June 9, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Palestinian health officials say at least 12 people were killed, and several others were wounded, by Israeli gunfire yesterday as they approached two aid distribution sites in southern Gaza. Israeli officials say warning shots were fired at approaching “suspects” who ignored orders to turn away. [more]
• Israeli forces early today detained multiple activists, including Greta Thunberg, who were part of the so-called Freedom Flotilla Coalition protesting Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza and attempting to deliver aid to the Palestinian enclave via boat. Reports cite the aid group as saying the boat and its occupants were detained in international waters. Israel’s Foreign Ministry characterized the protest action as a public relations stunt and said the protesters would be returned to their home countries. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1201 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian military officials say Russia launched 479 drones at targets across Ukraine overnight – the largest combined drone attack in a single night of the three-year-old war. [more]
• Russia and Ukraine each accused the other on Saturday of endangering plans to swap 6,000 bodies of soldiers killed in action – a plan that was agreed upon during talks in Istanbul last week. [more]

U.S. PROTESTS | Los Angeles police declared all of the city's downtown to be an unlawful assembly area last night following three days of protests against heightened federal immigration enforcement and President Donald Trump's deployment of federalized National Guard troops to the city. Protests were also seen yesterday in Houston, Texas, and San Francisco, California. [more]

U.S. TRAVEL BAN | President Donald Trump's new travel ban on citizens of 12 countries goes into effect today. The ban, ordered in a presidential proclamation last week, bars citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the U.S., and imposes increased entry restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. [more]

PENNSYLVANIA | Upholding a lower court decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that voters in Pennsylvania must be allowed to cast provisional ballots when their mail-in votes are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law. [more]

U.S. SALMONELLA OUTBREAK | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least 79 people have been sickened by salmonella poisoning linked to now-recalled eggs in seven states: Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming. [recall list] [more]

U.S. HEALTH RESEARCH | More than 300 current and former employees of the U.S. National Institutes of Health sent a letter to NIH leaders, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and members of Congress today that criticizes major health research spending cuts, saying the termination of more than $12 billion in grants and contracts under the Trump administration harms the health of Americans and people across the globe, politicizes research, and wastes public resources. [full letter] [more]

U.S. DOGE | In a pair of rulings Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency to access sensitive Social Security data for millions of Americans and paused a lower court ruling that required DOGE to turn over documents in response to federal records requests. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | As U.S.-China trade talks are set to begin in London today, newly released Chinese customs data shows that China's exports to the United States fell 35% in May, compared to the same period last year, but rose 4.8% overall for the month, with the largest increases seen in exports to Southeast Asia and the European Union. [more]

NATO | In a visit to London today, and ahead of a NATO summit in the Netherlands, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is expected to call for alliance member nations to increase their air and missile defenses by 400% to counter potential threats from Russia. [more]

IRAN AND ISRAEL | Ahead of an anticipated hearing before the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors at which Western nations are expected to ask the organization to find Iran in noncompliance with U.N. oversight, Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib said yesterday, without providing evidence, that Iran has seized an “important treasury” of information regarding Israel’s nuclear program. [more]

RUSSIA AND AFRICA | Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that Russia is increasing its cooperation with African countries, focusing primarily on economic and investment interaction but extending to "such sensitive areas as defense and security." [more]

ITALY | A second and final day of voting on two national referendums is taking place in Italy today with reports noting the measures could be invalidated by not having the required 50% plus one of eligible voters cast ballots. The measures would 1) make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship and 2) provide additional job protections. [more]

RWANDA AND CONGO | Amidst ongoing tensions related to offensives by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo, Rwanda announced yesterday that it would withdraw from the Economic Community of Central African States economic and security bloc. [more]

GLOBAL OCEANS | The third United Nations Ocean Conference opens today in Nice, France, with ratification of the High Seas Treaty, which would allow nations to establish protected marine areas in international waters, topping the agenda. [more]

AI | U.K. High Court justice Victoria Sharp, citing a case in which filed proceedings included citations for more than a dozen cases that didn't actually exist, and which were, apparently, generated using AI tools, said yesterday that the misuse of artificial intelligence in the justice system has "serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence." [more]

SOCCER | After a 2-2 score in regulation, Portugal beat Spain on penalty kicks yesterday to win the 2025 UEFA Nations League championship in Munich, Germany. [more]

BASKETBALL | The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers, 123-107, last night to tie the best-of-seven NBA Finals at one game apiece. [more]

TENNIS | Carlos Alcaraz beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner yesterday to win the men's French Open final. In women's play, Coco Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday to win the tournament's women's title. [more]

TONY AWARDS | "Purpose" was named best play at last night's 2025 Tony Awards. "Maybe Happy Ending" won a pack-leading six Tonys, including for best musical. [full list of winners] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Lilo & Stitch" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $32.5 million in receipts, followed by "From the World of John Wick: Ballerina" and "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1815, the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna, comprising several agreements separately negotiated among various participants for the reorganization of Europe in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, was signed by representatives of Austria, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden. [more history]