Wednesday morning news: June 12, 2024

Hunter convicted » Hunter Biden’s legal team says it will pursue all avenues for an appeal after a federal jury found him guilty on three felony firearms charges.

He left the Wilmington, Delaware courthouse without comment.

But Special counsel David Weiss, who prosecuted the case, told reporters …

WEISS:  This case was about the illegal choices defendant made while in the throes of addiction, his choice to lie on a government form when he bought a gun, and the choice to then possess that gun. 

Weiss added that no one is above the law and everyone must be accountable for their actions …

WEISS: Even this defendant. However, Hunter Biden should be no more accountable than any other citizen convicted of this same conduct.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. Mr. Biden faces up to 25 years behind bars. However, courts rarely throw the book at first-time offenders. And it’s unclear if the prosecution will seek prison time.

He still faces separate charges, though, in California for alleged tax crimes.

AUDIO: [Biden speech]

2. Biden campaigns on gun control » Meantime, President Biden addressed gun control advocates in Washington.

AUDIO: [Biden speech]

He again called for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons and universal background checks for gun purchases.

The president made no mention of his son’s legal woes …

But in a statement, he said “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today” … adding that they are—quote … proud of his strong and resilient recovery.

President Biden later left Washington for his Delaware home where he planned to spend time with Hunter Biden and his family.

Israel/Gaza/cease-fire latest » The Biden administration continues to press Middle Eastern governments to put pressure on Hamas to accept a new cease-fire proposal. Secretary of State Tony Blinken:

BLINKEN: We have the prospect of an immediate ceasefire, building toward an enduring one and tremendous relief for people in Gaza. But also opening prospects for Israel to build enduring security.

Blinken heard there after meetings in Tel Aviv on Tuesday where he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his support for that proposal.

He later met with the king of Jordan on the matter.

The UN Security Council voted 14 to 0 to approve the cease-fire plan put forward by the White House. Blinken said the international community has spoken with one voice.

BLINKEN: Everyone has said yes, except for Hamas and if Hamas doesn’t say yes, then this is clearly on them.

And a top official with the Palestinian Authority, Sabri Saidam, agreed that the world is largely united behind this proposal.

SAIDAM: We are here to tell the world that enough is enough, and I think the Security Council decision, the consensus to resolve the Arab Israeli conflict, was evident that enough is enough.

The proposal would roll out in three phases, with the first phase calling for a full and immediate cease-fire, with Hamas releasing some of the Israeli hostages it’s still holding.

German Ukraine recovery conference » Meantime, leaders from about a hundred countries will gather this weekend in Switzerland in hopes of charting a course to peace in Ukraine.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the German Parliament Tuesday. He said while we have a duty to protect our peoples, we have no aim or dream other than a peaceful Europe.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Zelenskyy spoke ahead of the peace summit at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin … where the focus was largely on the post-war future of Ukraine.

UN Development Program chief Achim Steiner:

STEINER:  And as you can imagine, with millions of people displaced and millions of people being refugees, the importance of helping Ukraine and its economy to continue to function, remains a top priority.

Russia has continued attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and power grid adding daily to the cost of rebuilding in Ukraine.

New U.S. sanctions against Russia » And U.S. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby says Washington wants to keep driving up costs for the Russian war machine.

The United States is set to announce new sanctions against Russia at this week’s G7 summit in Italy.

KIRBY: We will take bold steps to show Mr. Putin that time is not on his side and that he cannot outlast us as we support Ukraine’s fight for freedom.

This latest round of sanctions will target entities helping Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Southern Baptist Convention » The Southern Baptist Convention has expelled a prominent church from the denomination over its installment of a female pastor. The move came ahead of a vote at this week’s annual convention on the role of women in church leadership. WORLD’s Mark Mellinger has more

MARK MELLINGER: Voting representatives at the convention -known as Messengers- voted overwhelmingly to remove First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia from SBC fellowship.

A woman serves as pastor for women and children, and the church’s doctrine holds that women may serve in any pastoral role.

As the convention meets in Indianapolis this week, messengers will consider adding a formal ban on women pastors to the SBC Constitution. They approved the amendment on a first vote last year, and will vote again soon on whether to finalize that.

The convention’s official statement of doctrine already states that only men should serve as pastors. But some say that should be more clearly defined.

For example, some churches may hire women as ministers of children or music, leading to confusion on whether they’re serving as pastors.

For WORLD, I’m Mark Mellinger.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Getting to work on government funding…on Washington Wednesday. Plus, World Tour.

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