Friday morning news: June 16, 2023

Ukraine » Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday condemned Russia’s attacks on civilian targets, including this week’s strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih.

LLOYD AUSTIN: The Russian barrage struck an apartment building, and according to reports, killed nearly a dozen people and injured many more.

Austin heard there at a meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels.

The United States has provided nearly $40 billion dollars in military assistance since the war began, and Austin vowed that Washington will continue to back Ukraine.

Ukrainian pilots are set to begin training to fly American-made F-16 fighter jets.

Meantime, in Belarus, dictator Alexander Lukashenko has threatened to use nuclear weapons that Russia has deployed to the country if Belarus faces any act of aggression.

Blinken to China » Secretary of State Tony Blinken is on his way to China today on a mission to repair deteriorating ties between Washington and Beijing. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: Blinken will be the most senior U.S. official to visit China since President Biden took office. He had planned to visit Beijing earlier this year, but postponed the trip after China floated a spy balloon across the United States.

Since then, there have been lower-level engagements between the U.S. and China despite ongoing hostility.

While in Beijing, Secretary Blinken will meet with senior Chinese officials and talk about the importance of keeping lines of communication open.

The State Department says Blinken will raise unspecified concerns and try to find areas of agreement where the two global powers can work together.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

SCOTUS ruling » The Supreme Court ruled Thursday to uphold a law that gives Native American families preference in foster care and adoption of Native children.

Texas, Louisiana, and Indiana joined seven individuals to challenge the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 saying it put the interests of tribes ahead of children.

Lead plaintiffs Chad and Jennifer Brackeen adopted a Native American boy in 2018 and are trying to adopt his half-sister, but the Navajo Nation said she should be raised by her family in the tribe.

BRACKEEN: We’re seeking modification to ICWA or a revamping of ICWA where the best interest of the children can be considered.

A seven-justice majority rejected the plaintiff’s claims that the law discriminated on the basis of race.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.

Suarez WH campaign » Another candidate is joining the crowded Republican presidential field.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced his campaign on Thursday.

FRANCIS SUAREZ: I’m going to run for president. I’m going to run for your children and mine. Let’s give them the future they deserve.

The 45-year-old two-term mayor is a husband and father of two.

With Suarez’s entry, there are now a dozen GOP candidates vying for the nomination.

DeSantis on White House pride » One of those 12 candidates is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. And on Tuesday, he blasted President Biden over a recent LGBT pride event on the South Lawn of the White House.

A giant rainbow-colored pride progress flag was draped from the White House balcony between two American flags. DeSantis, a Navy veteran, is among those who say the display violated a section of the US flag code, which states that the American flag should be at the center of flag displays.

RON DESANTIS: When they had at the White house the transgender flag as the precedence over the American flag. That’s wrong. That is not how you display the American flag.

DeSantis also ripped President Biden over an LGBT-themed video in which Biden said the following:

JOE BIDEN: These are our kids. Not somebody else’s kids, they’re all our kids. And our children are the kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft.

DeSantis responded, tweeting, “They are not your kids.”

Some blue states are currently pushing legislation to allow the government to take children away from their parents if the parents don’t “affirm” their gender identity.

MLB to teams: Don’t force players to wear pride gear » Major League Baseball has instructed teams not to force players to wear uniforms with symbols of LGBT pride this month. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has more.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN: Twenty-nine of baseball’s 30 teams are holding “Pride Night” events again this year. The Texas Rangers are the exception.

But while teams have the freedom to choose whether to hold pro-LGBT events, the player’s union has asked Major League Baseball to protect the freedom of its players.

An increasing number of players are speaking up this season, telling the union and the league that they don’t want to be forced to wear rainbow-themed pride insignia on the field.

Many NHL teams opted out of Pride Night festivities after players objected to wearing rainbow patches and logos.

For WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, celebrating the journey of fatherhood.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.