The briefing for Tuesday, June 2.

The United States and Iran exchanged strikes over the weekend in the latest test of their fragile ceasefire, with the U.S. bombing Iranian radar and drone sites after Tehran shot down an American drone. Iran responded by firing missiles at U.S. troops in Kuwait, which American forces intercepted. The back-and-forth attacks continue as negotiators from both countries work toward a permanent end to the conflict that began in late February.

New satellite analysis by BBC Verify reveals Iranian attacks have damaged 20 U.S. military sites across eight Middle Eastern countries since the war began, suggesting more extensive damage than the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged. The strikes have hit key facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, and Oman, destroying state-of-the-art air defense systems, refueling aircraft, and radar installations worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Among the damaged equipment are three THAAD anti-ballistic missile batteries, which cost around $1 billion each and cannot be quickly replaced.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei highlighted the strikes in a statement Tuesday, claiming the Middle East is no longer a 'safe place' for American bases. While the White House has repeatedly stated that Iran's military has been nearly wiped out, analysts say the precision and extent of the damage at U.S. facilities contradicts this narrative. The Pentagon declined to comment on the satellite findings, citing operational security, while a May estimate put the total cost of Operation Epic Fury at $29 billion, much of it for equipment replacement. Iran continues to maintain its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy supplies and driving up fuel prices worldwide.

A federal appeals court panel ruled Monday that the Pentagon's policy banning transgender troops from military service illegally discriminates based on gender identity, delivering another legal setback to President Donald Trump's agenda. The 2-1 decision by judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit partially upholds a March 2025 ruling that found Trump's executive order likely violates constitutional rights.

Judge Robert Wilkins, writing for the majority, concluded that the policy 'appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group: persons who identify as transgender.' The ruling allows current service members named in the lawsuit to remain in the military but does not permit new transgender recruits to join. The judges put their decision on hold to allow the administration to seek further review. In his dissent, Judge Justin Walker argued that judges lack the power to override military decisions assigned to Congress and the Commander in Chief.

The ban, which remains in effect following a Supreme Court decision allowing its enforcement, stems from Trump's January 2025 executive order claiming transgender service members' identity 'conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's subsequent policy presumptively disqualifies people with gender dysphoria, a medical condition linked to depression and suicidal thoughts. A separate lawsuit challenging the ban was filed in Washington state, though it has also been blocked by the Supreme Court.

The State Department plans to drastically reduce the number of U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas, cutting from nearly 50 facilities to just 20 hubs in the coming weeks. The change, expected to take effect in June, is part of the Trump administration's broader effort to restrict both immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuance and crack down on visa overstays. The administration has also scaled back personnel at embassies and consulates worldwide.

Under the directive approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, visa processing will be consolidated into 20 hub locations including Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, and Addis Ababa. Citizens of non-hub countries will need to travel to one of these approved sites to apply for visas, potentially creating formidable travel challenges and costs. Consular sections in non-hub countries will remain open but with limited services, handling only passport renewals for American citizens, emergency consular requests, special national interest cases, and diplomatic visa applications.

The move comes as visa processing in Africa has already been affected by travel bans on certain countries, requirements for applicants to post bonds up to $15,000, and restrictions caused by the Ebola outbreak. The State Department said it is 'constantly evaluating its overseas operations' to deploy resources efficiently and maintain 'rigorous standards of security screening and vetting.' U.S. diplomats and consular chiefs were informed of the changes during a conference call last Friday.

President Donald Trump is reconsidering whether to move forward with a controversial $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate political allies, according to a person familiar with his thinking, as the Justice Department agreed Monday to temporarily pause the program following a court order. The potential retreat acknowledges both legal setbacks and mounting political backlash from Republican senators concerned about lack of oversight and the possibility of payouts to January 6 Capitol riot participants.

The 'Anti-Weaponization Fund,' established to resolve Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax returns, has faced fierce opposition in Congress despite administration claims it addresses weaponized law enforcement during the Biden administration. At a recent closed-door Senate meeting that Senator Ted Cruz described as 'one of the roughest meetings I've seen in my entire time in the Senate,' acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced angry questioning from more than half of Republican senators. The controversy has blocked passage of a three-year immigration enforcement funding bill, with Senate Republicans refusing to vote until the White House imposes limits on the fund or cancels it entirely.

The fund faced two legal blows Friday, including a temporary order from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema halting its implementation pending a June 12 hearing. While the Justice Department said it would comply with the order, Senate Republicans said they need more explicit commitment that the fund will be completely withdrawn. Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated the best solution would be for the administration to shut it down entirely, though it remains unclear whether the retreat would also affect another element of the IRS settlement: abandoning tax probes of Trump, his family, and other associates.

The European Union moved forward Monday with a vast overhaul of its migration policy aimed at ramping up deportations and establishing controversial detention centers abroad, in what rights groups are comparing to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement. The deal struck between the EU's three main institutions will 'speed up the return process and increase returns of persons who have no legal right to stay,' according to Cyprus deputy migration minister Nicholas Ioannides.

Under the new regulation, law enforcement officers across the 27-nation bloc will no longer need warrants from judges to raid private residences or public institutions like hospitals. The agreement also enables EU member nations to set up bilateral deals with countries outside the bloc to build deportation centers, with at least five nations—Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece—already in talks with African countries to host 'return hubs' modeled after Italy's detention deal with Albania. Currently, only 28% of rejected asylum seekers return to their country of origin, with the majority remaining in the EU.

Critics say the regulation creates what Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants spokesperson Silvia Carter called 'a draconian detention and deportation machine,' comparing it to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's operations. French Green party lawmaker Mélissa Camara called it 'a historic setback' for human rights, citing the legalization of return hubs outside the EU, detention of minors, and ICE-inspired home visits. The EU has continually tightened migration policies since right-wing parties won majorities in some countries during 2024 European Parliament elections, with officials seeking to prevent a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis when about 1 million people arrived seeking asylum.

Three organizations are racing to develop vaccines against the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola that has killed nearly 250 people in an outbreak now threatening to rival the worst in history. The International Aids Vaccine Initiative, University of Oxford, and pharmaceutical company Moderna are each working on vaccines targeting the species, with funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. There are now more than 1,000 suspected cases in DR Congo with nine confirmed cases in neighboring Uganda.

Dr. Mark Feinberg, head of IAVI, said the outbreak is 'clearly threatening to be as severe' as the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic that infected nearly 29,000 people and killed more than 11,000. The concern is heightened because this outbreak was detected only after spreading in a conflict zone with limited healthcare resources. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières called the situation 'deeply alarming,' noting that never before had 'so many cases' been recorded so soon. Vaccines must be developed for each individual Ebola species, and while there is a vaccine for the most common Zaire species, Bundibugyo has only been seen twice before and has no approved vaccine.

IAVI is modifying the Zaire Ebola vaccine for Bundibugyo and has seen promising results in monkeys with close to 100% protection, though clinical trials are seven to nine months away. Moderna is using its mRNA technology from the Covid pandemic, promising to 'move with urgency and scientific rigor.' The University of Oxford's vaccine using technology that also proved effective during Covid should be ready for clinical trials in two to three months. All three vaccines aim to train the immune system to recognize the Bundibugyo glycoprotein structure on the virus surface, though they use different technologies that could affect protection levels and dosing requirements.