News Wrap: Hurricane Beryl hits southeastern Caribbean islands as Category 4 storm

In our news wrap Monday, Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the island of Carriacou with winds of 150 mph, Steve Bannon reported to a federal prison to begin his four-month sentence for contempt, Republican lawmakers sued Attorney General Garland for access to audio of an interview with President Biden and Israel issued mass evacuation orders in Khan Younis signaling a potential return of troops.

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Amna Nawaz: Hurricane Beryl has made landfall on the island of Carriacou in the Eastern Caribbean. With winds of 150 miles per hour, it is the strongest storm to ever form this early in the Atlantic hurricane season.

The National Hurricane Center has warned of an — quote — “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.” The prime minister of Grenada said the coming few hours will be vital in determining the storm’s impact.

Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada: It represents perhaps the most dangerous part of this exercise. So, I want to reemphasize to our citizens that the state of emergency remains in place. It is for your own safety.

Amna Nawaz: The storm is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves across the Caribbean. All of Jamaica is under a hurricane watch, but other islands may avoid a direct hit. Beryl is expected to slam Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by the end of the week.

Steve Bannon turned himself into a federal prison in Connecticut today to begin his four-month sentence on contempt charges. The former adviser to President Trump hugged supporters and told a crowd he was proud to be a — quote — “political prisoner.” Bannon was found guilty two years ago for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the January 6 investigation.

His sentence means that Bannon is set to be incarcerated during much of the run-up to the November presidential election.

Republican lawmakers have sued Attorney General Merrick Garland for access to audio of an interview with President Biden. The recordings are from special counsel Robert Hur’s probe into Biden’s handling of classified documents, in which he said that the president has a — quote — “poor memory.” The Justice Department has provided transcripts, but not the recordings.

In their filing today, House Judiciary Republicans argued that the audio can — quote — “provide immeasurable insight into a witness’ credibility and mental state.”

Israel issued mass evacuation orders today in Khan Yunis, signaling a potential return of IDF troops to the southern Gazan city. Much of Khan Yunis was destroyed and fighting earlier this year, but many Palestinians have returned, fleeing violence elsewhere.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cadets at an Israeli military college that Israel has nearly destroyed Hamas’ military capabilities in Gaza.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (through interpreter): I returned yesterday from a tour of the Gaza division. I saw great achievements. We are nearing the end of the elimination phase of Hamas’ terrorist army. There will be a continuation to strike its remnants.

Amna Nawaz: In Northern Gaza, large explosions and tanks were seen today in a neighborhood east of Gaza City. The Israeli army says it killed a number of militants and found large amounts of weapons on its fifth day of operations in the area.

A number of new laws took effect on this July 1 across the country. Florida alone has more than 180 measures that kick in today. Some laws highlight divisions in America. For example, in California, a new law requires credit card companies to give banks special codes to track gun store purchases to help flag suspicious sales to law enforcement.

But new laws in Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee and Wyoming do the opposite, banning the use of gun store codes.

It was a positive start to the week on Wall Street. The Dow Jones finished up 50 points in light pre-holiday trading. The Nasdaq had the day’s biggest gain, adding nearly 150 points, and the S&P also ended slightly higher.

And a new parental leave law took effect in Sweden today that pays grandparents to take care of their grandkids. It’s the latest step for the country that was the first to offer paid parental leave to fathers as well as mothers 50 years ago. Under the law, parents can transfer some of their leave to the child’s grandparents.

Couples can swap 45 days, while a single parent can transfer three months of their paid leave. Parents in Sweden enjoy about 16 months of paid benefits overall.