Netanyahu rival resigns from Israel’s war Cabinet saying the prime minister stands in the way of “real victory.’’ Some doctors caution about a common men’s hair loss drug. And Trump is expected to attend a probation hearing.
Here’s what to know today.
Gantz quits Israeli war Cabinet after hostage rescue operation left hundreds of Palestinians dead
Joy in Israel over the rescue of four hostages has given way to the harsh realities of the bloody war in Gaza that has dragged on for nine months and whose deep divisions remained largely unchanged by the successful operation.
The operation on Saturday resulted in the rescue of four hostages, among them Noa Argamani, whose abduction on Oct. 7 during the Nova music festival was captured on video. But it came at the cost of hundreds of Palestinian lives. As of Sunday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said that at least 270 people were killed and another 700 were injured, marking one of the bloodiest days in the war. More people are believed to be buried in the rubble.
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Yesterday, Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Israel’s war Cabinet. Gantz, a key rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he was quitting after a postwar plan for the Palestinian enclave of Gaza failed to materialize. In a televised event, Gantz said that Netanyahu stood in Israel’s way to “a real victory,” and he apologized to the families of hostages, saying “we failed” to bring most of them home. Read more about the tensions that preceded Gantz’s resignation.
More Israel-Hamas war coverage:
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the Middle East today. His effort to achieve a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas was likely complicated by the rescue operation, a senior Biden administration official said. Here’s why.
- Biden administration officials have discussed potentially negotiating a unilateral deal with Hamas to secure the release of five American hostages if the current cease-fire talks involving Israel fail, according to two current and two former senior U.S. officials.
Macron announces snap legislative election
President Emmanuel Macron is leaving France’s political fate in the hands of voters after a surprise decision over the weekend to dissolve the lower house of the country’s parliament. The move came after his party was handed a humbling defeat by the far right in the European Union’s parliamentary elections on Saturday. The projected results showed Marine Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration National Rally party well ahead of Macron’s centrist, pro-European Renaissance party, according to French opinion poll institutes.
In making this decision, Macron is taking a big risk with a move that could backfire. If an opposition party wins a parliament majority, it could lead to a fraught power-sharing situation called “cohabitation,” that would force Macron to name a prime minister with different views. Macron’s term as president still runs for three more years. The legislative elections will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7. Here’s what else to know about Macron’s decision.
Trump to attend probation hearing today
Donald Trump is scheduled to sit down for a virtual interview today with a New York City probation officer, a requirement by the court after the former president was found guilty on all counts in his hush money trial. Three sources familiar with the matter said the interview will be from his home at Mar-a-Lago with his attorney Todd Blanche at his side, done over a special virtual network with added security measures.
While legal experts noted that a probation interview over a video conference call is unusual, having a former president in a New York probation office would also be unprecedented. Here’s what Trump could be asked about during the interview.
More Donald Trump coverage:
- After his guilty verdict, Trump is focused on revenge. Just look at his recent interviews with Sean Hannity and Dr. Phil.
A ‘last chance’ parole hearing for Leonard Peltier
Native American activist and federal prisoner Leonard Peltier, who has maintained his innocence in the murders of two FBI agents almost half a century ago, is due for a full parole hearing today. It’s his first in 15 years — and it may be the 79-year-old’s last chance to advocate for his release, his supporters fear.
Peltier was part of a gunfight that resulted in the deaths of the two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1975. There has been decades of scrutiny surrounding how his case was investigated and how the trial was conducted. Peltier’s attorney argues that his client’s age, declining health and nonviolent record in prison should be accounted for as the commission decides whether to grant parole.
But Peltier faces a layered hearing process, and the FBI remains “resolute” in its opposition to Peltier’s release.
As more young men use a hair loss drug, some doctors caution about rare side effects
More young men are taking a medication to prevent hair loss, prompting some concerns that the oral drug has been linked to rare but potentially long-lasting side effects. A report conducted on behalf of NBC News found that the number of men in the U.S. with finasteride prescriptions increased nearly 200% in the last seven years.
“It’s like water in my clinic,” a NYC dermatologist said. “I’m prescribing it all the time.”
Doctors say the daily pill is safe, although once someone starts taking it, they’ll need to continue for as long as they want to avoid hair loss. But there’s some controversy about the drug, due to the possibility of impotence that could last even after stopping the medication, along with other side effects that users have reported.
Politics in Brief
Abortion rights: The Supreme Court is set to rule this month on two major abortion cases for the first time since Roe v. Wade was overturned — one about the abortion pill mifepristone and the other about a near-total ban on abortion care in Idaho. Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley explains what’s at stake in the two cases.
Biden in France: Without speaking Trump’s name, President Joe Biden sought to draw contrast with his Republican rival throughout his five days in France. The trip culminated in a visit to a cemetery rich with political symbolism.
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Staff Pick: It’s giving camp
From a program for Christian youths on a lake in Minnesota to a refuge for transgender and gender-nonconforming teens in Ohio, summer camps geared specifically toward young LGBTQ people can be found across the country. We talked to founders and campers at three such places about what they offer LGBTQ youths beyond bonfires and nature hikes. — Brooke Sopelsa, NBC OUT editorial director
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
If you pop your pimples, just know that the area between your nose and the corners of your mouth is sometimes called the “triangle of death.” Here’s why. And instead of popping, try these acne spot treatments, tested by NBC Select editors.
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