United States-Iran; anti-militarization fund; Graham PlatnerExBulletin

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American planes fired on several Iranian sites over the weekend, according to the American military, including on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said this morning it had responded by firing on a US military base. Despite these volatile conditions, President Trump said this morning on Truth Social that “Iran really wants to make a deal,” and told Americans to “sit back and relax, everything will work out in the end.”

A plume of smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Tire in southern Lebanon on June 1. Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images .

. Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images 🎧 The war in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the militant group Hezbollah, could undermine efforts to end the war in Iran, NPR’s Greg Myre tells Up First. Israeli forces captured a 900-year-old hilltop castle in southern Lebanon over the weekend, in the deepest Israeli advance into the country in decades. Israel says Hezbollah was using the area to fire on neighboring northern Israel. Iran has issued almost daily statements supporting Hezbollah and says peace efforts must respond to the wars in Iran and Lebanon, Myre says. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he wants Israeli forces to continue intervening in Lebanon.

Congress returns to Washington with a long to-do list. Lawmakers left for a Memorial Day recess without passing a plan to fund immigration measures for the remainder of Trump’s term. The funding measure is stalled over concerns over the Trump administration’s push for an anti-arms fund. The administration says the fund would allow the DOJ to pay people who claim they were targeted by the federal government. Critics fear it could potentially provide cash payments to the January 6 insurgents.

🎧 Some members of Congress are upset that the president unilaterally allocated money to the anti-arms fund, even though Congress is supposed to decide how the money is spent, NPR’s Eric McDaniel said. Democrats have proposed amendments to the three-year immigration bill that would raise awareness among their Republican peers about the fund. When it became clear that an amendment to ban the fund could garner around 30 Republican votes, Republican Party leaders delayed a vote on the immigration package. But McDaniel says waiting hasn’t made things any easier.

Trump’s anti-militarization fund is not only being challenged by Congress, but also by the courts. The nearly $1.8 billion fund was created as part of a settlement stemming from Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who initially dismissed the lawsuit after the settlement, has now said she will review the case. A group of 35 retired federal judges filed a petition last week claiming that Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS was “itself a fraud on the court.” Because the IRS is an agency overseen by the president as head of the executive branch, the justices say Trump was, in a sense, both the plaintiff and defendant in the case. Judge Williams gave Trump’s lawyers until June 12 to respond to the motion. The DOJ was temporarily blocked from creating the fund following a ruling by a Virginia judge.

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Meet face to face with the person of the moment. NPR’s Newsmakers video podcast brings the biggest names in politics, business, sports, arts and culture out of the headlines and into interviews to discuss the mark they leave on the world. Follow the Newsmakers podcast or subscribe to NPR’s YouTube channel to get new episodes as they become available.

Graham Platner seemingly came out of nowhere to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for Maine’s Senate seat. But his campaign has been marred by controversy, including racist comments and remarks accusing victims of sexual assault in old deleted posts on Reddit. He covered up a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. And more recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women early in his marriage. These incidents raise a big question: Does Platner have too much baggage to carry? Or can the anti-establishment political message that has generated much enthusiasm among his Democratic base carry him through?

In a conversation with Leila Fadel for NPR’s Newsmakers, Platner addresses some of his controversies, his own party’s failures and his criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The interview was recorded before the sexually explicit messages were announced.

Watch or listen to the interview or read the article about their discussion.

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Schoolchildren walk through the shallows past submerged and abandoned school buildings at El Molo Bay Primary School in Komote, Kenya. Teachers at the school say the buildings have become a breeding ground for crocodiles. Tommy Trenchard for NPR .

. Tommy Trenchard for NPR

Lake Turkana, Kenya, is the largest permanent desert lake in the world. Its waters have long supported hundreds of thousands of people in one of the most isolated and neglected regions of the country. But the lake now faces multiple threats. Rising waters have displaced thousands of people, damaged infrastructure and disrupted fishing, while persistent drought has pushed many pastoralists to turn to fishing, putting strain on an already fragile ecosystem. See photos of villages near the lake and read residents’ stories about how life has changed.

3 things to know before you leave

In this July 18, 2018 file photo, United Airlines commercial planes sit at a gate at Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey Julio Cortez/AP

. Julio Cortez/AP A United Airlines flight to Spain from Newark, New Jersey, turned around mid-flight Saturday because of what appears to have been a suspiciously named Bluetooth device on board. Trump suggested replacing an event celebrating America’s 250th birthday with a MAGA rally after several performers withdrew from the Great American State Fair. An ominous boom heard Saturday in the greater Boston area may have come from an exploding meteor. (via WBUR)

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.

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