Top of the Fold

• Steve Bannon found guilty of contempt of Congress: On Friday, one of Donald Trump’s former advisers was found guilty of criminal contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply with Nancy Pelosi’s politically motivated January 6 Committee. A Washington jury found Bannon guilty on two counts, as prosecutors asserted that he “chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law.” Bannon has maintained that once Trump invoked executive privilege, he was not in a position to defy it and testify before the J6 Committee. Following the verdict, Bannon stated: “We respect their decision. We may have lost a battle here today, but we’re not going to lose the War. I stand with Trump and the Constitution. And I will never back off that ever.” Under federal law, Bannon faces up to two years in prison for each count, though it is highly unlikely he’ll see even a day in prison as his legal team appeals the case. His sentencing is scheduled for October. Meanwhile, the real question is why the J6 Committee went after Bannon, who had little contact with Trump after he left the White House mere months into Trump’s first year in office. The answer appears to be purely political — it’s a chance for Democrats to reap some payback on a man they loathe, Trump, as well as on the person who helped get him into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

• Russia and Ukraine sign grain export deal: Millions of tons of grain that has been stuck in Ukraine thanks to Vladimir Putin’s invasion will soon be allowed to be exported out of the war-torn country following the signing of a UN-backed agreement. The deal will allow Ukraine to ship grain out of its port cities through the Black Sea without being threatened by Russian military vessels. The deal was officiated by Turkey, whose officials will be responsible for inspecting Ukrainian ships to ensure there is no smuggling of weapons. This is the first agreement the two warring nations have made since the invasion. Turkish President Recep Erdogan relished his country’s role in helping to broker the deal, stating, “We are proud to be instrumental in an initiative that will play a major role in solving [a] global food crisis that has been on the agenda for a long time.” Most of the wheat grain is destined for Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

• Newsom signs anti-2A bill whose blueprint is Texas abortion law: California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a state gun control bill into law on Friday. He touted the new law that was somewhat modeled after Texas’s abortion-limiting law as “our message to the criminals spreading illegal weapons in California.” The new law allows private citizens to sue gun manufactures and sellers who transport or distribute illegal weapons. Clearly seeing fighting against the Second Amendment as a winning political issue, Newsom asserted: “While the Supreme Court rolls back reasonable gun safety measures, California continues adding new ways to protect the lives of our kids. California will use every tool at its disposal to save lives, especially in the face of an increasingly extreme Supreme Court.” The irony here is that Newsom called for this new anti-gun law after the Supreme Court let Texas’s abortion-limiting law stand. Gun Owners of California Executive Director Sam Paredes blasted the new law, stating: “It is obvious that this is a retaliation against lawful gun owners and the court because of the Texas decision. There’s a full expectation that the firearms industry will have a very strong reaction towards the signing of this bill.”

Headlines

• Ironic: Big-city Democrats beg Biden for help amid mass migrant releases (Washington Examiner)

• University of Michigan medical students walk out of pro-life speaker’s keynote address at White Coat Ceremony (Fox News)

• Biden denounces attack on GOP nominee for New York governor, doesn’t mention quick release of attacker (Washington Times)

• Biden administration bracing for a tsunami of bad economic news this week (PJ Media) | White House redefines “recession” ahead of potentially negative GDP report (PM)

• With Strategic Petroleum Reserve at lowest level since 1985, U.S. sells stockpiled oil to China (Just the News)

• CIA director “proud” of Afghanistan analysis despite disastrous Taliban takeover (Washington Examiner)

• NewsGuard downgrades Fox News while rating Hunter Biden story censors with perfect credibility (The Federalist)

• Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby loses reelection bid in Democrat primary (Fox News)

• Two killed, five wounded in shooting in Los Angeles County park (CBS News)

• Backlash against progressive, Soros-backed DAs continues as violent crime soars (Just the News)

• LA County health director parties at All-Star Game days after reinstating mask mandate (OutKick)

• NYC employees fired for not getting COVID vaccine grows to more than 1,750 (NY Post)

• Pastor jailed for holding church service during Canada’s lockdown wins legal victory (Daily Wire)

• Al Gore likens so-called climate deniers to Uvalde officers “waiting” during shooting (Newsweek)

• Crayola pushing trans agenda on kids (Daily Wire)

• Policy: The first step in improving supply chains (AEI)

• Satire: Biden calls Obama to wish him a speedy recovery after hearing the president has COVID (Babylon Bee)

• Humor: “Strange wet stuff falls from the sky once in a while”: 10 biggest adjustments fleeing Californians have to make in their new states (Babylon Bee)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit Headline Report.