Wednesday morning news: June 3, 2026

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Rubio testimony / Iran latest » On Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration's Iran strategy on Tuesday. In his first testimony since the war began, the secretary clashed with Democrats.

Sen. Corey Booker asserted that Iran is now in a stronger negotiating position than before the war.

BOOKER:  We are the strongest nation on the planet Earth and we're in a stalemate with Iran; and now we're begging to get back into a deal that you all trashed in the first place.

Rubio countered that if anyone is begging, it is Iran, whose military has been devastated and whose economy is in shambles, pointing to protests in Iran even before the war.

RUBIO: Economic factors in Iran are far worse today than they were six months ago when those protests were happening. They have hyperinflation, their currency's completely devalued, they're struggling to make payroll for their government workers.

He added that U.S. negotiators see Iran's new supreme leader—Mojtaba Khamenei —as "increasingly engaged" in talks through writing and intermediaries. He added that Tehran has agreed to negotiate parts of its nuclear program that it once refused to talk about.

And he also once again defended the decision to strike Iran. He said if anyone thinks Iran has leverage now by choking the Strait of Hormuz:

RUBIO:  Imagine what nuclear weapons would give them the leverage to do? At that point, they wouldn't even have to announce that we're controlling this. They would just say, "We control the straits. There's nothing you can do about it because our nuclear weapon will allow us to do it. You will have to pay us a toll for using an international waterway from now on, and you can't do anything to us militarily, because we'll blow you up with a nuclear weapon."

Democrats largely reject the argument that the action was necessary, calling it a “war of choice.”

Acting director of national intelligence » President Trump has picked a temporary replacement for Tusli Gabbard to oversee America's spy agencies—at least for now.

Bill Pulte will be the interim director of national intelligence.

He runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairs mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The 38-year-old has no known national security background, and he will keep his housing jobs amid the interim role. 

Trump pointed to Pulte's experience safeguarding sensitive financial markets, and allies also vouch for him. Trump health official doctor Mehmet Oz:

OZ: He is a very sharp, uh, quick study of, people, uh, their emotional abilities and their ability to, to persevere in the, in the face of hardship.

But the pick is drawing criticism in Congress. The director of national intelligence oversees 18 spy agencies—and critics question whether Pulte is equipped to lead them. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the president of simply picking a loyalist:

SCHUMER: Americans need an intelligence chief loyal to the facts, the intelligence, the security of the nation; not the political interests of one man.

Tulsi Gabbard announced last month that she was stepping down at the end of June to care for her husband, recently diagnosed with a rare cancer.

Job openings climb » America's job market continues to show resilience. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher explains.

BENJAMIN EICHER: The Labor Department reported Tuesday that U.S. employers advertised 7.6 million open jobs in April ... the most in nearly two years, and far more than economists expected. That, despite some economic pressure from the Iran war.

Openings jumped more than 700,000 in a single month. Layoffs fell, but so did the number of Americans quitting their jobs, which is a sign of confidence in their prospects.

Still, companies are cautious as overall hiring slowed in April.

Unemployment, though, is holding at a low 4.3%.

The next test comes on Friday ... when the government releases the May jobs report which will reveal whether hiring has picked up.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Russian attack in Ukraine » In Ukraine:

SOUND: [Air raid sirens in Ukraine]

Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv Tuesday, followed by explosions:

SOUND: [Explosions in Ukraine]

That, as Ukraine's air force said Russia launched a massive attack on the capital city that included well over 600 drones and 70 missiles.

At least 22 people were killed and well over a hundred were wounded in the barrage.

AUDIO: [Woman speaking Ukrainian]

One woman described her home being hit and smoke covering everything. She said she tried to cover her 6-year-old daughter and described the scene as though they were living through the apocalypse.

Meantime in Moscow:

PESKOV: [Speaking Russian]

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov continues to insist that the Kremlin wants a peaceful end to the war, while Kyiv would describe it as surrender. Peskov told reporters that the conflict could end within 24 hours if Ukraine would withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory that Russia now claims as its own.

U.S. primaries »  Voters went to the polls Tuesday in primary elections across the United States. 

In Los Angeles, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt could be heading to a runoff election against incumbent mayor Karen Bass. As of early this morning, only about half the votes were counted in the mayoral race, but Bass and Pratt both held double digit leads over all other candidates. It is a nonpartisan race.

Leading up to the vote, Bass had touted what she claimed was a reduction in homelessness in the city. But Pratt pushed back:

PRATT: There has not been a reduction in one homeless person. Actually, there's been an increase of naked, drug addict zombies in front of every kid's playground, every kids' school, every coffeeshop.

And in the race for California governor, Republican Steve Hilton and Democratic state attorney general Xavier Bacerra held healthy leads over the rest of the field. In both races, the top two vote getters, regardless of party, advance to a head-to-head match up in November. 

The night's biggest surprise came in Iowa. 

Republicans there picked political newcomer Zach Lahn for governor, in an upset over congressman Randy Feenstra, who had been favored. And Iowa Democrats nominated Paralympic gold medalist Josh Turek for U.S. Senate. 

I'm Kent Covington.

And coming up: party defections change the political landscape in Canada. Plus, making ancient Biblical manuscripts available to anyone.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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