5 Things to know for June 16: Minnesota shootings, Israel-Iran, Russia-Ukraine, G7, Vaccines
By Jade Walker, CNN
(CNN) — Construction has begun at the White House to change the look of the Rose Garden. Located along the West Terrace and West Wing, the plot was created in 1903 by first lady Edith Roosevelt as a colonial-style garden. Ten years later, first lady Ellen Wilson had it transformed into the first Rose Garden. Now, most of the grass area has been dug up to build a new patio.
Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
1. Minnesota shootings
The largest manhunt in Minnesota’s history has ended. Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday for allegedly killing Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and shooting State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, over the weekend. The manhunt involved “hundreds of detectives” and 20 different SWAT teams as well as cooperation from a host of local, state and federal agencies. Law enforcement also used helicopters, surveillance drones and infrared technology to locate and capture the suspect in the woods of rural Sibley County. Boelter was wearing a mask and dressed like a police officer during the attacks. Inside his vehicle, police discovered survival gear and a hit list of nearly 70 names, including Democrats and people with ties to abortion rights. He has been charged with two counts of murder in the second degree and two counts of attempted murder in the second degree.
2. Israel-Iran
For the fourth day in a row, Israel and Iran have continued to launch waves of attacks at each other. Israel’s strikes have hit numerous military targets, the foreign ministry building and residential areas in Tehran. Iran’s retaliatory strikes have damaged or destroyed residential buildings and infrastructure, including an Israeli oil refinery and part of the power grid. Search and rescue teams are digging through the rubble left by the bombardments to find victims buried underneath the debris. Amid international pleas for diplomacy and de-escalation, death tolls on both sides continue to climb due to the rapidly escalating hostilities. Officials say Israel’s operation against Iran is expected to take “weeks, not days.”
3. Russia-Ukraine
Russia has initiated a new tactic in its war on Ukraine: large-scale drone attacks. Last fall, Russia ramped up production of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone and is now building hundreds of them every day. It has also boosted production of decoy drones, which are difficult to distinguish from the real thing. “So, either Ukrainian forces spend time trying to identify the decoys or they spend precious resources shooting them down. Either way, this helps the Russian missiles and Shaheds — with their large payloads — (as they) have the chance to get through to their targets,” Christina Harward, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said. In recent weeks, Russia has used these drones to engage in bigger and more frequent assaults on Ukrainian cities, sometimes firing as many as 479 drones and missiles at targets in a single night. According to a CNN tally, seven of Moscow’s largest drone attacks in its war on Ukraine occurred in the past four weeks.
4. G7
President Donald Trump arrived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Sunday night in advance of the G7, the first international summit of his second administration. Leaders at the gathering are expected to discuss Trump’s trade war and international security, such as Israel’s unprecedented strike on Iran, Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. Trump also plans to meet individually with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
5. Vaccines
A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to members of Congress to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to change US policy on Covid vaccines cited scientific studies that were unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterized others, KFF Health News reported. Kennedy announced last month that the CDC would no longer recommend Covid vaccines for pregnant women or healthy children. The move was decried by many major medical groups and questioned by some lawmakers. One health expert called the document “willful medical disinformation.” “It is so far out of left field that I find it insulting to our members of Congress that they would actually give them something like this,” said Mark Turrentine, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine. “Congress members are relying on these agencies to provide them with valid information, and it’s just not there.”
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Good day, Sirs.
Former England football captain David Beckham, Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman and The Who frontman Roger Daltrey have been awarded knighthoods.
J.J. Spaun wins US Open
The 34-year-old golfer defeated his opponents, Mother Nature and the brutal course at the Oakmont Country Club to win the 125th US Open championship.
Toothless on top
“An insatiable appetite for PG-rated family fare” helped another live-action remake fly to the top of the movie box office this weekend.
Hackers take aim at Washington Post
Hackers have reportedly attempted to break into the email accounts of several Washington Post journalists.
Ice age ‘puppies’ are not what they seem
New research shows that the two 14,000-year-old mummified “puppies” found in Northern Siberia may not be dogs at all.
TODAY’S NUMBER
1,100+
That’s how many NIH grants have been terminated since the beginning of the second Trump administration. At least 160 clinical trials to study HIV/AIDS, cancer, mental health, substance abuse and chronic disease have been affected.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“As a country we cannot become numb to this violence. We are a deeply divided nation. That has become even more clear over the last two days. The way we move forward and solve the problems facing our nation is not through hate. It is not through violence. It is through humility, and grace and civility.”
— Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a written statement announcing the arrest of the suspect in the “politically motivated” shooting of two state lawmakers and their spouses.
TODAY’S WEATHER
AND FINALLY …
Tips for surviving a plane crash
Ben Sherwood, author of “Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life,” explains how to prepare for the worst situations.
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