Things may only get more difficult for the president’s family after Hunter Biden’s conviction. What Charlie Kirk’s religious transformation says about the future of conservative politics. And Celine Dion opens up about her struggles with stiff-person syndrome.
Here’s what to know today.
After guilty verdict in Hunter Biden trial, focus shifts to tax case
Hunter Biden was found guilty on all charges related to his purchase of a handgun in 2018, when he lied on a federal form about his drug use. The verdict marked the first time a president’s son has been convicted on felony charges. Two of the three counts against Hunter Biden carry maximum prison sentences of 10 years, while the third has a maximum sentence of five years.
The Biden family and their close allies displayed their unity throughout the trial and continued to do so after the verdict. Most notably, President Joe Biden changed his travel plans and went to Wilmington, Delaware, to be with his son. He has already said he would not pardon his son. Here’s what else happened after the verdict was read.
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After the verdict, it didn’t take long for the Biden family and Republicans to look toward what lies ahead.
For Hunter Biden and his father, things may only get more difficult. A tax case set for trial in September could expose controversial information about Hunter Biden’s business dealings. And the timing of a trial, which could deliver a verdict as early voting begins in some key states in the November election, raises the stakes.
Meanwhile, Republicans have signaled they will be unsparing in their criticism of the Biden family as the focus turns to the tax case. But Hunter Biden’s conviction is a major blow to one of former President Donald Trump’s favorite talking points, that Biden has weaponized the Justice Department. The result, according to some Republicans, could be a boost to Biden’s case that he respects the rule of law.
With the presidential election drawing near, the Bidens’ tendency to handle family matters privately and with “the greatest degree of care” will be tested. Read more about the challenges ahead.
Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has undergone a religious transformation
The 30-year-old, who first became known for his work mobilizing college-age Republicans with Turning Point USA, was once deeply critical of the evangelical political movement. Now, he has become one of the most prominent voices calling on Christians to view conservative political activism as central to Jesus’ calling for their lives.
“I worship a God that defeats evil,” he said last week while introducing Trump at a rally at an Arizona megachurch. “And we worship a God that wins in the end.”
Kirk’s transformation embodies a growing embrace of Christian nationalist thinking within the Republican Party in the Trump era, according to political and religious scholars.
Kirk routinely rails against what he calls the “LGBTQ agenda,” which he claims is harming children. He also evokes the Seven Mountains Mandate, a philosophy increasingly popular among Trump supporters that calls on conservative Christians to claim positions of power in seven key mountains of society, including government, media, business and education. And, he says, Trump is key to restoring America as a Christian nation.
“He’s pitching his message to people who do believe that we’re in the end times, and that if we don’t seize the Seven Mountains of cultural influence, then the other side, the satanic side, will,” said Paul Matzko, a historian of American conservatism.
Map: The counties where affording a home is getting harder
Can a median-income household afford an average-priced home in the U.S.? That was the question NBC News’ data/graphics team sought to answer as part of its ongoing coverage of America’s challenging housing market.
For a growing part of the country, the answer is “no.”
Cost, scarcity, competition and economic instability are the four factors tracked in NBC News’ Home Buyer Index, with cost contributing the most to the difficulty homebuyers face. In our new story, we dive into how the affordability gap is creating “an impossible market.” Data/graphics intern Matthew Danbury breaks down four key takeaways:
🔻 94% down to 63%: Just five years ago, median-income households could afford median-priced homes in 94% of U.S. counties. As of April, that number has sunk to just 63%.
⛰️ Not just the coasts: The Cost Index has increased in 89% of U.S. counties over the past five years, as high interest rates and declining inventory have driven up prices.
🚗 40 minutes to work: Buyers are increasingly being forced to compromise on location as they are priced out of hot markets, one realtor said.
💰 ‘A lot of sacrifices’: One young homebuyer said her path to home ownership involved years of careful planning, side income and forgoing luxuries.
See where the affordability gap is the greatest and how your county compares, and use our interactive map to learn where you could afford a median-priced home.
More on the economy:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to report today that inflation remained unchanged in May, thanks mostly to housing costs.
Celine Dion shares her struggle with stiff-person syndrome
Celine Dion’s desperate desire to perform while she fought a rare neurological disorder once pushed her to regularly take up to 90 milligrams of Valium a day, she said — doses that could’ve been deadly. (Adult doses typically are 2 to 10 milligrams.) The revelation from the famed Canadian singer, who was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, came during an exclusive interview with the “TODAY” show’s Hoda Kotb. But with the help of doctors during the pandemic, Dion was able to cut back on the medicine.
Despite the threat of severe symptoms setting in at a moment’s notice, Dion talked about her desire to perform. Read more here.
Fewer people may need statins to prevent heart disease, new study suggests
Millions of Americans might not need to take a certain medication to lower their risk of heart disease under new guidelines from the American Heart Association, research shows. Statins, such as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor, are currently prescribed based on guidelines from 2013, which estimate risk based on a patient’s age, diabetes, blood pressure and other factors. Under the AHA’s updated heart disease risk calculator, researchers found that among people ages 40 to 75, some 40% fewer people would have met the criteria for statin protection, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found. Find out what has changed in the heart disease risk calculator.
Despite the update, doctors said those who currently have a prescription to statins shouldn’t stop using them.
Politics in Brief
Primary results: In Nevada, Army veteran Sam Brown clinched the GOP nomination for the Senate, setting up a key matchup in November. In North Dakota, Trump-backed Rep. Kelly Armstrong won the state’s Republican nomination for governor. And in South Carolina, Rep. Nancy Mace fended off a GOP primary challenger backed by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. See results from other notable races.
G7 meeting: Biden is in Italy this week for a three-day meeting of the Group of Seven, where a major topic of discussion among the world’s largest industrialized nations will be new ways to provide aid to Ukraine as it struggles to fight its war with Russia.
Secret recordings: Surreptitiously recorded interviews with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts offer a contrast in how each sees his role in the court. “What I’ll be interested in watching over the next few days and weeks is how liberals and conservatives respond” to both men’s comments, NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes.
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Staff Pick: A remarkable sighting on the Oregon coast
A 7-foot sunfish washed ashore on a beach, but that alone was not why it was an oddity. The monstrous creature turned out to be a specific type of sunfish: a hoodwinker sunfish. And the person who took notice was none other than the marine biologist who discovered the species in 2017. The photo first drew me into this story, but learning about the species was just as engrossing.— Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Did you know looking at your cellphone for long periods of time may be ruining your posture? Luckily, there are ways to fix it. And to keep your phone free to scratches and cracks, experts agree there’s one material for screen protectors that experts agree is best.
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