June 5, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 466 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian defense ministry officials say large-scale Ukrainian attacks were successfully blocked yesterday in the Russia-annexed regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian officials have denied the Russian reports, suggesting they are part of a Russian misinformation campaign. [more]
• Russia’s TASS news agency cites Russian foreign ministry officials as saying they see little hope for renewing the U.N- and Turkey-brokered deal allowing Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports. The current export deal is set to expire in mid-July. [more]

U.S. DEBT | Signing the debt ceiling and budget cuts package passed by Congress last week, President Joe Biden on Saturday thanked both Republican and Democratic congressional leaders for their work on the compromise deal and said the package allows the U.S. to “pursue progress, secure prosperity," and keep its promises. [more]

PLANE CRASH | Reports say military jets were scrambled yesterday to intercept an unresponsive small plane flying over restricted airspace in Washington, DC, yesterday afternoon and that the plane eventually crashed in a remote region of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley killing all four people onboard. The flight and crash are under investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. [more]

TENNESSEE | U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker ruled Friday that Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows is unconstitutional, saying it is “vague,” “overbroad,” and that it encouraged “discriminatory enforcement.” [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that employers added an unexpectedly high 339,000 jobs in May, but that the unemployment rate rose 0.3% to 3.7% during the month. [full report] [more]

U.S. MORTGAGES | Mortgage company Freddie Mac reported last week that the average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate home loan rose to 6.79% — up from 6.57% the previous week and the highest level since November 2022. [more]

TECH POLICY AND POLITICS | The Google-owned YouTube video service announced Friday that it will no longer automatically remove content from the platform that falsely claims the 2020 election or other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by “widespread fraud, errors, or glitches" — a policy enacted shortly after the 2020 elections. Company officials say the policy reversal is intended to allow people to “openly debate political ideas, even those that are controversial or based on disproven assumptions.” [more]

TROPICAL STORM | The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season — Tropical Storm Arlene — formed Friday in the Gulf of Mexico, but that the storm is likely to significantly weaken or dissipate before reaching any land. [more]

INDIA | Officials say a track signaling system error may have been responsible for a crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train in Balasore, India, on Friday in which as many as 275 people were killed. [more]

INTELLIGENCE SUMMIT | Reuters cites five unnamed sources as saying that senior officials from about two dozen of the world’s leading intelligence agencies held a previously undisclosed meeting over the weekend on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore. Among those reported to have attended the intelligence meeting were U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and senior intelligence officials from both China and India. [more]

POLAND | Reports say an estimated 500,000 people are taking part in demonstrations over inflation, cost of living increases, and various legal issues today in the Polish capital of Warsaw. Organizers say the demonstrations are the largest in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989. [more]

HONG KONG | Reports say as many as 23 people were arrested yesterday in Hong Kong for “breaching public peace” after allegedly taking part in activities commemorating the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in China. [more]

SENEGAL | Amidst ongoing violence between police and supporters of arrested opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, officials in Senegal yesterday announced the temporary suspension of mobile phone data communications due to “subversive messages in a context of public disorder in certain localities.” Reports say as many as 19 people have been killed in the clashes since last Thursday. [more]

CHINA | Chinese state media reports that at least 19 people were killed yesterday when a landslide struck a workers’ dormitory in China’s Sichuan province. [more]

PAKISTAN | Pakistani military officials say two soldiers and two suspected Pakistani Taliban militants were killed today in a shootout in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the border with Afghanistan. [more]

APPLE | Details of its latest computers, mobile operating system, AI strategies, and new virtual reality headset are expected to be among the featured topics at tech giant Apple’s annual developers conference later today in Cupertino, California. [more]

OIL PRICES | The price of benchmark Brent crude oil is up as much as $1.37 this morning to $77.50 per barrel following announcements of oil production cuts by both OPEC+ and Saudi Arabia amidst decreased global demand. [more]

BASKETBALL | The 2023 NBA Finals best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 following last night’s 111-108 Miami Heat win over the Denver Nuggets. Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday night. [more]

HOCKEY | The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Game 2 of the final is scheduled for tonight at 8pm. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $120.5 million in receipts, followed by "The Little Mermaid," and "The Boogeyman." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1849, the absolute monarchy in Denmark was abolished and replaced by a new constitution that established a constitutional monarchy with a parliament, as well as freedom of the press, religious freedom, and the right to hold meetings and form associations.  [more history]