Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack added to its case against Donald Trump; A St. Louis pastor argued against a city ordinance preventing him from passing out bologna sandwiches to homeless people; Dutch authorities uncovered a Russian spy attempting to infiltrate the International Criminal Court, and more.

National

Trump pressure on Pence set the stage for Jan. 6 violence, committee argues

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack added to its case Thursday against the country’s former commander in chief, making Donald Trump’s pressure on his vice president the focus of its latest public hearing.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence arrive for a campaign rally at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Mich., on Nov. 2, 2020. At right is White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Evidence of gasoline price gouging is very hard to find

Oil company profits are way up, but gas station profits have declined in 2022 as prices soared, according to a study published in Barron’s.

Gasoline prices are displayed at a gas station in Vernon Hills, Ill., on April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

McKinsey consultancy under fire at 2nd Circuit from persecuted Saudi dissident

The Second Circuit dug in Thursday to a lawsuit that says the Saudi Arabian government apprehended and tortured a man’s family based on a report from the consulting giant McKinsey & Co. that flagged his online activity.

A report prepared by McKinsey & Company consulting firm lists three "major influencers" who were critical of Saudi Arabia online. One of the men, Omar Abdulaziz, sued the firm, saying he was harassed and his family was captured and tortured as a result. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

Regional

Maxwell asks for leniency on convictions tied to Epstein sex ring

Ghislaine Maxwell faces decades in prison for her role in grooming victims for her former pedophile boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, but a new letter from Maxwell’s defense team asks a New York federal judge for a significantly lenient prison sentence of four to five years.

Prosecutors used photographs recovered from Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan townhouse to illustrate the close romantic relationship between the late financier and Ghislaine Maxwell. The British socialite faced a six-count indictment in connection with enticing teenage girls into sexual abuse by Epstein. (Courthouse News via Department of Justice)

Pastor challenges St. Louis restrictions on feeding homeless at Eighth Circuit

A city ordinance preventing a St. Louis pastor and his associate from passing out bologna sandwiches instead of granola bars to homeless people violates their constitutional rights, the religious leaders argued before the Eighth Circuit on Thursday morning.

The Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse in St. Louis, Mo., home of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. (Joe Harris/Courthouse News)

International

In Kyiv, European leaders show support for Ukraine

The leaders of Germany, France and Italy – the European Union’s most powerful nations – arrived in Kyiv by train Thursday with the goal of showing their support for Ukraine while discussing how to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron during a working session at Mariyinsky Palace in Kyiv on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

Dutch foil Russian plot to plant undercover agent at ICC

Dutch authorities say they uncovered a Russian spy attempting to infiltrate the International Criminal Court to gain access to sensitive information about ongoing war crimes investigations in Ukraine.

FILE- In this Nov. 7, 2019 file photo, the International Criminal Court, or ICC, is seen in The Hague, Netherlands. President Donald Trump has lobbed a broadside attack against the International Criminal Court. He's authorizing economic sanctions and travel restrictions against court workers directly involved in investigating American troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan without U.S. consent. The executive order Trump signed on Thursday marks his administration’s latest attack against international organizations, treaties and agreements that do not hew to its policies. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Hezbollah members get life sentences for killing Lebanese prime minister

A special appeals chamber of a United Nations tribunal sentenced two men to life in prison on Thursday for the 2005 assassination that killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon building in Leidschendam, Netherlands. (Molly Quell/Courthouse News)