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MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Aid workers with the World Food Program say at least two people died, and several others were injured, yesterday when a crowd broke into an aid warehouse in central Gaza. The U.N. agency said there should be an immediate scale-up of food distribution in Gaza "to reassure people that they will not starve." [more]
• Israel said today that it would establish 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank – a move that includes the legalization of settlements already built without government authorization. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1190 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Russia yesterday proposed that a new round of direct negotiations with Ukraine be held on June 2 in Istanbul to discuss a Kremlin draft memorandum for a peace accord. Ukrainian officials say they have already provided a draft memorandum and urged Russia to transmit its draft immediately instead of waiting until next week. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | A three-judge panel of the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade ruled yesterday that President Donald Trump's imposition of wide-ranging import tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act exceeded his authority, casting doubt on what has become a key Trump economic and foreign policy that has rattled global financial markets. The Trump administration says it will appeal the ruling. [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a plan yesterday for the U.S. to begin "aggressively" revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including "those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." Reports note that some 270,000 Chinese students studied at U.S. colleges and universities in the 2023-2024 school year. [more]

U.S. DOGE | Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced yesterday that he is leaving his roles as a special advisor to President Donald Trump and de facto head of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. The move comes just one day after the release of an interview in which Musk criticized Trump's tax and spending program currently under consideration in Congress. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | Saying a Department of Homeland Security "pause" in renewing residence permits and asylum applications is, "in effect, an indefinite suspension," Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled yesterday that the Trump administration wrongly ended humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of Afghans, Ukrainians, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans allowed to live in the United States temporarily. [more]

MORE U.S. IMMIGRATION | A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Trump administration's efforts to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of pro-Palestinian student protests at Columbia University, under a justification that his beliefs could pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy is likely unconstitutional. Judge Michael Farbiarz said that revoking Khalil's permanent residency over his beliefs could open the door to vague and arbitrary enforcement of immigration policies by the government. [more]

U.S. PARDONS | President Donald Trump has issued a series of pardons and commutations this week, including for former Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, who was serving a life sentence on murder and other charges, rapper NBA YoungBoy, who was imprisoned on gun-related charges, and TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley of the reality show “ Chrisley Knows Best," who were convicted of conspiring to defraud banks. Others granted pardons include former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, former Congressman Michael Grimm, and New York union leader James Callahan. [more]

U.S. IMMUNIZATIONS | Vaccine- and drug-maker Moderna said yesterday that the Trump administration has canceled a $766 million award to the company for the development and purchase of a new vaccine against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | Reports say the Commerce Department sent letters to a large number of U.S. companies this week ordering them to stop shipping certain goods to China without a license and revoking licenses already granted to some suppliers. The orders target goods related to design software and chemicals for semiconductors, butane and ethane, machine tools, and aviation equipment, and the moves are seen as part of efforts to prevent China from getting products necessary for key industrial sectors. [more]

U.S. AND SYRIA | In a sign of warming relations following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack re-opened the long-shuttered U.S. ambassador’s residence in Damascus today, according to Syrian state-run news agency SANA. [more]

CANADA | A state of emergency has been declared in the Canadian province of Manitoba due to a series of 22 active wildfires affecting the region. Officials say the federal government has agreed to send in military troops to assist with the evacuation of some 17,000 people in several communities in the province. [more]

SWITZERLAND | Swiss authorities say a 64-year-old man remains missing today after a large section of the Birch Glacier broke off and destroyed an estimated 90% of the village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps. Almost all of the village's 300 residents had been evacuated ahead of the ice and rock slide. [more]

IRAN | Reports say a week-old strike by truck drivers in Iran appears to have grown yesterday, with drivers blocking roads and ports in numerous cities as part of protests against low salaries, high insurance rates, and a proposed increase in fuel prices. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Reports say all four South Korean navy crew members died when their P-3 patrol aircraft crashed today during a training flight after taking off from its base in the southeastern city of Pohang. [more]

BRAZIL | Federal police in Brazil say five people were arrested yesterday on suspicion of involvement in a gang formed by a former military officer and multiple civilians to spy on and kill lawmakers and high-ranking judges. [more]

GERMANY | In an interview published today, German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer says his ministry is working on draft legislation that would impose a 10% tax on large online platforms such as Google and Facebook that he says do high volumes of business in Germany but "pay hardly any taxes, invest too little, and give far too little back to society." [more]

BASKETBALL | The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, last night to win the Western Conference finals series, 4-1, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1953, following numerous failed attempts by others, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. [more history]