Friday briefing: What we learned about Mike Pence at the Jan. 6 hearing; Julian Assange ruling; NBA Finals; polar bears; and more

(Jordan Robertson for The Washington Post)

1

The Jan. 6 committee held its third public hearing yesterday.

• Big takeaway: President Donald Trump and his advisers knew plans to use Vice President Mike Pence to deny Joe Biden the presidency were probably illegal, witnesses said.
• Key moments: John Eastman, a pro-Trump lawyer who pushed to overturn the 2020 election, asked for a pardon, an email showed. We also heard about Trump’s anger toward Pence for defying him.
• Up next: The fourth hearing is set for Tuesday.

2

Mortgage rates had their biggest one-week jump in decades.

• The numbers: The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage stands at 5.78%, up from barely 3% in November. These charts show how it could cost home buyers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• The cause: The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates this week. The move also unsettled financial markets and raised fears of a recession.
• What else to know: The White House is exploring ways to respond to rising gas prices, such as sending rebate cards to drivers to help them pay.

3

Senators missed a key deadline in talks over a gun-control deal.

• What happened? Negotiations ended yesterday without a firm agreement, meaning it might be too late to set up votes for next week and pass legislation before a recess.
• What’s at stake: A bipartisan deal, coming after a string of mass shootings in the U.S., that could significantly expand national gun laws for the first time in three decades.

4

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania visited Ukraine.

• Why it matters: It’s a show of support after France and Germany were criticized for not doing enough to help Ukraine in its brutal war against Russia.
• The outcome: The leaders backed Ukraine’s ambitions to join the European Union, as its executives officially recommended the country as a candidate. But that process could take years.

5

Britain said Julian Assange can be sent to the U.S. to face spying charges.

• Who is he? The founder of WikiLeaks. He faces 18 U.S. criminal charges related to the site’s publishing of thousands of diplomatic cables and classified files in 2010.
• What’s next? Assange is expected to appeal the British government’s decision, which was announced today.

6

The Golden State Warriors won their fourth NBA championship in eight years.

• Last night: The Warriors defeated the Celtics, ­103-90, in Game 6 of the Finals in Boston. Golden State used a 21-0 first-half run to take the lead for good.
• The star: Stephen Curry scored 34 points and won his first Finals MVP award.

7

Some polar bears found a way to survive without sea ice.

• How: They evolved. Isolated for hundreds of years in the southeast corner of Greenland, the bears can now hunt and travel on glacial ice that sticks out from the ice sheet.
• What’s happening: Climate change is shrinking sea ice. These polar bears adapted, but they aren’t immune from warming — glacial ice is disappearing, too, just at a slower pace.

And now … what to watch this weekend: The latest “Toy Story” spinoff, “Lightyear,” which is in theaters today. Here’s our review.

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