Early Edition: June 2, 2026

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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

IRAN WAR – LEBANON OPERATIONS 

Iranian state media reported yesterday that Tehran was halting peace negotiations with the United States and might end the ceasefire, citing ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon. There was no direct confirmation of the reports, and President Trump told an NBC reporter that he had not heard from Iran. Trump later said in a CNBC interview that the peace talks had “started to get very boring” and that he did not care if they were over. Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily, and Hatem Maher report for Reuters.

U.N. Security Council members, except for the United States, yesterday called for Israel to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon and refrain from threatened escalatory attacks. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.  

Trump said yesterday that he had spoken with Hezbollah through intermediaries and secured a pledge that it would not attack Israel. Trump also said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and they agreed that “Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.” Two U.S. officials told Axios that Trump lashed out at Netanyahu over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon. One official summarized Trump’s remarks as, “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” Reuters reports; Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily, and Hatem Maher report for Reuters; Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report. 

After Trump’s announcement, Netanyahu said in a statement, “I told [Trump] that if Hezbollah doesn’t cease its attacks…Israel will strike terror targets in Beirut.” Netanyahu also said that Israel would continue military operations in southern Lebanon. Aaron Boxerman, Christina Goldbaum, Johnatan Reiss, and Richard Perez-Pena report for the New York Times. 

Hours later, Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. According to Lebanon’s embassy in Washington, the agreement would not end the conflict but calls for Israel to refrain from strikes on Beirut, while Hezbollah halts attacks on Israel. Hostilities in southern Lebanon continued yesterday evening. The Israeli military said today that it had intercepted two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel. Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily, and Hatem Maher report for Reuters.

IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS 

In recent days, the Trump administration has threatened to sanction and even bomb Oman, after a new intelligence assessment concluded that Muscat was planning to join Iran in tolling vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official. Oman has repeatedly denied that it plans to do so. Washington has also pressed Oman to cut diplomatic ties with Iran, citing the intelligence assessment. Benoit Faucon, Summer Said, and Alexander Ward report for the Wall Street Journal. 

WEST BANK VIOLENCE 

Israeli forces on Sunday shot and killed a Palestinian man at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.  

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least 16 civilians and wounding more than 100 others, Ukrainian authorities said today. Maria Varenikova reports for the New York Times; Samya Kullab and Vasilia Stepanenko report for AP News.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, said yesterday that he believed a deal to end the war by winter was a “realistic” outcome. Budanov said he expected a U.S. delegation to visit Moscow and Kyiv in the near future, without providing details. Reuters reports.  

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

Israel’s ​defense ministry said yesterday that France had banned Israeli ‌government officials from a major weapons show in Paris and had imposed restrictions on companies from the country exhibiting there. Reuters reports.  

The EU yesterday agreed on a major migration policy overhaul that aims to accelerate deportations and allow member states to make deals with non-EU countries to host migrant detention or “return hub” centers. Sam McNeil reports for AP News.  

The United Kingdom will not have to pay Rwanda tens of millions of pounds over the cancelled deal to deport asylum seekers, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said yesterday. The Hague-based body said it had rejected all financial claims made by Rwanda. Stephanie van den Berg reports for Reuters.  

TECH DEVELOPMENTS 

The Chinese company Geedge Networks is developing new products that use AI to analyze location data and internet activity to predict who might do or say something critical of the government, according to leaked company documents. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times.  

China’s military has stepped up its efforts to acquire Nvidia’s AI chips, according to Wirescreen, a software platform. Records document instances when suppliers agreed to deliver chips under the military’s terms, but they do not document the final delivery. John Costello, the Wirescreen analyst, said the data showed “directly and irrefutably” that U.S. technology was equipping the Chinese military. Ana Swanson and Tripp Mickle report for the New York Times.  

Florida Republican Attorney General James Uthemeier filed a lawsuit yesterday against OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT is unsafe and the company misled the public about associated risks. This is the first state action against the company. Aaron Mak, Andrew Atterbury, and Hasan Ali Kanu report for POLITICO.  

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

A Kenyan court today blocked a proposed U.S. Ebola quarantine facility for another three weeks. The court first blocked the plan last week, but the U.S. military continued to fly in staff and equipment, according to a U.S. official. Hundreds protested against the plan in Nanyuki yesterday. Protest organizer Patrick Wahome said two people were killed by gunshot wounds after police opened fire. Humphrey Malalo reports for Reuters.  

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said yesterday that far-right sectors in the United States are coordinating with domestic groups to attack her government. Sheinbaum added that she did not believe the attacks were being orchestrated by Trump. Raul Cortes reports for Reuters.  

The International Labour Organization rescinded the appointment of a top U.S. official to be deputy head of the U.N. agency because of delays in payments from the United States, it said yesterday. Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge report for Reuters.  

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS 

The State Department plans to reduce the number of U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners from 50 to 20 in the coming weeks, according to three U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by AP News. Matthew Lee and Sam Mednick report.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration plans to drop its controversial $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, two senior administration officials told Axios. “This has become a distraction,” a second administration official said. “The president believes government was weaponized against people — it wasn’t just him. But this isn’t the time and vehicle for it.” The Justice Department complained on social media about the Virginia court ruling, which temporarily barred any disbursements from the fund, but said, “the department will abide by [it].” Marc Caputo reports. 

The Defense Department has designated its press office a classified space and banned journalists from accessing it to meet with affairs officers, according to four sources, who confirmed the change in security status took effect in recent weeks. The move, which officials say is tied to housing speechwriters who handle classified information, further restricts media access amid an ongoing legal dispute over Pentagon press policies that have limited reporters’ access to the building. Scott Nover reports for the Washington Post. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotion of eight Navy captains to one-star admirals, including two female and two Black officers, according to current and former U.S. officials. At the same time, Hegseth is trying to promote at least one member of his inner circle who was previously passed over for promotion several times, some of the people said. Lara Seligman reports for the Wall Street Journal.  

The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system that was put in place a decade ago to monitor coastal environments, marine ecosystems, and powerful currents that affect the global climate. Eric Niiler reports for the New York Times. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that Hegseth’s policy to remove transgender members of the military was fueled by “the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group.” However, the panel was divided over how to apply its ruling, opting to protect only the specific plaintiffs in the case. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO. 

A federal judge yesterday ordered the National Park Service not to interfere with Accountability Now USA’s display of an “86-47” flag at its ongoing demonstration near the National Mall, rejecting the contention that the phrase was meant as a coded call for violence against Trump. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.   

The Democratic Party indicated in a court filing yesterday that it is appealing a judge’s decision last week not to immediately block Trump’s executive order tightening rules on mail-in voting. Reuters reports.  

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.

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ICYMI: Yesterday on Just Security