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Jan. 6 committee witness list begins to rival Watergate investigation

First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day’s most important political stories and why they matter.
Image: Attorney General William Barr Testifies Before the Senate Judiciary Committee
Then Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, in Washington, DC., on May 1, 2019.Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post via Getty Images file

WASHINGTON — If it’s Monday ... The Jan. 6 committee holds televised hearing on Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. ... Bipartisan Senate negotiators reach framework deal on guns. ... Sarah Palin, Nick Begich and Al Gross advance to Top 4 in Alaska At-large special. ... Donald Trump endorses Katie Britt in Alabama Senate runoff set for next week. ... More trouble for Herschel Walker in Georgia Senate. ... And we’re one day away from the primaries in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina.

But first: On Thursday night, the nation heard — via videotape — from Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr in the Jan. 6 committee’s first round of hearings. 

Today's, star (and surprise) witness was supposed to be Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Bill Stepien, as the committee examines the former president’s lies about the presidential election. NBC’s Kristen Welker reports that Stepien was to appear under subpoena.

(Shortly before the hearings were to start Monday morning, the committee announced that Stepien will not appear as scheduled due to a "family emergency," leaving the future of his appearance unclear for now.)

On Wednesday, the committee is expected to hear from top Trump Justice Department officials as it explores the former president’s pressure campaign to overturn the election results. 

Add them all up, and the committee’s entire witness list rivals — or even surpasses — the Watergate witness list when it comes to proximity to the president. 

NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard notes that Stepien’s testimony brings some extra intrigue, given that he remains allied to Trump’s political interests, including advising the challenger to Rep. Liz Cheney in Wyoming (Harriet Hageman) and Lisa Murkowski’s Senate challenger in Alaska (Kelly Tshibaka).

Today’s witnesses: former Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt, longtime GOP election lawyer Ben Ginsberg, former U.S. Attorney BJay Pak and former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt. 

Tweet the day

Data Download: The number of the day is … 10

That’s how many Republicans have signed on to support a bipartisan deal on gun legislation, which was announced on Sunday. If the deal gets support from every Democrat, that is enough Republicans to overcome the 60-vote threshold to end debate on the package and ultimately pass the bill through the divided Senate. 

The 10 Republicans include Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who was a lead negotiator; North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis; Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy; Maine Sen. Susan Collins; South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham; Utah Sen. Mitt Romney; and retiring Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. 

Other numbers you need to know: 

$5.01: The average price of gas in America, per AAA, as the national average jumped 15 cents in just one week to eclipse $5. 

20 million: How many people watched the first Jan. 6 committee hearing last week. 

31: The number of people affiliated with a white nationalist group who were arrested Saturday near a Pride event in Idaho. 

7: The number of attacks on U.S. targets by Iran-backed militias in May, an increase compared to prior months.  

$100,000: How much the Washington Commanders fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio for saying the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was a “dust up.” 

$124 million: That’s how much Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised for his re-election bid — more than 10 times than his closest Democratic competitor has raised this cycle — per the Tallahassee Democrat.

Midterm roundup: Palin advances

Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin advanced to the special election to replace the late GOP Rep. Don Young, NBC News’ Decision Desk projected, after Saturday’s special election primary on Saturday. The election was the state’s first test of its Top 4 primary system in which the top four vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election, where the winner is chosen through ranked choice. The special election to replace Young will be held Aug. 16.

In addition to Palin, who had Trump’s endorsement in the race, the Decision Desk projected two other candidates would advance to the special election: Republican Nick Begich, the grandson of the late Democratic Rep. Nick Begich who has the Alaska GOP’s endorsement; and surgeon Al Gross, the nonpartisan former Senate candidate. Who will win the fourth spot is still unclear. 

Palin received 30 percent of the vote with (72 percent in), while Begich had 19 percent and Gross had 13 percent. As of 7:00 a.m. ET on Monday, the next highest vote-getters included former Democratic state Rep. Mary Peltola, who has 8 percent; Republican Tara Sweeney, an Alaska Native woman who served as assistant secretary for Indian Affairs and was Young’s campaign co-chair, who has 5 percent; and a Democratic socialist named Santa Claus who also has 5 percent. 

Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

Alabama Senate: Former President Donald Trump endorsed Katie Britt, the former chief of staff to Alabama GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, in her June 21 primary runoff against Trump’s former pick, Rep. Mo Brooks. Trump had previously called her “not in any way qualified” when he sought to cut her down when he had been backing Brooks. 

Florida Senate: Politico reports on how, so far, Democratic Rep. Val Demings is trying to catch fire in a state that appears to be slipping away from Democrats, while the outlet also reports on how GOP Sen. Marco Rubio is embracing his “low-key side.” 

Georgia Senate: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker on at least four occasions claimed he worked in law enforcement, including one 2019 claim he was an FBI agent, despite no evidence he did so (his campaign says he spent a week at an FBI school). 

Nevada Senate: Former Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt and his allies in Trumpworld are circling the wagonsahead of Tuesday’s primary, deploying money and surrogates to the state in the final days. 

Illinois Governor: Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new spot features his top GOP rival, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, singing Pritzker’s praises on issues like the pandemic and prioritizing diverse communities. 

New York Governor: Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi is up with another ad attacking Gov. Kathy Hochul for her past support from the National Rifle Association and for her record in Congress on guns. In other Democratic primary news, Hochul won the backing of the New York Times editorial board in the primary. And on the GOP side, Rep. Lee Zeldin and businessman Harry Wilson are up with new ads attacking their primary opponents. 

Arizona-01: new ad from GOP businessman Elijah Norton attacks Republican Rep. David Schweikert for admitting to the ethics violations that dogged him for years

Ad watch: Demings says defunding the police is 'crazy' in first TV ad

Democratic Florida Senate candidate Val Demings is using the first TV ad of her campaign against Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to highlight her law enforcement background and distance herself from progressives who have called for cuts to police funding.

“In the Senate, I’ll protect Florida from bad ideas, like defunding the police. That’s just crazy,” Demings said in the ad, shared exclusively with NBC News. She ends the 30-second spot saying “It’s time to send a cop on the beat to the Senate.”

The ad, which will also air in Spanish, will be seen across the state as part of an eight-figure buy, according to the Demings campaign. The spot focuses solely on Demings’ work as a police officer and her time leading the police department in Orlando, where she was the first woman to serve as chief. 

ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world

The FDA says Pfizer’s vaccine is safe and effective for children under 5 — it will meet Wednesday to discuss approving the shot.

The Biden administration officially ended its requirement that air travelers coming from abroad test negative for Covid.

Retired Gen. John Allen is resigning from his post leading Brookings amid an FBI investigation into whether he lobbied for Qatar without disclosing that work. 

Thousands protested across the country this weekend calling for changes to the nation’s gun laws.