Here's a roundup of news trending across the nation and around the world today.
What to know now:
1. Comey testimony: Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before Congress in an event that has become must-see TV on a Thursday morning. Millions around the country are expected to tune in to watch Comey's appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Networks will be interrupting regular programming to broadcast the testimony live. At least one cable news channel has had a countdown clock on its screen, ticking off the minutes until Comey is sworn in. You can follow Comey's testimony online with live updates here.
2. Opening statement released: Comey released a copy of his prepared remarks Wednesday in advance of the hearing. He said in the four months he served as President Donald Trump's director of the FBI, Trump had asked him for his loyalty during a meeting at the White House, had asked for reassurance that he was not under investigation, and had urged him to drop the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. In the statement, Comey said he told Trump that he was not personally under investigation by the FBI. "The President feels completely and totally vindicated," Trump attorney Marc Kasowitz said Wednesday night after Comey's statement was released.
3. UK vote: Voters across the United Kingdom will be going to the polls Thursday to pick a leader. The race between Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour Party candidate Jeremy Corbyn has tightened in the wake of the London Bridge attack last week – the third terror attack in three months.
4. Stoops retires: Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops announced Wednesday that he would be retiring after 18 seasons of leading the Sooners football team. Stoops, who has won 10 conference championships along with a national championship while at the school, was the longest-tenured active football coach at a major university. He gave no specific reason for his retirement.
5. North Korea missile launch: North Korea on Thursday fired several suspected short-range anti-ship missiles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The missiles were fired from the North Korean coastal town of Wonsan and likely flew about 125 miles, reaching a maximum altitude of about 1.2 miles, according to The Associated Press. The missiles landed in the area where the U.S. aircraft carriers Carl Vinson and Ronald Reagan participated in joint exercises with the South Korean navy earlier this week.
And one more
The jury in the Bill Cosby sexual assault case heard testimony Wednesday from the woman who claims Cosby drugged and assaulted her in his Philadelphia-area home in 2004. Andrea Constand told jurors that meetings between the two were not romantic, but that she saw them as a mentoring situation. Constand worked at Temple University where Cosby was a trustee. The trial continues with jurors expected to hear about a deposition Cosby gave in which he said he would often give drugs and alcohol to women he wanted to have sexual encounters with.
In case you missed it
Look to the sea In honor of World Ocean Day.
About the Author
