President Donald Trump suggested in a video posted to his official TikTok account on June 2 that the large UFC arena being built on the White House South Lawn for the “UFC Freedom 250” card could remain a permanent fixture, comparing it to the Eiffel Tower. The structure, under construction in late May and early June, will stage fights on June 14 — Flag Day and the president’s 80th birthday — and is expected to seat about 4,000–4,500 spectators with large public viewing screens on the Ellipse for tens of thousands more. The event, financed and produced by the UFC’s parent company and TKO Group Holdings with production costs estimated at about $60 million, will feature headline bouts including Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane. The project has drawn criticism over use of White House grounds, taxpayer-funded security, reports of roughly $700,000 in lawn restoration costs and reserved military tickets. Several outlets noted Trump’s historical simplification of the Eiffel Tower’s history; the White House has not issued a detailed public plan on whether the structure could be kept permanently.

U.S.-brokered talks in Washington led Israel and Lebanon on June 3-4 to agree to implement a ceasefire contingent on Hezbollah’s complete cessation of fire and the evacuation of its operatives from the South Litani sector, officials said. The package includes U.S.-guided “pilot zones” where the Lebanese Armed Forces would assume exclusive control; political and security talks are due to resume the week of June 22 to seek a comprehensive accord. The announcement came as the wider U.S.-Israel war with Iran continued to roil the Gulf: Iranian drone and missile strikes damaged Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring more than 60, while U.S. forces launched strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, including on Qeshm Island. U.S. Central Command said it disabled the Botswana-flagged tanker M/T Lexie with a Hellfire missile as part of a blockade. Hostilities have periodically flared despite an April ceasefire, with Israeli drone strikes killing at least six people in southern Lebanon and cross-border exchanges testing the truce. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed a heated call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he called him “crazy,” a disclosure that analysts say could complicate coordination during negotiations.

Ukrainian long-range drones struck multiple targets in and around St. Petersburg on June 3, setting ablaze an oil terminal and hitting a warship in dry dock at the Kronstadt naval base as Russia hosted its flagship St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strikes, calling them “long-range sanctions” aimed at Russian oil and military infrastructure. Russian authorities reported air defences shot down hundreds of drones (officials cited roughly 350) and said several facilities were damaged; Pulkovo airport briefly restricted flights and mobile internet services were cut. The strikes came a day after one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, which Ukrainian officials said killed more than 20 civilians and injured many more. In a separate incident, a drone strike on a bus in Russia-controlled Donetsk was reported to have killed seven people. Kyiv says it targets “legitimate” war-related infrastructure while warning it will scale up long-range strikes. Ukraine has also renewed calls for more Western air-defence missiles as both sides increasingly rely on drone swarms and long-range strikes.

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on June 3-4, 2026 approved a Democrat-led war powers resolution directing President Donald Trump to end U.S. military hostilities with Iran. The measure passed 215-208 after four Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett and Warren Davidson — joined Democrats; Democratic Rep. Jared Golden also shifted to support the effort. The resolution invokes the 1973 War Powers Act and would direct removal of U.S. forces from hostilities unless Congress explicitly authorises further action. The measure must still clear the Republican-controlled Senate and would face an almost certain presidential veto, making it largely symbolic for now. Backers say the vote is the strongest congressional rebuke to date of Trump’s three-month-old campaign against Iran, which began with strikes on Feb. 28 and has contributed to higher fuel prices and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Lawmakers and administration officials remain sharply divided over the legality and impact of the resolution amid fragile ceasefire talks and continuing exchanges of strikes in the Gulf.

U.S. President Donald Trump on June 3 confirmed he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he was "effing crazy" during an expletive-filled phone call about Israeli operations in Lebanon, saying he was "a little bit perturbed" and urging a halt to strikes on Beirut. The confirmation followed an Axios report of a terse exchange in which Trump rebuked Netanyahu for actions he said jeopardised U.S.-brokered talks with Iran. Trump has said he helped secure an agreement—announced on June 1—under which Israel would refrain from striking Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs while Hezbollah would halt attacks on Israel. Despite that declaration, Israeli forces continued strikes across southern Lebanon on June 2-3, killing civilians and damaging hospitals, as Hezbollah kept firing at Israeli troops. Lebanese officials say more than 3,400 people have been killed and over a million displaced. Iranian state media reported Tehran paused indirect talks with Washington, a claim Trump denied, saying U.S.-Iran negotiations were ongoing. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, continue to press for a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address Iran's nuclear activities. Netanyahu faces mounting domestic criticism for perceived U.S. influence over Israeli military decisions ahead of elections.