Wednesday morning news: June 21, 2023

Hunter Biden plea » President Biden’s son Hunter has cut a plea deal with the Justice Department that will likely spare him any time behind bars. He’s pleading guilty to federal tax offenses to avoid prosecution on a felony weapons charge.

President Biden had little to say when asked to comment.

JOE BIDEN: I’m very proud of my son.

Republicans are calling it a slap on the wrist. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy:

KEVIN MCCARTHY: It continues to show the two-tier system in America.

He said there is one standard of justice for the son of a Democratic president, and another for a former Republican president.

The Justice Department charged Hunter Biden with tax evasion and a felony count of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user. That charge could have carried up to a 10-year prison sentence.

These charges are separate from Biden family bribery accusations that House Republicans are currently investigating.

Ukraine » Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned yet more Russian drone attacks, mostly aimed at or near Kyiv.

Ukraine’s air defenses took down all but three of the 35 Iranian-made drones. Ballistic missiles also struck the Zaporizhzhia region.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken says the U.S. is committed to supply air defenses and other weapons to Ukraine.

TONY BLINKEN: As the battlefield has changed, we’ve adapted to that. And we are in constant communication with the Ukrainians to make sure that they have what they need.

Ukrainian forces claim to have gained some ground against Russian forces despite heavy resistance.

Caribbean storms » Tropical Storm Bret is expected to strike the Caribbean by late Thursday.

National Hurricane Center specialist Robbie Berg.

BERG: It’s a little odd to have these types of systems out in the deep tropical Atlantic this time of year. That tends to happen more as we get into July and August.

Earlier, the storm was predicted to become a hurricane by the time it reached the island.

The National Hurricane Center is advising everyone in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to closely monitor the storm.

Forecasters are also keeping a close eye on another system chasing Bret, that could slam the Caribbean as a dangerous hurricane.

Sub search » The U.S. Coast Guard says a missing submarine has less than 24 hours of breathable air left for the five people are on board.

Rescuers last night continued searching the North Atlantic for the deep-water sub that has been missing since Sunday.

Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick:

JAMIE FREDERICK: This is a complex search effort which requires multiple agencies with subject matter expertise and specialized equipment.

The sub lost contact with a Canadian research vessel less than two hours after it began a dive to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.

SCOTUS rejects appeal over trans dorm » The Supreme Court has declined to hear a Christian college’s challenge to a Biden administration transgender rule. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: The College of the Ozarks filed a lawsuit against a rule issued in 2021 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The department sought to force colleges to assign transgender individuals to the dorms of their choice, rather than placing them in dorms corresponding with their biological sex.

Lower courts sided with the Biden Administration on a procedural point, saying the college hadn’t actually suffered any harm from the law.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Charitable giving » Charitable giving in the United States declined in 2022. It was only the fourth time in the last four decades that donations did not increase year over year.

That’s word from a new report released by the Giving USA Foundation.

Total giving fell 3.4% in last year to about $500 billion in current dollars, a drop of 10.5% when adjusted for inflation.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Washington Wednesday with Matt Klink. Plus, sharing the gospel with one’s enemies.

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