5 things to know for June 2: Boulder attack, Gaza, Russia-Ukraine, Mass firings on hold, Pride month

CNN

By Jade Walker, CNN

(CNN) — Someone has apparently been impersonating White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. One of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers and the first woman to hold the title of chief of staff, Wiles reportedly believes her phone and contact list were hacked. The administration only discovered the issue when several senators, governors, top business executives and other well-known figures reached out to the White House to verify the calls and text messages they had received were actually from Wiles. The matter is currently under investigation.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Boulder attack

A shirtless man allegedly assaulted a group of people in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday who were attending a Jewish community event to support the hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The FBI identified the suspect as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, and said he yelled “Free Palestine!” as he used a “makeshift flamethrower” and threw Molotov cocktails that hit the ground and exploded in flames. At least eight individuals, four men and four women ranging in age from 52 to 88, were injured in the attack. Soliman was arrested and booked in the county jail on multiple felony charges. The attack comes a little over a week after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers at the Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

2. Gaza

Dozens of Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed on Sunday while attempting to receive food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial new US and Israel-backed aid distribution program. Multiple eyewitnesses told CNN they were fired upon at what is known as the “Al-Alam” roundabout, near the site run by the GHF in southern Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that it received “an influx of 179 cases” at its nearby field hospital, including 21 who were declared dead upon arrival. Other dead and wounded were taken to Nasser Hospital. Israel’s military dismissed reports that its troops had fired at or near the site; however, an Israeli military source acknowledged that Israeli forces fired toward individuals about 1 kilometer away. CNN cannot independently verify who was responsible for the shooting as Israel prevents international media from entering Gaza.

3. Russia-Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in Turkey today for the next round of peace talks. During their last meeting in May, both countries agreed to exchange their requirements for a ceasefire. Kyiv presented its plan last week, but Russia has still failed to do so. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its airborne attacks against Ukraine and is stepping up its ground offensive along the front line. In response, Ukrainian forces carried out strikes on Russian air bases over the weekend, using drones to destroy dozens of combat planes thousands of miles from the front lines. It was one of Kyiv’s most ambitious attacks since the war began.

4. Mass firings on hold

In an effort to drastically shrink the federal government, President Trump issued an executive order in February calling for mass firings at more than a dozen agencies. Last month, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order sought by federal employee unions, local governments and outside organizations. The order said Trump had the authority to make changes to the government but needs congressional cooperation for a large-scale reorganization. The Trump administration appealed, but on Friday night, the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the sweeping layoffs will remain on hold. In its 2-1 opinion, the 9th Circuit panel said Trump’s executive order “far exceeds the President’s supervisory powers under the Constitution.” Trump had already asked the Supreme Court to get involved in the case once before — a request that initially went nowhere — and it is likely the dispute will eventually reach the high court again.

5. Pride month

June is Pride Month, when the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Yet, those who identify as LGBTQ — especially transgender people — are still fighting battles for the right to exist without prejudice. Fearing reprisals from right-wing customers and the Trump administration, 39% of consumer brands are scaling back their Pride Month engagements this year. President Trump has threatened to cut funding for California because one transgender high school athlete participated in the state’s track and field championships over the weekend. The Education Department has ordered the University of Pennsylvania to ban transgender athletes from participating on women’s teams. The Pentagon is forcing transgender service members to leave the military and has banned them from enlisting. And the Department of Health and Human Services has told health care providers to stop providing gender-affirming care for minors.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

A homecoming to restore dignity
A memorial service was held in New Orleans over the weekend to celebrate the return and burial of 19 African Americans whose skulls were sent to Germany for racist research practices in the 19th century.

Sickened by salmonella
Nearly four dozen people in 18 states have become ill in an expanding outbreak of food poisoning tied to recalled cucumbers.

MLB stars make history
During a rematch of last season’s World Series, New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani homered at their respective first at bats of the game, becoming the first reigning MVPs to hit a home run in the opening inning of the same game.

Beekeepers to the rescue!
A commercial truck overturned last week in northwestern Washington state, causing about 250 million honeybees to escape. But a contingent of local beekeepers showed up on the scene to help recover and reset the hives.

Ready to return to the Upside-Down?
The official release dates for season 5 of “Stranger Things” have been announced. Alas, we’ll still have to wait a few more months to see if Eleven and her friends triumph over evil.

TODAY’S NUMBER

14,000
That’s how many troops North Korea has reportedly supplied to Russia. Pyongyang has also given 100 ballistic missiles and millions of munitions to help Moscow “terrorize” Ukraine’s population, a new report showed.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“The Department of Justice is trying to sweep the errors and mistakes of Boeing and the FAA under the rug. It is said that Justice is supposed to be blind for it to be fair, but the prosecutors are blind to the facts of this case. Boeing has already admitted their criminality — it’s a no-brainer in terms of prosecuting Boeing in a court of law.”

— Chris Moore, after the DOJ decided to drop its criminal case against Boeing for its role in two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people, including his daughter Danielle.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

Tornado destroys actor’s home
Tray Chaney, who is best known for his role on “The Wire,” recorded a video after a twister hit his neighborhood and injured both him and his son.

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