Monday, May 30

President Joe Biden said the United States will not send to Ukraine any rocket systems that can reach Russia. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has cautioned Western powers that supplying Ukraine with weapons capable of hitting Russian territory would be a “serious step towards unacceptable escalation.”

Tuesday, May 31

Biden met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to stress the need to cool inflate rates, which are at their highest in 40 years, and to rein in gas, food and consumer goods prices. White House economic adviser Brian Deese said the meeting was “very constructive.”

Wednesday, June 1

The Biden administration formally unveiled its weapons package to Ukraine that includes a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems “that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine,” Biden said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in which they agreed the war in Ukraine is likely to end through negotiation. “We can’t say when, we can’t say exactly how,” Blinken said. “What we can say is what we will do to make sure that Ukraine has the means to defend itself and has the strongest possible hand at every step along the way.”
The White House announced that a third round of baby formula shipments from formula producer Kendamil in the United Kingdom will begin to shore up domestic shortages. “There’s nothing more stressful than feeling you can’t get what your child needs,” Biden said.
Biden hailed the appointment of Linda Fagan as the first female service chief of the U.S. armed forces during a change of command ceremony that officially kicked off her tenure as commandant of the Coast Guard. “It’s about time,” Biden said, referring to her appointment.
Biden’s top Latin America advisor, Juan Gonzalez, announced that Biden would hold his first formal talks with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro at the Summit of the Americas.
The Transportation Department started to allow more flight routes from the U.S. to Cuba by removing a ban on U.S. airlines and chartered flights flying to major cities outside of Havana. Blinken said lifting the flight restriction was done “in support of the Cuban people, and in the foreign policy interests of the United States.”

Thursday, June 2

The Labor Department released a report showing that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell from 211,000 to 200,000 for the week ending May 28, continuing the trend of Americans collecting unemployment at historically low levels.
The state, commerce and treasury departments each issued new restrictions on Russia and its supporters in their latest crackdown. Individuals and groups sanctioned include the head of a major Russian steel producer, a yacht management company, the spokeswoman for the country’s foreign ministry and a cellist whom the Treasury Department says acts as a middleman for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The restrictions also include further limits on the export of U.S. technology that could help the Russian military.
The Education Department released its largest single loan dismissal ever, wiping away the debts accrued by graduates of Corinthian Colleges, a now-defunct for-profit chain that faced, through multiple proceedings, one of the most notorious allegations of fraud in American higher education. The move clears away $5.8 billion for more than 560,000 borrowers.

Friday, June 3

Following up on the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting that killed 19 children, Biden gave a speech in which he called on lawmakers to pass legislation to curb gun violence in the U.S. He recommended a ban on assault weapons, a limit on high capacity magazines, secure storage laws, universal background checks, and the removal of protection laws for gun manufacturers.
U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain released a report showing that, in India in 2021, officials have been ignoring or supporting religious attacks on members of religious minority communities, including killings, assaults and intimidation. India later defended its record on religious tolerance and said the report was “biased.”
Biden hailed a Labor Department report showing that more Americans joined or re-joined the workforce in May, calling the numbers “historically robust” and saying they are a sign of a “healthy economy.”
The State Department updated its fact sheet on Taiwan to reinstate a line about not supporting formal independence for the Chinese-claimed, democratically governed island. “We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means,” the document states.
The Justice Department announced that Peter Navarro, a former advisor to former President Donald Trump, was charged with two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
An official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that there are likely two distinct strains of monkeypox in the U.S. and that it is highly possible that cases have previously gone “under the radar, but not to any great degree.” Nevertheless, she said “there could be community-level transmission that is happening.”