By Jade Walker

C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S, Faizan Zaki! The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, won the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night. Zaki, who has competed in the annual contest four times, came in second last year. 

Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

Smoke rises from a wildfire in Manitoba, Canada. Manitoba Government/Handout/Reuters

Wildfires

The Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency due to a series of wildfires. The blazes, which began on Monday in Saskatchewan, have rapidly expanded in size, prompting the evacuation of more than 18,000 people. The intensifying fires are also beginning to send hazardous smoke toward the US. As of Thursday, just over 160 wildfires were burning across Canada, and about half were uncontrolled. Collectively, they have burned more than 1.56 million acres — 40% above the 10-year average for this point in the year. According to National Resources Canada, above-average fire weather severity is forecast for almost all of Western Canada in June and July. 

Israel-Hamas

Israel has accepted a new ceasefire proposal with Hamas from US envoy Steve Witkoff, which includes the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages, as well as a 60-day truce. Although Hamas said the latest framework doesn’t “respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine,” the militant group offered three counterpoints: 

1) Hamas will agree to the release of the hostages and a 60-day ceasefire if the US can assure that negotiations over a permanent ceasefire will continue and the fighting will not resume after the 60 days. 

2) Humanitarian assistance will be carried out through the UN channels.

3) The Israel Defense Forces will agree to pull back to the positions that they held on March 2, before Israel re-launched its military operations.

Amid these negotiations, Israel approved a massive expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental organization that tracks settlements, said it was the largest expansion since the signing of the Oslo Accords more than 30 years ago.

Tariffs

A federal appeals court on Thursday paused the Court of International Trade’s ruling that President Donald Trump didn’t have the authority to impose sweeping tariffs using the emergency powers he declared earlier this year. The ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit means Trump can continue to impose tariffs using emergency powers, and adds to the confusion and uncertainty about the future of his economic policy. The case could potentially work its way up to the Supreme Court.

Trump death threat

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X this week that an undocumented migrant from Mexico had been arrested for allegedly sending a letter threatening to kill President Trump. She also included a picture of the man and a copy of the letter. However, investigators now believe the migrant was set up. According to several sources, law enforcement believes Ramon Morales Reyes, 54, didn’t write the letter, which was sent to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and other agencies. Instead, investigators suspect a person who is currently awaiting trial in a robbery and assault case in which Reyes was the victim wrote the letter in an attempt to have him deported. Federal officials who asked for a handwriting sample from Reyes also determined that his handwriting and the threatening letter didn’t match.

Covid-19

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, continues to evolve. A new strain called NB.1.8.1 has been detected in several states and designated a variant under monitoring by the World Health Organization. Since NB.1.8.1 is a part of the Omicron family, the WHO said that currently approved Covid-19 vaccines should be effective. However, in recent weeks, the Department of Health and Human Services has made significant changes to how Covid-19 vaccines are approved and which groups they are recommended for. A new framework could limit Covid-19 vaccines to older Americans and people at higher risk of serious infection. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also said the vaccine will no longer be recommended for pregnant women and healthy children.

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Kennedy Center exec fired
A far-right political activist with a history of anti-gay rhetoric and promoting conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama said he was sacked after only a month on the job following a CNN investigation.

Fewer perks, more profit
Starbucks plans to eliminate one of its top loyalty perks: the 25-star bonus for customers who bring in a reusable cup for drink orders. 

The reason for the raspy voice
Singer Miley Cyrus has revealed that she has Reinke’s edema, a noncancerous vocal cord disorder.

A whole new ball game
Major League Baseball is purchasing a stake in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which will feature four teams — the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Vaults — playing 24 games each against one another between June 7 and July 23.

Just imagine how fun the holidays will be
Actor/comedian Eddie Murphy’s son Eric Murphy recently wed Jasmin Lawrence, actor/comedian Martin Lawrence’s daughter. “Yeah, we’re in-laws,” Murphy said on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”

Which airline, that at one time had a policy that “bags fly free,” now charges travelers for checked luggage?

A. Spirit

B. Frontier

C. Southwest

D. JetBlue

$50,000

That’s how much reward money authorities are offering to anyone with information leading to the arrest of a convicted double murderer or an experienced fugitive who broke out of a New Orleans jail. 

“I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside. It was terrifying — everything around me was white. Without the compass, I wouldn’t have known which direction I was heading. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning.”

— Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang, on surviving an accidental high-altitude flight without oxygen.

Harvard president receives standing ovation
During the university’s commencement ceremony on Thursday, Alan Garber received applause when he made an indirect reference to the university's pushback against the White House's effort to keep international students from attending the school.

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