hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and right around the world. i'm isa soares in london. just ahead here on cnn news room -- >> just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the republican congressmen. >> he asserted that he thought the justice department had not done enough. >> the only reason i know to ask for a pardon is because you think you've committed a crime. >> donald trump genuinely believes that he won the 2020

presidential election. and that is terrifying. >> damaging testimony against former president donald trump as officials inside the justice department detail how he tried to weaponize the department to steal the election. plus positive news for ukraine as the european council finally says okay to them becoming an official to join the eu. we're live this hour in brussels. and growing doubt over boris johnson's future as his party loses two high elections. >> live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. >> welcome to the show, everyone. it is friday, june 24th. 9:00 a.m. here in london, 4:00 a.m. in washington. the january 6 committee has held its last public hearing before the july 4th holiday break and there were plenty of fireworks. top officials in donald trump's

justice department testified the former president was relentless in pushing election conspiracies and wanted them to overturn the 2020 vote. the witnesses said every time there were bogus fraud claims, he'd push back with another demand. take a listen. >> you also noted that mr. rosen said to mr. trump, quote, doj can't and won't snap its fingers and change the outcome of the election. how did the president respond to that, sir? >> he responded very quickly and said essentially that's not what i'm asking you do. what i'm asking you to do is just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the republican congressmen. >> the committee revealed notes from the justice department officials documenting their calls with trump. and you can see it here, just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the republican congressmen. multiple sources tell cnn trump's allies acknowledged thursday's testimony causes damaging and bleak. another note revealing whether the former president was getting

his conspiracy theories. >> he told mr. donoghue in that december 27th call, quote, you guys may not be following the internet the way i do. >> we are also learning that several congressional republicans were pushing these internet conspiracy theories trying to overturn the election asking for pardons from trump. and they include scott perry, matt gaetz, mo brooks, marjorie taylor greene. more now from manu raju. >> he just told me it is your job to seize machines and you are not doing your job. >> reporter: top justice officials testifying about the lengths donald trump went to use the power of the federal government to pursue this conspiracy that the election was stolen. despite being told repeatedly there was no merit to his claims, trump demanding they declare the election corrupt and leave the rest to him and members of congress.

>> were any of the allegations he brought up found credible, did you find any of them credible? >> no. >> reporter: trump's pressure campaign was relentless. >> between december 23rd and january 3rd, the president either called me or met with me virtually every day. >> reporter: all of it came to a head in a tense january 3 oval office meeting when trump threatened to replace acting attorney general jeffrey rosen with jeffrey clark, a doj official who was willing to act on trump's plan. >> i do recall saying to people that somebody should be put in charge of the justice department who isn't frightened of what is going to be done to their reputation. >> reporter: but top doj officials balan balance being, including jeff donoghue.

>> i said that he is not even competent to serve. >> reporter: clark even writing this draft letter to georgia and other states where trump lost falsely claiming there was voter fraud and calling on them to convene special legislative sessions. >> when he finished discussing what he planned on doing, i said good [ bleep ] excuse me, sorry, congratulations, you just committed your first act as attorney general would be committing a felony. >> reporter: clark testified to the committee behind closed doors in february, but he took the fifth more than 100 times. >> executive privilege again just restated for the abundance of caution. >> reporter: trump only backed down when the top officials all threatened to resign in protest. >> and then the other ags began to chime in in turn and essentially said that they would leave, they would resign en masse if the president made that

change in the department leadership. >> reporter: committee members today also revealing more information about the gop lawmakers who sought a pardon, including scott perry who played a central role pushing for clark to be elevated in the justice department. eric hersh man saying he believs matt gaetz also was seeking a pardon. >> a pardon that he was discussing, requesting, was as broad as you could design. i remember from the beginning of time up until today. he had mentioned nixon and i said nixon's pardon was never nearly that wood. broad. >> only reason i know to ask for a pardon is because you think you've committed a crime. >> reporter: in addition to perry and gaetz, other republican members apparently also asked for pardons, that includes louie gohmert, mo brooks, andy biggs and marjorie taylor greene. greene has denied the testimony that the committee showed was

s secondhand testimony saying that they had heard that greene had asked for a pardon through the white house counsel's office. she's denied that. others though have confirmed it including mo brooks, the congressman from alabama who said that he had asked for a pardon, a blanket pardon, for all republicans who sought to challenge the election results, overturn the election results, because he said that he was concerned that democrats coming this would weaponize the justice department against their political enemies. manu raju, cnn, capitol hill. >> thanks very much, manu. the january 6 committee has met behind closed doors with the british filmmaker who documented the final week of the trump presidency. the three part series will be released this summer by discovery plus which provided us with this clip. have a look. >> can we talk for a minute about january 6? >> yeah. well, it was a sad day, but it

was a day where there was great anger in our country. people went to washington primarily because they were angry with an election that they think was rigged. a very small portion as you know went down to the capitol. and then a very small portion of them went in. but i will tell you they were angry from the standpoint of what happened in the election because they are smart and they see and they saw what happened. and i believe that that was a big part of what happened on january 6. >> after his deposition, alex holder sat down with don lemon to talk about this time with the trump's and committee questions. >> what was the focus of their questions? >> i think the focus was on the material we captured on january 6 and also some of the interviews as well, some of the interviews i had with the trump family. >> what were they most interested in today. >> because you spent hours and hours with the trump family, with trump associates, with the

former president, with the former vice president. so what were they most interested in about the time that you spent with them? >> i think that they were interested in them talking about the election and about whether the election had any irregularities, and also their comments if any on january 6. >> was there anything -- because there is a lot -- i'm sure there was a lot that was left on the editing room floor, right? because you only have a certain amount of time to put a documentary together. you don't have forever. was there anything that they were interested in that does not appear in the documentary? >> yes. so, i mean, the main one being there is sort of a -- the first part of the ivanka trump sort of reaction to her father's position on the election is in the documentary, but there is another part of it that didn't make it into the documentary. and they were interested in her

entire sort of piece on that particular point. >> inconsistencies perhaps because she says one thing to her father, she says another thing to the committee, and perhaps something different in your documentary. were they focused on possible inconsistencies from ivanka trump? >> i think so, yes. >> how so? >> i think that they just wanted to understand exactly when that particular interview took place, how it came about, and i think that they -- i think quite a few people think that there was some sort of inconsistency between what she said to the committee and what she said to me. >> the committee played testimony last week of ivanka trump saying that she accepted william barr 's conclusion that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud, but a documentary clip shows her saying that her father should fight until every legal remedy is exhausted. of course we'll stay on top of that story. flo . for the first time in

decades, gun safety is getting traction. the senate passed a bipartisan bill. the bill advocates resources for mental health, crisis intervention and school safety. it provides grants for states to enact red flag laws making it easier to take guns away from anyone who might be a danger to themselves or others. and it closes the so-called by friend loophole which had allowed some domestic violence offenders to buy and as well as own guns but it does fall short of what most americans and congressional democrats want. one senator says it may not be the best bill, but it is the best bill possible. >> this is not the measure i would have written if i had been doing it alone. but it marks meaningful progress. if you wait to get everything in the united states senate, chances are that you will get nothing. progress is better than nothing. this measure will save lives.

>> the passage of the senate bill came on the same day the u.s. supreme court dramatically struck down a new york state gun law that had been on the books you remember for more than a century. in a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that the new york conceal carry rule was unconstitutional because it restricts if you can carry a concealed gun in public. the stunning ruling is expected to have a far reaching impact. u.s. supreme court decision on abortion could come as early as 10:00 this friday morning. a leaked draft of the majority decision earlier this year indicated the court was preparing to overturn the landmark roe v. wade ruling that legalized abortion in 1973. the prospect of abortion becoming legal again set off a firestorm of protests right across the country. and if it does happen he of course of course we'll bring to you right here. a judge in florida has approved a billion dollar

settlement for those impacted by the collapse of the champion towers south a year ago. the settlement amount will be rewarded to survivors, families of deceased victims and owners of damaged property. the south florida community will mark the anniversary that claimed 98 lives with a public memorial. jill biden is expected to attend the service in a few hours from now. and breaking news coming to us from ukraine this hour, the country's military is apparently giving up on a city that they have been fighting for weeks now. regional military leader says ukrainian troops will pull out of severdonetsk, site of brutal street fighting that we've been seeing for weeks on end. he said ukrainian positions became unsustainable after russian artillery razed much of the city.

and also polysychansk shows tha there were unexploded rockets embedded in the street. ukraine says russian forces are advancing on the city from the south. as ukraine takes the losses on the front lines, more military aid will be headed there from the united states. washington says that it is sending another $450 million worth of weapons to ukraine. and that includes more advanced rocket systems which can launch a barrage of targets more than 60 miles away. the white house says it is doing its share of heavy lifting to help kyiv. have a listen. >> this is the 13th time that bill belichick has authorized a presidential drawdown crisis during the crisis bringing the total amount of security assistance we've provided to approximately $6.1 billion just since february 24. approximately $6.8 billion since the beginning of this administration. as president biden told

president zelenskyy when they spoke last week, the united states will continue to bolster ukraine's defenses and support its sovereignty and its territorial integrity. >> in addition to the rocket systems, the new aid also includes 18 patrol boats as well as artillery ammunition and small arms. as the war grinds on in eastern ukraine, brussels had good news on thursday after weeks of exhaustive review, the european council finally said ukraine to officially becoming a to join the eu. for ukraine it was a reason for help. president zelenskyy sense the move is not only helping ukraine but also the eu itself. >> translator: i believe this decision is not only for ukraine, this is the biggest step toward strengthening europe that docould be taken right nown our such difficult condition when the russian war is testing our ability to preserve freedom and unity. >> eu status was also granted to

moldova and additional candidacy given to georgia. in all three former soviet republics e78 bs embarking in tm they have shared for decades. and our correspondents are covering the angles from across the globe. i want to go to nic robertson. the speed of course in which this is happening is pretty historic. but it is one step of course that could take decades. talks through the challenges for ukraine. >> reporter: yeah, super fast. ukraine asked the european union that it would like to join back on the 28th of february, four days after russia invaded. fast forward four months and it really was a super fast forward to get candidate status. but the reality from here, i mean compared if you will to poland, which took ten years from taking that first move to becoming a member of the

european union, and they weren't at war. so poland is sort of taken as a benchmark standard if you will of how long it can take to become a member. there is a lot that ukraine has to do and candidate status does help with that because it provides financial support for some of the sort of legal heavy lifting that has to be done. there is an estimated 200,000 pages of eu law and that all has to be folded into ukrainian law, you know, rule of law, justice. issues and ways and means to tackle corruption. all of those types of issues have to be handled within ukrainian law to meet eu standards. and another area you might look at and see that it will take ukraine a long time to manage the transition because they are at war is in agricultural. eu and other international, other countries, say that russia is fighting a war using food

against ukraine and the rest of the world. ukraine's agricultural is being decimated. it can't use its ports to export last year's wheat. it doesn't have places to store the crops from this year. the world is looking at ways and the eu is looking at ways to help export those crops. but in terms of agricultural, all the sort of eu laws and regulations that ukrainians must sign up to and take on board in their agricultural practices, trying to do that under war with so many pressures, it really gives you an understanding that it is a very long process to come. >> long process and plenty of homework of course for ukraine. nic robertson for us there in brussels, thanks very much. good to see you. humanitarian agencies are scrambling to get aid to remote area of afghanistan. coming up, we'll take a live report on the earthquake that has devastated parts of the nation leaving more than 1,000 dead. plus dangerous heat is now blanketing much of the u.s.

derek van dam telling us that there might be some relief in sight? >> unfortunately not. south of the united states continues to bake under this impressive heat dome. i'll show you how hot it will get plus we're tracking some tropical mischief across the atlantic ocean. i'll show you where coming up. and that voice begs you to quit. as the pain sets in. and the hill growsws steeper. no matter what, we go on. biofreeze.

it has been two days since the earthquake in afghanistan killing more than 1,000 and rescue workers are struggling to reach survivors. humanitarian agencies are trying to get aid into the area, but many of the villages are remote and difficult to reach. however the u.n. refugee agency says it successfully dispatched humanitarian aid to cover the needs of approximately 4,000 people. vedika sud is joining us with the latest. where are we on the relief effort, is it arriving to the remote provinces? >> reporter: relief efforts are undergoing as of now, but they

are trickling in very slowly. these aid agencies are facing several challenges. the first of course is the lack of coordination over the last few months ever since taliban takeover in august last year. international aid organizations are reluctant really to reach out to the taliban and keep communication lines flowing between the two. and that is one basic reason why there is a lack of coordination on the ground. according to some of the officials from these aid agencies that we have been speaking to. the other problem they are facing of course, are lot of these roads that lead to these regions and these mountainous regions, the villages that have been cut off really are actually cut off because of landslides and mudslides that took place earlier on due to the floods in these areas.e communications is in some areas. but, yes, there has been movement when compared to the last 48 hours wednesday and thursday. these aid organizations have

been able to send in some rescue material and relief material to the people there in terms of food, medicines and tents. now, let me just take you through some of the aerial visuals that we've been getting from different aid organizations which they have put on their twitter handles as well. what we see is mass destruction really due to the earthquake especially in eastern afghanistan. and inside this prove vince, th are homes without roofs, people living right next of their homes or whatever is left of it, complete rubble and debris and living in tents right next to it awaiting help from officials and aid organizations. so we do know that the death toll unfortunately stands at over 1,000. we're waiting word from officials from the region to update that figure if there has to be an update. but it will take time before we know the extent of damage, the large scale extent of damage to this area given that relief

material, relief organizations are still getting to these spots. himself we've spoken to analysts in afghanistan who have just said that when it comes to relief efforts in these areas, as of now they can only define it as patchwork. there is a lot more to be done in this area to make it a stronger region in terms of its economy infrastructure to battle such national calamities because the medical offering also in this area, the assistance in this area, is extremely poor due to it being a very, very poor region economically as well. >> yeah, very dire situation indeed. thanks very much, vedika sud. much of the united states is sweltering with dangerously high temperatures, record setting heat has sellinged over the south and some plain states around 40 million people are under heat alert, triple digit temperatures are expected to push as far north as nebraska.

nearly 70% of the country population will see highs of 90 degrees fahrenheit in the coming hours. let's get details from derek van dam at the cnn weather center. before the break, you had this really heat globe that really covered much blanketed much of the country. >> yeah, we call that heat dome and that heat dome is what is responsible for this oppressive heat, the triple digit temperatures. i hope that you can see this on my map here because we had to highlight that new orleans, a large population here in louisiana, in the gulf coast area, a lot of humidity within this area. the heat index today will reach 116 degrees. that is 46 degrees celsius. that is why the national wealth service has heat warnings for that location, heat watches across florida, and that is where we have heat advisories in place. we broke a number of records. macon georgia just outside

atlanta, 104 degrees. so we have the potential to break more record high temperatures today. and you can see where they are kind of con glom rated right along the soirn states. louisiana, eastern texas, georgia, mississippi, alabama and into florida, all thanks to the heat dome that continues to shift eastward through the course of the weekend. and that means that we'll see the heat move eastward along with it. here is a look at your temperatures through the course of the weekend, triple digit heat for dallas and houston. atlanta, even though your temperatures will reach the lower 90s, we'll still have the humidity factor to deal with. new orleans more of the same for you. you saw the heat warnings in place. chance of severe weather today northern plains and northern midwest states. check it out from fargo to south dakota, severe winds and large hail, even a pepotential tornad. you can thank a cold front across the area. but take note because 'tis the season. it is the tropics, this is just

off the west coast of africa, a tropical wave has just emerged and the national hurricane center has a 40% chance of development. we'll monitor this very closely. that is saharan dust suppressing development at the moment, but as it continues to march westward, we have the potential to see our first tropical depression at least across this region of the season. back to you. >> and derek, very quickly, these temperatures, is that normal for this team of the year for us here on the other side of the atlantic? >> we're talking 46 degrees celsius, and there is nothing normal about that. so we're talking 15, 20 degrees frarn farn renheit above where we sho be. >> derek, thank you. still ahead, more on our top stories including a look at how donald trump wanted the justice department to back up his election conspiracies. plus british voters can showing their displeasure with boris johnson voting against

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saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. welcome back. let me get you up-to-date on our top stories. three former justice department officials are providing firsthand accounts of donald trump's pressure campaign on them to overturn the 2020 election. trump's acting attorney general and two of his top deputies testified before the january 6 committee on thursday. they said trump demanded they declare the election corrupt and threatened to install a new attorney general who would back his false claims. have a listen.

>> he discussed a variety of election matters. he did say this sounds like the kind of thing that would warrant appointment of a special counsel. there was a point at which the president said something about glad you guys seized machines. >> and we learned from testimony and emails that number of republican members of congress requested pardons after january 6. you are looking at them on your screen. federal investigators are also looking into another part of donald trump's plot to overturn the 2020 election. sara murray has that story for you. >> reporter: the justice department escalating its criminal probe into the fake elector scheme. >> president donald j. trump of the state of florida, number of votes, 11. >> reporter: federal investigators are pursuing information in several battleground states where his

allies put forward fake electors to try to help trump overturn the results. >> the great -- >> reporter: among those subpoenaed david shaffer sources tell cnn. the electors plot a recurring theme in the house select committee's january 6 hearings. >> we've seen how president trump worked with and directed the republican national committee and others to organize an effort to create fake electoral slates. and later to transmit those materially false documents to federal officials. >> reporter: congressional investigators laying out how the former president roped the national committee into his plan. >> what did the president say? >> essentially he turned the call over to mr. eastman who then proceeded to talk about the importance of the rnc helping the campaign gather these contingent electors. >> reporter: all while trump and his allies tried to convince swing state republicans to plant the electors for joe biden and make way for trump.

in arizona statehouse speaker rusty bowers testified that he got calls from trump, attorney john eastman and congressman andy biggs. >> what did mr. biggs ask you to do? >> he asked if i would sign on both to a letter that had been sent from my state and/or that i would support the decertification of the electors. and i said that i would not. >> reporter: in pennsylvania, a barrage of calls from trump's attorneys to statehouse speaker brian cutler. >> this is rudy giuliani and janet ellis. we'd like you to discuss obviously the election. >> hello, mr. speaker, this is jenna ellis and i'm here with mayor giuliani -- >> reporter: in michigan a plan allegedly floated by a trump campaign official for fake electors to hide overnight in the state capitol. >> michigan republican electors were planning to meet in the capitol and hide overnight so that they could fullfill the roe

of casting their vote. i told them that it was insane and even appropriate. >> reporter: officials like bowers cutler and cox refused to go along with team trump's plans. but across the country some 100 others complied, signing bogus elector slates that are now the focus of a criminal probe. and one who spoke to the january 6 committee said that they believe the so-called alternate slates of electors would only be put forward if trump succeeded in his legal challenges. of course now we know that trump and his allies barreled forward with this plan even when it was clear that their challenges would not succeed in court. sara murray, cnn, washington. how much longer can prime minister boris johnson hang on at number 10? already riddled by scandals, the ruling conservative party just suffered two embarrassing election defeats. one had been caught watching

porn in parliament. the other was convicted of sex offenses. >> simon robert labour party, 30,000160 votes. >> and liberal democrat won by a whopping margin. a short time ago the chairman of the conservative party informed the prime minister that he was stepping down over the poor results. nada bashir is following this for us. what a morning it has been. this is a crushing defeat no doubt for the prime minister because swings are huge. but this resignation is telling, very telling. and could paint a picture of what the prime minister has coming the rest of the year. >> yeah, absolutely. what is interesting from that resignation that is the first that we've heard from anyone in the conservative party, expressing perhaps quiet over these results, and they are significant. the prime minister facing two

defeats, double blow to the prime minister and the party. per mps expressing concern that this could impact the general election. and important to note of course wakefield is traditionally a labour seat. so that is a significant win back for the labour party. and we've heard from boris johnson speaking this morning, he has acknowledged that these are tough results for the conservative party. and he says that he is listening to the voters. take a listen. >> yes, it is absolutely true that we've had some tough election results. and they have been i think a reflection of a lot of things, but we've got to recognize that voters are going through a tough time at the moment. and i think that as a government, i've got to listen to what people are saying and in

particular to the difficulties people are facing over the cost of living, which is i think for most people the number one issue. >> is it the number one issue? >> the cost of living is certainly a key priority for a lot of voters, but it isn't the only issue the prime minister has been wrapped up in numerous scandals, namely the partygate scandal facing three separate inquiries, questions about his integrity, it does seem to be one scandal after another for the prime minister. we've already heard from the conservative party chairman this morning, let me read and you quit bit, he says this is the latest in a run of very poor results. he said that conservative voters have been distressed and disappointed by recent events and that somebody must take responsibility. that is him issuing his resignation. but many critics that might say that actually should be the prime minister taking responsibility. we've already heard from

victorious candidates say that it is time for the prime minister to go. >> well, let's see whether others will follow with a resignation there. nada, thank you very much. and while mr. johnson isdifs attending the summit in rwanda where he is set to hold a private meeting with prince charles in the coming hours. they may discuss mr. johnson's controversial plan to send refugees to rwanda, a plan that the prince reportedly said was appalling. boris johnson says that the uk and rwanda have worked make sure that the policy follows human rights protocols. while boris johnson is not the only high profile brit in rue with an a todarwanda, and we'll you what prince charles is doing there as well. and we'll have

details in the eastern city that we're told has fallen to russian forces and what it means cr crucially for the war.

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welcome back. let me bring you more on our breaking news out of ukraine this hour. the country appears to be conceding a key city in the east. regional governor says ukrainian troops will pull out of severdonetsk where they have been fighting grueling street battles with russia for weeks now. salma abdelaziz is following this for us. and i know we've been expecting this for some time because i remember you telling me it was a question of if not when. but this is pretty significant nevertheless. >> reporter: absolutely. waking up to this news today from regional officials. i want to read you exactly what they are saying because this is really important. they appear now to be succumbing to this superior russian

firepower and they say that they will withdraw from the city. i'm reading you exactly the words. unfortunately, we will have to withdraw our military, it makes no sense to stay in positions broken after many months of hostilities because the number of dead and unfortified territories may grow every day. our defenders who are there have already received the command to withdraw to new positions and to fully conduct hostilities from there. so it appears that what ukrainian forces now what do is pull out of severdonetsk, that very important city where they were really holding the last stand, a last bit of resistance in this chemical plant, the azot chemical plant. there were civilians trapped in that plant and now ukrainian forces saying that they will have to pull back, they have sub con con succumbed to the assaults backed by airstrikes. and this is an industrial city

largely destroyed again in this artillery war, but it is hapartf the luhansk region and one president putin's major goals is to take control of the donbas to be able to connect the land bridge along the east toward crimea to solidify the gains for russian forces. and it seems that they are one step closer to doing that. of course it is very concerning for some 7,000 civilians that are estimated still trapped in severdonetsk. so we'll wait to see if there is an agreement made to allow those civilians to get out safely. but at times of course we've also seen civilians forced in to russian territory. so we don't know their fate. but it is very clear that ukrainian defenders simply cannot hold out any longer. >> and regional leader also warning that they are targeting

l lies hafrk. and in rwanda, the leaders will take a group photo before the prince of wales ohosts a reception. and let's get more from larry madowo. prince charles of course the next british monarch will be addressinged ed the heads of government from countries who may be looking to cut ties with the royal family. will he address this do you think? >> reporter: likely something that he will have to talk about because you see for instance a big push from the caribbean nations that are trying to drop the queen as head of state like barbados did. and within the wider commonwealth, a lot of british colonies are reviewing their

relationship with the uk even as it tries to expand what used to be the british empire. for instance in the opening ceremony, they point out that the fact that it is happening in rwanda speaks to how the common wealth is trying to reimagine a world and think about connecting and improving the lives of all their citizens. during this summit, they might also be accepting into the membership over countries that didn't have a traditional connection again to the british empire. truly it is impossible to i go n nor the i willelephant in the r with these nations saying that it was type to drop the queen following the example of barbados. it will be interesting to see how prince charles addresses it

and if it is satisfactory to the leaders there and also the citizens. >> larry madowo, thanks very much. appreciate it. do we have the live images of the royal portrait coming? no. as soon as we get it, we'll bring it to you. we're expecting royal portrait there. principles william and duchess of cambridge are subject of the painting and their first official portrait of the future king and queen. the royal couple visited the fitz william museum where the portrait is on display. it shows them gazing off into the distance with catherine wearing the emerald dress that she wore on a there into dublin back in 2020. the artist says that he wanted to show them looking both relaxed and approachable as well as elegant and dignified. we'll be right back. your reason to go on. let it pull you. past the doubt. past the pain. and past your lilimits.. no matter what, we go on.

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thursday night. the freshman went number one overall to the orlando magic. banchero started all 39 games for the blue devils and led all freshmen in scoring. and molgren went number two. first three picks were all freshmen. congratulations to them. the new york racing association just suspended one of the most famous horse trainers ever, the ban for bob baffert is one year, although he will get credit for time served under temporary suspension after he was already suspended by the kentucky racing commission after medina spirit failed a drug test. he has won the triple crown twice in his career. sky watchers do take note, depending on your time zone, you may be right now at peak viewing of a rare five planet alignment. mercury, venous, mars, jupiter

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. good morning, everyone. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. it is friday, june 24th, i'm laura jarrett. christine is off this morning. we begin with a remarkable hearing on capitol hill thursday as the amerimamerican public hew testimony about former president trump's effort to weaponize the justice department for his own political ends. three trump appointees, top justice officials, painting a vivi