down an Arkansas law that could have protected children from transgender interventions. WORLD’s Lauren Canterberry has more.

LAUREN CANTERBERRY: U.S. District Judge Jay Moody ruled Tuesday that Arkansas’s SAFE Act is unconstitutional, saying it violates the right to equal protection.

The first-of-its kind law would have prohibited doctors from prescribing transgender interventions to anyone under age 18.

Arkansas lawmakers approved the SAFE Act in 2021. Judge Moody temporarily blocked it the same year.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said he will appeal the ruling to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. the same court that upheld Moody’s temporary block last year.

A separate Arkansas law goes into effect this summer that will make it easier to sue providers who prescribe transgender drugs or procedures for children.

For WORLD, I’m Lauren Canterberry.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Pro-life pregnancy centers are getting mixed support in post-Roe America. Plus, Turning scrap wood into gift shop mementos.

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