The Hill’s 12:30 Report — The circus following the Johnny Depp, Amber Heard ruling

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

TALK OF THE MORNING 

Wow, I didn’t know how many pop culture fans also happen to be legal experts: 

The jury sided with actor Johnny Depp in his defamation case against his former wife, Amber Heard.

The gist of the ruling: “Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in his defamation suit. The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages.”  

How Team Johnny Depp reacted to the verdict: “[T]he goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.” Context to the verdict, via NBC’s Daniel Arkin 

How Team Amber Heard reacted: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.” 

Read their full statements on the verdict: Via CNN 

➤CAN AND WILL AMBER HEARD APPEAL THE VERDICT?: 
In an interview with NBC’s “Today,” Amber Heard’s attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, says Heard plans to appeal the verdict.  

Watch Bredehoft’s appearance on NBC’s “Today.” 

➤ ‘MEN ALWAYS WIN’: SURVIVORS “SICKENED” BY THE AMBER HEARD VERDICT’: 
Via Rolling Stone’s EJ Dickson 

➤ ‘WHY JOHNNY DEPP LOST HIS LIBEL CASE IN THE U.K. BUT WON IN THE U.S.’: 
Via The Washington Post’s Elahe Izadi and Sarah Ellison 

➤FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE TRIAL: 
Including that trial watchers were surprised by the verdict. The list of takeaways

HAPPY THURSDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

🎓In the White House 

Half a million student loans are forgiven:

The Biden administration if forgiving federal loans for former Corinthian Colleges students. 

The numbers: That means 560,000 borrowers’ outstanding loans will be forgiven, amounting to $5.8 billion. It does not include loans that have been repaid. 

What are the former Corinthian Colleges?: Corinthian Colleges Inc. was founded in 1995 and closed in 2015. “Corinthian faced multiple investigations and lawsuits for defrauding students out of millions in federally backed loans.”  

What we know about the loan forgiveness 

Happening at 1:20 p.m.: Vice President Harris is expected to officially announce the federal loan cancellation for those borrowers. Livestream 

➤TIDBIT — BIDEN SAID HE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE FORMULA SHORTAGE UNTIL APRIL: 
“I became aware of this problem sometime in early April, about how intense it was. We did everything in our power from that point on,” said during a meeting with formula manufacturers yesterday. 

Why this is worth mentioning: “Biden’s comments stand in contrast to administration officials, who have said repeatedly that the White House has been working around the clock since February to address the issue.” More from The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel 

The White House is paying its interns: 

The White House will start paying its interns when the program relaunches in the fall. 

Where is the funding for this?: In a government funding bill President Biden passed earlier this year 

Keep in mind: The internship program has been in hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

From the White House: “Too often, unpaid federal internships have been a barrier to hardworking and talented students and professionals, preventing them from contributing their talents and skills to the country and holding them back from federal career advancement opportunities.” 

👑 Across the pond 

Let us commence another weekend of everyone gawking at the British monarchy:

Britain is marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years as the monarch with a four-day celebration, the Platinum Jubilee. 

This morning: The royal family appeared on the balcony to greet thousands of well-wishers. And when I say the royal family, I mean the working royals. Prince Harry andMeghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did not appear on the balcony. Here’s an explainer, via People 

So, are Harry, Meghan and their children attending the Platinum Jubilee celebrations?: Yes, they are in England for the weekend celebrations.  

Photos of Harry and Meghan chatting with family: Via Page Six Video of the royal family on the balcony: Four-year-old Prince Louis adorably stole the show. 

Prince Louis is a whole mood: CNN’s Kate Bennett tweeted some of Louis’s best facial expressions. 

Photo of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis waving from a carriage: Via The New York Times 

Video of the horseback carriage ride: They are booking it!

🗳 On the campaign trail 

Democrats have locked in on their target: 

Via The Hill’s Julia Manchester, “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is facing a slew of negative headlines ahead of his reelection bid later this year, potentially complicating what was already expected to be a tough race for the two-term senator.”  

The negative headlines: “Johnson ignited controversy last week when he suggested that ‘wokeness’ and critical race theory were the cause of recent mass shootings in the U.S. Additionally, the senator hit back at report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel saying he has been using tax dollars to travel between Washington, D.C., and a Florida vacation home, calling it a ‘fully coordinated attack.’”  

How this could play out in his reelection race

🦠 Latest with COVID 

➤ BY THE NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 84.1 million 

Death toll: 1,002,422 

Current hospitalizations: 20,974 

Shots administered: 587 million 

Fully vaccinated: 66.7 percent of Americans 

CDC data here. 

🐥Notable tweets 

If bees are fish and, as we all famously learned in ‘Finding Nemo,’ fish are friends — then hello, new pals:  

Former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai tweeted, “A California appeals court has ruled that bees are ‘fish’ for purposes of the state’s endangered species act. While ‘commonly understood’ that a fish ‘lives in aquatic environments,’ ‘terrestrial invertebrate[s],’ including bumble bees, qualify legally.”  

⏱On tap 

The House and Senate are out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.

• 10:15 a.m.: Biden and Harris received the President’s Daily Brief. 
• 11:15 a.m. Biden met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and National Security Advisory Jake Sullivan to discuss the NATO Summit in Madrid at the end of June. 
• 5:30 p.m.: Biden leaves for Rehoboth Beach, Del. 

All times Eastern. 

📺What to watch 

• 1:20 p.m.: Harris announces the cancellation of all remaining federal student loans for borrowers who attended Corinthian Colleges. Livestream 
• 3 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Dr. Ashish Jha, coordinator of the COVID-19 response, hold a press briefing. Livestream 

🍗 In lighter news 

Today is National Rocky Road Day and National Rotisserie Chicken Day.

And to leave you with something spooky, here’s a French fry disappearing into the unknown.