June 2, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 463 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Speaking to attendees of the European Political Community summit in Moldova yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged nations to support future NATO and European Union membership for Ukraine. [more]
• Officials in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv say air defenses shot down more than 30 Russian drones and cruise missiles that targeted the city overnight. Reports say falling debts from the attack damaged several buildings and wounded two people. [more]
• Reports cite authorities in the Russian region of Belgorod as saying that two residents of the Russian village of Maslova Pristan were killed today when Ukrainian forces shelled a road in the area. [more]

U.S. DEBT | The Senate voted 63-36 yesterday to pass the debt ceiling and budget cuts package negotiated between the White House and Congressional leaders, which was passed by the House earlier this week. The bill now goes to President Biden to be signed into law ahead of the June 5 federal default deadline. [bill summary] [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Economists surveyed by data provider FactSet predict that government employment reports due out later this morning will show that U.S. employers added about 190,000 jobs in May and that the unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.5% during the month. [more]

FLOOD INSURANCE | Ten U.S. states — Louisiana, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia — filed a lawsuit against the federal government yesterday, attempting to block sharp increases in flood insurance rates scheduled to be phased in over the next several years. Reports say the increases are capped at 18% annually, but that total increases over several years could average as high as 134%. [more]

OREGON | In a move aimed at ending a month-long Republican boycott, the Democrat-majority Oregon state senate voted yesterday to fine members of the chamber who do not appear for votes when their absence denies the chamber the two-thirds quorum it needs to conduct business. [more]

NEVADA | Saying the penalties prescribed by the legislation was too extreme, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill yesterday that would have criminalized the signing of certificates falsely stating that a losing candidate had won an election. [more]

STUDENT LOANS | The U.S. Senate voted yesterday to approve a bill that would block the Biden administration plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt for millions of borrowers. President Biden has said he will veto the bill, which was passed by the House last week. [more]

U.S. AND TAIWAN | With the aim of strengthening their economic and trade relationship, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Taiwanese trade representatives signed the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade agreement yesterday over the opposition of China, which claims sovereignty over the island territory. [more]

NEWS STRIKE | The union representing workers at more than 50 newsrooms that are part of the Gannett newspaper chain -- the largest news chain in the U.S. -- says its members will take part in a one-day strike at dozens of locations on June 5 to protest cost-cutting measures and job cuts by the company. [more]

NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL | Reports say White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to address the potential for a new nuclear arms control cooperation framework with Russia today in an address to the Arms Control Association. The address comes amidst Russia’s suspension of its compliance with the New START treaty’s provisions for nuclear warhead and missile inspections. [more]

JAPAN | Flooding, mudslide, and transit warnings have been issued in portions of western and central Japan as the area expects up to 10 inches of rain through tomorrow night from Tropical Storm Mawar. [more]

SUDAN | Clashes between Sudan’s military and paramilitary forces resumed this morning in the capital Khartoum following the collapse of talks aimed at extending a humanitarian ceasefire. [more]

SENEGAL | Officials in the African nation of Senegal say at least nine people were killed yesterday in clashes between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday on charges of corrupting the country’s youth. [more]

SPAIN | A new report from the Spanish Catholic Church says that its investigations into child sexual abuse by members of the clergy and non-clerical staff have identified 728 alleged abusers and 927 victims since the 1940s. [more]

UAE | Reports cite a U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention document as saying that the United Arab Emirates is arbitrarily detaining 12 dissidents who have already completed their prison terms. The dissidents were member so the so-called “UAE94” group, who were convicted of plotting to overthrow the country's government in 2013. [more]

SPELLING | Correctly spelling the word “psammophile” -- defined as an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas – 14-year-old Dev Shah from Largo, Florida, won the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee yesterday. [more]

ONLINE NEWS | Facebook parent company Meta said yesterday it is conducting a monthlong test in which some Canadian users of its Facebook and Instagram platforms will not be presented with news content on the platforms. The move is in response to a bill under consideration that would require large tech companies to pay publishers for linking to or repurposing their content online. [more]

BASKETBALL | The Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat, 104-93, last night to take a 1-0 lead in the 2023 NBA Finals. [more]

SOCCER | Defending champion Barcelona and two-time champion Wolfsburg will play tomorrow in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1953, 27-year-old Elizabeth II, the elder daughter of King George VI, was crowned queen of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey, having taken the throne upon her father's death in February 1952. Her 70-year reign -- the longest in British history -- lasted until her death in September 2022. [more history]