Top 5 US stories today: Illinois passes law curtailing book bans, Trump calls Biden ‘corrupt sitting president’, and more

We also cover Juneteenth celebrations at the White House, comments from the President’s House on the upcoming US visit by Narendra Modi and more.

Here are 5 key headlines from the United States today.

1. 01

   After court appearance, Trump slams Biden as "corrupt sitting president"

   After his court appearance in the federal documents case, former US President Donald Trump addressed supporters and termed his successor Joe Biden "a corrupt sitting president," reported CNN.

   TRUMP: “This day will go down in infamy and Joe Biden will be forever remembered as not only the most corrupt president in the history of our country but perhaps even more importantly the president who together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits and Marxists tried to… pic.twitter.com/7AjYxuBmCL

   — ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) June 14, 2023

   Speaking from Bedminster, New Jersey on Tuesday night, Trump said: "Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country," adding, "Very sad thing to watch, a corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election in which he's losing very badly." (Read more)

2. 02

   Through PM Modi's visit, US looks to convey India-US relationship is of 'positive strategic consequence': White House

   The US, through the official state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is looking to convey that the relationship between India and America is of "positive strategic consequence", the White House has said.

   File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Joe Biden. (Twitter/NarendraModi)

   Prime Minister Modi arrives in Washington DC on a three-day state visit on June 21. The welcome ceremony and the state dinner along with an address to the Joint Session of the US Congress are scheduled for June 22.

   Speaking at a panel discussion during the annual 'India Ideas Summit' of the US India Business Council on Tuesday, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said after years of strengthening ties across administrations, the US-India partnership is deeper and more expensive than ever. “The main message that we are looking to convey is that this is a relationship of positive strategic consequence,” he said. (PTI)

3. 03

   Biden calls racism 'still too powerful' during Juneteenth concert at White House

   US President Joe Biden Tuesday denounced racism in the United States and said the Juneteenth holiday was meant to help underscore American values that he said were under threat.

   Tune in as I hold a concert to honor Juneteenth with Vice President Harris on the South Lawn. https://t.co/bp7evIuQaR

   — President Biden (@POTUS) June 13, 2023

   Speaking at the White House's first big Juneteenth celebration, a concert that featured performances by singers Jennifer Hudson, Audra McDonald and Ledisi, Biden urged Americans to choose love over hate and to remember history, not erase it.

   "As the past few years remind us, our freedoms have been put at risk by racism that's still too powerful a force," he said. "Hate only hides... And when given oxygen, just a little oxygen, it comes roaring back out again, and we have to ... stand up and deny it the oxygen. So Juneteenth as a federal holiday is meant to breathe a new life into the very essence of America." (Reuters)

4. 04

   Illinois becomes first state to pass law curtailing book bans

   Illinois has become the first state to legislate against the banning of books in public libraries, a practice that has been on the rise across the United States as conservatives look to suppress some books dealing with race, history and LGBTQ topics.

   Today, Illinois makes history as the first state in our nation to officially end book bans once and for all.

   We’re showing everyone what it looks like to stand up for liberty. As simple as that. pic.twitter.com/AjWaT1gdQv

   — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) June 12, 2023

   Illinois Governor J B Pritzker, a Democrat, signed the historic measure into law on Monday in a Chicago library. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, the governor's office said in a statement.

   "Here in Illinois, we don't hide from the truth, we embrace it," Pritzker said. "Young people shouldn't be kept from learning about the realities of our world; I want them to become critical thinkers, exposed to ideas that they disagree with, proud of what our nation has overcome." (Reuters)

5. 05

   In US, playground slides doused with acid, injuring 2 children

   Two children suffered what were described as “burn-like injuries” after playing on slides that had been doused with acid at a Massachusetts park, authorities said.

   A playground at Bliss Park is reflected in standing water in this April 2, 2010, file photo in Longmeadow, Massachusetts.(Michael S. Gordon/The Republican via AP)

   Police and firefighters responded to Bliss Park in Longmeadow on Sunday morning for a report of a suspicious substance on the playground equipment, the fire department posted on social media. At about the same time, firefighters and emergency medical technicians went to a home in town for a report of two children with burns who had just left the park. (Read more)