Amna Nawaz:
We start the day’s other headlines at the Supreme Court.
This afternoon, justices decided to allow members of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to access Social Security systems that contain personal information millions of Americans. That includes school records, salary details, and medical information.
The Trump administration had argued that DOGE needs that information to root out waste and fraud. A lower court found that DOGE’s efforts amounted to a fishing expedition. Separately, the court found the team once led by Elon Musk does not have to turn over internal records to a government watchdog group. The court’s three liberal members dissented in both rulings.
The Trump administration is also asking the Supreme Court to allow its plans to dismantle the Department of Education to proceed. Today, the Justice Department filed an emergency appeal asking the justices to pause a lower court order that would reinstate some 1,400 agency employees. The government argues the judge in the case exceeded his authority.
Separately, a federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s latest effort to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students. On Wednesday, President Trump issued a proclamation that barred such students from entering the U.S., citing national security grounds. International students make up about a quarter of Harvard’s student body.
The U.S. economy added fewer jobs in may than the month before, though the pace of hiring remained steady. The Department of Labor said this morning that employers added 139,000 jobs, slightly more than expected. Strong hiring in the health care and restaurant sectors helped offset a drop in federal government jobs. And the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2, despite ongoing concerns about the impact of President Trump’s trade wars.
Russia hit Ukraine with a massive air attack overnight, killing at least four people and injuring about 50 others. Explosions lit up the night sky in Kyiv during what Ukrainian officials called one of the largest aerial attacks of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry says the bombardment was — quote — “in response to terrorist attacks by Ukraine” after Kyiv struck military airfields deep inside Russia last weekend.
Russia also says it’s shot down nearly 200 Ukrainian drones early Friday. This all comes after President Trump said yesterday it might be better to let the two sides — quote — “fight for a while” before pursuing peace.
A Kremlin spokesperson dismissed that position, saying — quote — “The U.S. president may have his own point of view, but for us it is an existential question. It’s a question of our security.”
In Gaza, U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid groups stopped operations after limited distribution earlier today, citing overcrowding and unsafe conditions. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has now suspended operations twice this week. An earlier pause came after Palestinians were shot near the aid sites. Israel’s military said it fired warning shots at people it described as suspects.
Meanwhile, Gaza health authorities say Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 Palestinians today, and the Israeli army said four of its soldiers were killed in an explosion in the southern city of Khan Yunis. This comes as residents of Gaza marked the Eid al-Adha holiday in the demolished ruins of their places of worship. Others visited graveyards to offer prayers for relatives killed in Israel’s military campaign.