U.S. and world news for June 13

Israel begins strikes on Iran; Iran retaliates

Israel has launched an unprecedented attack on Iran that targeted its nuclear program and military. Israel said 200 fighter jets hit dozens of targets and reportedly damaged the country’s primary nuclear enrichment facility. Killed in the attacks were Iran’s top nuclear scientists and key military leaders including the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s highest-ranking military officer and an aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In response, Khamenei has vowed that Israel will face “severe punishment for the attacks.” Overnight, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israeli territory in what is expected to be the first stage of a much larger counter-attack.

Air India flight recorder found

Officials said today that at least 290 people died when an Air India jet crashed soon after departure from an airport in Ahmedabad, India. The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had just taken off on a flight to London when it crashed, hitting a hostel for doctors. The death toll includes 241 passengers and crew on Flight AI171 as well as people on the ground. Only one passenger, a British national, survived. Three officials from India’s National Disaster Response Force said the flight recorder had been located. No mention was made of the cockpit voice recorder. According to Boeing, this was the first major incident involving a 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft entered into service in 2011.

House passes spending cuts initially made by Elon Musk’s people

The GOP-led House has narrowly passed some of the federal spending cuts that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initially made on its own. If the Senate goes along, $9.4 billion in federal spending for foreign aid and public broadcasting would be canceled. Rep. Nick LaLota of New York and Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, both of whom had initially voted no, changed their votes in the final moments allowing the cuts to narrowly pass. If approved by the Senate, the legislation would cut $8.3 billion for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs that provide humanitarian assistance, including health care, disaster aid and hunger relief. The bill would also slash $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System. If Congress approves the cuts they would become law that can’t be reversed by the next administration, and would help to insulate the Trump Administration from legal challenges.

Ruling returning control of California National Guard to Gov. Newsom put on hold

Hours after a district court judge ruled that President Donald Trump had unlawfully federalized thousands of members of California’s National Guard and ordered him to return control of the troops to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put that ruling on pause. Newsom had sued Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the president called the troops into federal service to put down the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. In his ruling, senior U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump had not satisfied any of the requirements that must be met to call up a state’s National Guard and that the demonstrations did not constitute an insurrection. A panel of three judges from the 9th Circuit will hold a hearing on the issue next week.

Extreme weather kills at least five

Torrential rains swept through San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday, triggering flash floods that swept away 15 vehicles and claimed the lives of at least five people. The rains were so sudden and heavy that the San Antonio River rose from about three feet to over 25 feet in just two hours. Ten people had to be rescued from trees and bushes about one mile from where they entered the water, a San Antonio Fire Department official said. Authorities are continuing to search for two people who are still missing.

Hegseth questioned on plans to invade Greenland and Panama

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee admitted that the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland and Panama. Donald Trump has said that he wants to seize Greenland and take control of the Panama Canal from Panama. Republicans on the committee afforded Hegseth several opportunities to deny that the U.S. had plans that could be used to invade Greenland and Panama, but he did not issue a denial and instead said that the U.S. has a lot of contingency plans that it can use. Republicans on the committee apologized to Hegseth for comments from Democratic members that included one saying Hegseth is unfit to lead the Pentagon.