Weekend mass shootings leave 6 dead; firestorm erupts after Trump charges; ‘The Flash’ tops box office | Hot off the Wire podcast

On this version of Hot off the Wire:

» A spate of mass shootings and violence across the U.S. over the weekend killed at least six people including a Pennsylvania state trooper and left dozens injured. They happened in suburban Chicago, Washington state, central Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Southern California and Baltimore.

» Summer hasn’t officially started, but extreme heat is already making itself right at home in Texas and around the Gulf of Mexico.

» U.S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken was able on Sunday to secure a visit to Washington by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang during a nearly 6-hour meeting.

» Britain’s House of Commons is likely to endorse a report that found Boris Johnson lied to lawmakers about lockdown-flouting parties in his office. That would be a humiliating censure that would strip the former prime minister of his lifetime access to Parliament.

» Back in March 2021, Merrick Garland pledged on his first day as attorney general a return to what he calls the “norms” of the Justice Department. But since then it’s been anything but typical. The former federal judge now finds himself in the middle of a political firestorm of historic proportions because the special counsel he appointed has brought federal criminal charges against Donald Trump.

» In sports, the U.S. Open golf tournament has a first-time major champion, a big trade highlights news in the NBA, a White Sox pitcher has a record tying day but loses, and four Major League baseball teams now have winning streaks of at least six games.

» DC and Warner Bros.’ long-in-the-works superhero movie “The Flash” opened to $55 million in its first three days in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. The new Pixar family film “Elemental” took second place.

» Los Angeles prosecutors have charged former “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson with reckless driving, three months after authorities said he crashed into a Beverly Hills home.

» The Grammys Awards have introduced changes to its programming, including a new decision regarding artificial intelligence that says “only human creators are eligible” can win awards.

» Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and his dancer girlfriend Melanie Hamrick have put their Florida home up for sale.