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Chaos has ensued in the major city of Los Angeles after protests erupted across the city following the deployment of the National Guard to arrest illegal immigrants. United States President Donald Trump has continued his crackdown on illegal immigration over the past few months, working to deal with the high number of illegal immigrants that are currently in the country. As federal agents arrived in Los Angeles this week to arrest immigrants, most of which come from California's southern border with Mexico, protests and fights broke out in small areas. Federal agents began by arresting a few dozen people and faced significant pushback from people in those areas, with locals throwing large rocks at the agents. In response, the agents were forced to release tear gas and small explosives to deter the protestors. However, as the number of arrests rose, the number of protests also began rising, and they quickly became extremely violent. Large portions of Interstate 10 and Highway 101 were closed as thousands of people flooded roads and chucked rocks at police, endangering officers. Locals also began throwing other items like pieces of cement, fireworks, and even electric scooters. Waymo, a self-driving taxi company, saw five of its vehicles graffitied and destroyed in explosions and fires set by the angry protestors, and several businesses like T-Mobile and Adidas saw their stores looted during the night. In response, police released tear gas, fired rubber bullets into crowds, threw pepper balls, and set off minor explosions. The event was also declared an unlawful assembly, allowing them to better enforce rules and arrest larger numbers of people to keep the protests in check. Dozens of people were arrested, and Trump has deployed over 300 members of the National Guard to help with the situation. Hundreds of troops arrived to handle the demonstrations, and the Marines have been sent to Los Angeles to assist as well. Nevertheless, this is a relatively unprecedented move by the president, as the presence of the National Guard is usually requested by the governor. In this case, California Governor Gavin Newsom did not request any sort of federal backup for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and he claims that the protests escalated further due to the National Guard. However, Trump has maintained that he believed Los Angeles was in danger, and he thought that the Guard was necessary to keep the protests in check. Now, California has confirmed that they will sue the Trump administration for violating the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which grants the states certain powers. Newsom believes that Trump's deployment of the National Guard sparked fear into protestors, escalating the situation and making it more violent. Other officials of the California government have backed this, confirming that it was not what the LAPD wanted to do and that Newsom should have had the chance to stop the deployment of the Guard. Fact of the Day (BBC): You can smell ants. Many species of ants release strong-smelling chemicals when they’re angry, threatened or being squished. Trap-jaw ants release a chocolatey smell when annoyed, while citronella ants earn their name from the lemony odour they give off. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): It is much easier to put existing resources to better use, than to develop resources where they do not exist. (George Soros) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Eloquent (adj, EL-uh-kwunt) - An eloquent speaker or writer expresses ideas forcefully and fluently; an eloquent speech or piece of writing likewise expresses ideas in such a way. Eloquent can also describe something that is vividly or movingly expressive. In a Sentence: She received high marks for her eloquent essay about gardening with her grandmother.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz squeezed out a comeback victory against Italy's Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages yesterday, with the pair battling across five sets in the longest French Open final in history. Sinner, the world No. 1, and Alcaraz, the world No. 2, faced off in what the world knew would be an epic match before it even started. The pair had never met in a major final until yesterday, when they faced off at Paris' Roland Garros on clay courts at the final for the French Open. Sinner had easily crushed all three of his opponents in the tournament, including tennis legend Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, and improved his record to 47-2 since August. However, those two losses were to Alcaraz, who managed to achieve an outstanding, 19-0 perfect record in clay courts this season after winning this year's French Open. The match began with a set from Sinner, winning 6-4, and he continued to win the second set 7 (7) - 6 (4). At that point, it seemed like Alcaraz could end up losing in straight sets, but he fought back in the third set to win 6-4. However, the real moment came in the fourth set. Towards the end of the set, Sinner was up 5-3, on the verge of winning this third set and subsequently, the championship. On Alcaraz's serve, Sinner was up 40-0 and reached triple championship point-- he was just one point away from the win, three times in a row. But each time, Alcaraz fought back hard, evening the score before winning the game. He continued to win three additional games in a row, moving him into the lead of the set at 6-5. Sinner gained a game back, though, sending the thriller of a fourth set into a tiebreaker. The fifth set continued the extreme tension, with both Sinner and Alcaraz fighting hard. As Alcaraz began serving for the match at 5-4, Sinner broke his serve, evening the score at 5-5. While Sinner continued with some momentum and won the next game, Alcaraz made him work for it, and was able to win the next game to send the final set into another tiebreaker-- the third of the match. By this point, Alcaraz was able to cruise through the tiebreak, winning the final set 7 (10) - 6 (2) and bringing home the French Open win after five hours and 29 minutes of playing-- the longest French Open final in the open era. This is Alcaraz's fifth Grand Slam, and he is just 22 years old. This makes him just the third player to win five Grand Slams by age 22, after Björn Borg and Rafael Nadal. Meanwhile, Sinner has won three Grand Slams, the most recent of which was his crushing win in straight sets against Germany's Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open in January. Upcoming Events: International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations (Tuesday, June 10) International Day of Play (Wednesday, June 11) World Day Against Child Labor (Thursday, June 12) US Open (Thursday, June 12 to Sunday, June 15) International Albinism Awareness Day (Friday, June 13) World Blood Donor Day (Saturday, June 14) 24 Hours of Le Mans (Saturday, June 14 to Sunday, June 15) World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (Sunday, June 15) Fact of the Day (BBC): Mercury, not Venus, is the closest planet to Earth on average. On average, Mercury is 1.04 astronomical units (AU) away from Earth compared to the 1.14 AU average distance between Earth and Venus. One AU is equal to the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. Venus still comes closest to Earth as part of its orbit around the Sun, but Mercury is closer to Earth on average because it passes on the same side of the Sun as Earth more often due to its small orbit. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather. (Pema Chödrön) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cataract (noun, KAT-uh-rakt) - Catarac t refers to a clouding of the lens of the eye, or of its surrounding transparent membrane, that obstructs the passage of light. Cataract is also used, often in literature, to refer to a waterfall, steep rapids in a river, or to a downpour or flood. In a Sentence: Cataracts are common but can be corrected with surgery.

Ukraine has been pounded with severe Russian attacks in recent days after executing a major operation earlier this week. On Sunday, Ukraine put Operation Spiderweb into action , which they had been planning for over a year and a half. First, the operation saw Ukrainian forces sneak into Russia across the past year to place drones inside the country. Then, when the time came last Sunday, Ukraine launched their fleet of 117 hidden drones, which struck various air bases in five different Russian regions. The attacks likely cost Russia billions of dollars, but officials have struggled to come up with a confirmed number on how many aircraft were destroyed. Russia claimed that no planes were destroyed at all, while Ukraine claimed that they had destroyed over 20 jets. After an extensive report by NATO, they confirmed that the attack's results were somewhere in the middle. At least 40 aircraft were damaged, most of which were Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers and Tu-22 supersonic bombers , and around 10 to 13 of them were completely destroyed. German authorities backed up this report, adding that at least 10% of Russian strategic bombers had been destroyed in the attack-- a significant blow to a country that maintains a much larger military than Ukraine. However, Russia has retaliated, and they have struck back hard. Strikes have taken place across the country, with missiles and drones bombarding various cities. Six people were killed earlier this week-- three in Kyiv, the country's capital; two in Lutsk, a city in the northwestern oblast of Volyn; and one other in Chernihiv, to the north. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that at least 400 drones and 40 missiles were used in the attacks, making it one of the largest of the entire war so far. After widespread attacks over the past few days, a concentrated hit struck the city of Kharkiv yesterday. Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city, with a population of around 1.4 million people, and is located in northeastern Ukraine just 19 miles from the Russian border. The city was assaulted with drones, missiles, and bombs, killing five people and injuring dozens of others. This comes just as Ukraine and Russia had begun to make progress in ceasefire negotiations. Over the past few weeks, the countries had exchanged thousands of prisoners after a deal was agreed upon in Istanbul after lengthy talks, and additional exchanges were scheduled for the coming weeks. Unfortunately, those have been put on hold for the time being, and the ongoing escalation between the two countries could lead to a collapse in negotiations if not cooled down quickly. Fact of the Day (BBC): If the Earth doubled in size, trees would immediately fall over. This is because surface gravity would be doubled. It would also mean dog-size and larger animals would not be able to run without breaking a leg. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. (Jimi Hendrix) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Abstruse (adj, ub-STROOSS) - Abstruse is a formal word used to describe something that is hard to understand. In a Sentence: I avoided taking this class in past semesters because the subject matter is so abstruse , but the professor does a good job explaining the concepts as clearly as possible.

A highly public fight between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has escalated, quickly worsening relations between the two. Trump and Musk have been quite close since last year, when Musk strongly backed his presidential bid. Musk was seen as a hardcore Republican fighting to get Trump into office, spreading pro-Trump posts on social media and speaking with him onstage. He also gave a record $277 million in funds towards Trump's campaign, bringing him even closer to the now-president. However, those good relations have quickly declined after a major fallout between the two billionaires in recent days. Musk, who was put at the leading position of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after getting onto Trump's good side, was forced to leave the White House this week after his 130-day term as a special government employee came to an end. At his departure ceremony, Musk denied the recent reports of him taking drugs on the job, and was given a gold key to the White House to commemorate his efforts towards reducing the government budget deficit. Then, relations crumbled, with Musk calling out a new bill that has been spearheaded by the president. The bill, which includes a sweeping wave of tax cuts and increased government spending in certain areas, was heavily denounced by Musk, with the billionaire calling it a "disgusting abomination." The bill also includes the removal of tax credits for electric cars, which could be one of the reasons why Musk dislikes the bill-- he owns the major electric car company, Tesla. A few days after the dissent began, Trump struck back, establishing that he was "disappointed" in Elon Musk's posts. Musk, though, continued with the rout, posting that Trump would have lost the election if it weren't for him and claiming that Republicans would have lost control of both the House and the Senate if he hadn't supported Trump's bid. Trump responded by confirming that he had fired Musk by not approving his request to stay in his position for longer, and accused Musk of going "crazy" because he removed the EV tax credits that "forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted." That was just the beginning, with the brief tiff quickly escalating into a very public, personal brawl. Accusations were made, contracts were threatened, and more, and it has all been seen by the public due to the fight's location on social media. Now, where this relationship ends up is yet to be seen, and whether either man will make good on his threats will greatly affect the future of the United States and most likely other countries as well. Fact of the Day (BBC): Dogs tilt their heads when you speak to them to better pinpoint familiar words. Your dog is tilting its head when you speak to it to pinpoint where noises are coming from more quickly. This is done to listen out more accurately for familiar words such as 'walkies' and helps them to better understand the tone of your voice. If a dog doesn't tilt its head that often, it's because it relies less on sound and more on sight. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Because you don’t live near a bakery doesn’t mean you have to go without cheesecake. (Hedy Lamarr) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Festoon (verb, fess-TOON) - Festoon usually means "to cover or decorate (something) with many small objects, pieces of paper, etc.," or "to appear here and there on the surface of." It can also mean "to hang decorative chains or strips on." In a Sentence: Tiny wildflowers festooned the meadow.

United States President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping travel ban that prohibits people from 12 different countries from entering the US, with exceptions for sports players. The ban was signed by Trump on Wednesday, and will be implemented on June 9. From then, citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will not be allowed into the United States. Additionally, people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela may be banned from entering-- this will be determined based on the situation. Trump claims that the new restrictions have been put into place because of the improper vetting processes in the countries listed, and accepting them into the US would be a safety hazard and could endanger local citizens. However, the order clearly established an exception for players, coaches, other team members, or any immediate relatives of a sports team. This is due to the upcoming Club World Cup that will take place in the United States this year, along with the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Anyone affiliated with a sports team from one of the banned countries will still be allowed to enter the United States if a sporting event is taking place, but the government has refused to specify which sporting events are included in the exception. Fact of the Day (BBC): The Moon is shrinking. But only very slightly, by about 164 ft in radius over the last several hundred million years. The body's cooling interior has led to extremely slow shrinking, which has also caused seismic activity known as moonquakes. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I’ve always said manage in good times so that you’re ready for the bad times. (Herb Kelleher) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Sea change (noun, SEE-CHAYNJ) - Sea change refers to a big and sudden change or transformation. In a Sentence: The early 2000s witnessed a sea change in public opinion about smoking in public places.

The government of the Netherlands has collapsed after right-wing leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party from a major coalition.  Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who was an independent candidate unaffiliated with any party, has run the Dutch government for almost a year on a four-party coalition government. He was elected on July 2, 2024, but was forced to form a large coalition between multiple parties. This coalition consisted of the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the center-right New Social Contract (NSC), the right-wing Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), and the right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV), which gave them a majority over the Dutch Parliament. However, PVV leader Geert Wilders decided to pull out of the coalition on Tuesday after the rest of the group refused to approve his ideas, sending the Dutch government into chaos.  Now, they stand without a functioning Parliament, and Prime Minister Dick Schoof has resigned from his position. The interim government will be unable to pass major legislation until the next elections, which are not expected to happen for quite some time– the earliest that they could occur is in early fall, as the Dutch Parliament will take a recess from July 4 to September 1. These elections will re-elect all 150 seats in the Parliament, possibly changing up the entire Dutch government. Fact of the Day (BBC): You remember more dreams when you sleep badly. Research suggests that if you sleep badly and wake up multiple times throughout the night you will be more likely to recall the content of any dreams you had. You are also more likely to remember a dream when woken from one. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. (Denis Waitley) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Bogus (adj, BOH-gus) - Bogus  is an informal word used to describe something that is not real or genuine, making it a synonym of such words as fake , false , and counterfeit . In a Sentence: We were disappointed to find out that the purses we bought were bogus .

Lee Jae-myung has been elected as the new president of South Korea, beating the party of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and sued for abusing his power after declaring martial law six months ago. Back in December, then-President Yoon Suk Yeol placed the country under martial law , coming as a shock to residents, allies, and even his own party. Martial law is when a country is temporarily placed under military rule, and it usually is declared during times of war, like Ukraine's situation with Russia. Yoon claimed that his opposition was scheming with North Korea to create a plot to take him down, forcing him to take action. However, due to the fact that martial law is similar to temporary authoritarian rule, the move sparked outrage among the people of South Korea, most of which have experienced a time without democracy, as the country shifted to become a democratic state in 1987. Additionally, the Parliament quickly convened after the announcement and repealed his order-- but the damage was done. Less than two weeks later, he was impeached , and that ruling was upheld by South Korea's Supreme Court in April. He is also now facing criminal charges for abusing his power, which could put him in hot water in the future. Now, it is clear that a significant portion of the population seems to have lost faith in Yoon's party, the People Power Party (PPP), after their new candidate, Kim Moon-soo, lost the latest election by a massive margin. After Yoon beat Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung in the last election, Lee took the win by a staggering 8% in this election, and many voters did not even care for his agenda; they simply did not want to vote for the PPP. As president, Lee will be tasked with uniting a heavily-divided country, especially when it comes to politics. Views on Yoon and his actions are extremely split, and while Lee plans to move forward, it may be tougher than expected. He will also need to mend South Korea's bond with their strongest ally, the United States, as the weight of Donald Trump's latest tariffs have strained relations between the two countries. Fact of the Day (BBC): The biggest butterfly in the world has a one-foot wingspan. It belongs to the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing butterfly, which you can find in the forests of the Oro Province, in the east of Papua New Guinea. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I’m really happy to be me, and I’d like to think people like me more because I’m happy with myself and not because I refuse to conform to anything. (Adele) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Tutelage (noun, TOO-tuh-lij) - Tutelage is a formal word that refers to the instruction or guidance especially of an individual student by a teacher. Tutelage may also refer to an act or process of serving as guardian or protector. In a Sentence: Under the tutelage of his high school swim coach, Luis has greatly improved his times at meets.

Right wing historian and former athlete Karol Nawrocki has won the Polish presidential election after a marginal win over the opposing left wing party. The 2025 Polish presidential election was set to be one for the ages after initial polls showed left-wing candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, Warsaw's mayor, leading with 50.3% of the vote, compared to Nawrocki's 49.7%. After these beginning polls, Trzackowski was quick to estsblish that he had won-- but maybe too quick. The next morning, final polls showed Nawrocki with a winning vote percentage of 50.9%, leading Trzackowski's 49.1%. Nawrocki, a historian and former athlete, h as been the head of the Institute of National Remembrance since 2021, and he also served as the director of the Museum of the Second World War in the northern port city of Gdańsk from 2017 to 2021. He is primarily backed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, a right-wing party looking to shift away from Poland's dependence on the European Union while maintaining their ties with the organization. However, his views are also highly anti-communist and anti-Russia, and he is likely to work on solidifying Poland's stature as an independent, self-sufficient country in the coming years. He also supports Ukraine, but is against the prospect of them joining the EU during their war with Russia. Meanwhile, Trzackowski, his opponent, planned to focus more on solidifying ties with the European Union and implementing their ideas on topics such as climate and immigration, which Nawrocki strongly opposes. Nevertheless, the current prime minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, has the opposite view from Nawrocki on many of these points, and he has confirmed that he will be asking for a vote of confidence in the near future to ensure that he maintains his position. All he needs is a simple majority to keep his place as prime minister, which he is expected to do, but Nawrocki's win has given the PiS hope that they can defeat Tusk in the 2027 elections for prime minister. Fact of the Day (BBC): Some animals display autistic-like traits. Autistic traits in animals include a tendency toward repetitive behaviour and atypical social habits. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I like to say, ‘Experience is what you got when you didn’t get what you wanted.’ (Howard S. Marks) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Herculean (adj, her-kyuh-LEE-un) - Something described as Herculean (often uncapitalized as herculean ) is characterized by extraordinary power, extent, intensity, or difficulty. In a Sentence: Although starting a garden sounded fun in theory, the constant weeding and pest control turned it into a herculean task.

Ukraine has conducted another massive drone attack inside Russia, hitting dozens of Russian bombers at various aircraft bases. The attack was one of Ukraine's largest assaults on Russia this year, ranging across five different regions of the country. Drones spread out across hundreds of miles and struck a major aircraft base in Murmansk, which is on the northern tip of Russia's European side. Dozens of aircraft were damaged across the country, likely costing Russia millions of dollars, and thick, black smoke could be seen from miles away after explosions at the aircraft bases. The drone strikes also hit a base in eastern Siberia, one of Russia's most remote regions. This was done by secretly carrying the drones into Russia, where they were launched from areas near the bases. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed afterwards that they had been planning the attack for over a year and a half, and he praised the efforts of the Ukrainian soldiers who had participated to make the mission a success. This comes as Ukraine and Russia are in the middle of tense negotiations over reaching a ceasefire for the war, which has entered its fourth year. The two countries are discussing possible solutions to the conflict in Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey, which is located at a neutral, middle point between the two countries. Upcoming Events: World Bicycle Day (Tuesday, June 3) Shavuot Ends (Tuesday, June 3) International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (Wednesday, June 4) World Environment Day (Thursday, June 5) Eid ul-Adha Begins (Thursday, June 5) International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (Thursday, June 5) Russian Language Day (Friday, June 6) World Food Safety Day (Saturday, June 7) World Oceans Day (Sunday, June 8) UEFA Nations League Final (Sunday, June 8) French Open Finals (Sunday, June 8) Fact of the Day (BBC): Sports players spit so much because exercise increases the amount of protein in saliva. A protein mucus named MUC5B makes your saliva thicker when you're exercising, which makes it more difficult to swallow so we tend to spit more. It may occur during exercise because we breathe through our mouths more, and MUC5B could activate to stop our mouths from drying out. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. (Carrie Fisher) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Proscribe (verb, proh-SCRYBE) - Proscribe is a formal word meaning “to condemn or forbid something as harmful or unlawful.” More broadly, it can mean simply “to not allow something.” In a Sentence: The town has passed an ordinance that proscribes the ownership of snakes and other exotic pets.

We apologize that this article was published late due to a scheduling issue. At least 151 people are dead after heavy flooding in Nigeria, and the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days as search and rescue efforts complete their jobs. The flooding took place in the western Nigerian town of Mokwa, which is around 235 miles west of the capital of Abuja. Heavy downpours overnight resulted in a quick buildup of water as the floodwaters inundated the town, wiping away various roads and buildings. Reports have stated that the homes of over 3,000 people were destroyed in the deadly floods, and numerous residents reported seeing bodies washed away and floating throughout the town after dozens of people drowned after the water rose. Search and rescue operations are already kicking into high gear, with authorities searching for any survivors and scanning bodies to identify victims of the floods. Meanwhile, camps and shelters have been set up across the region to house locals who have lost their homes, and humanitarian aid like food and water has also been sent to the area. Unfortunately, extreme weather events only continue to become more and more common as climate change worsens. Rainy season in Nigeria, which lasts from April through October, usually brings floods to towns like Mokwa, but their impact has been exacerbated by the effect of a warming world and changing weather patterns. Officials have admitted that they were unprepared to face such extreme flooding, which could have also contributed to the high death toll. Fact of the Day (BBC): Mirrors facing each other don't produce infinite reflections. Each reflection will be darker than the last and eventually fade into invisibility. Mirrors absorb a fraction of the energy of the light striking them, so the total number of reflections mirrors can produce is around a few hundred. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Fixation is the way to death. Fluidity is the way to life . (Miyamoto Musashi) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Opportune (adj, ah-per-TOON) - Opportune describes something that is suitable or convenient for a particular situation, or that is done or happening at an appropriate time. In a Sentence: They chose an  opportune  time to invest in real estate.