Trump considers Israel-Iran conflict and Karen Read found not guilty of murder: Morning Rundown

Donald Trump weighs how to act in the conflict between Israel and Iran but without his national intelligence director. Karen Read’s retrial ends dramatically. And OKC Thunder fans’ bond with the team is unlike most other pro sports fandoms.

Here’s what to know today.

Iranian missile strike hits Israeli hospital

An Iranian ballistic missile hit a hospital in southern Israel, causing “extensive damage in several areas,” Israeli officials said.

The old surgical building at Soroka Medical Center in the city of Beersheba suffered “a significant impact,” a spokesperson said, adding that several people were being treated for mild injuries.

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the strike. Herzog said the hospital has a record of “caring for Israelis of all faiths and our neighbors the Palestinians who come especially to be treated there.”

“I send strength and support to the medical teams, to the patients, and to the residents of Be’er Sheva and all cities attacked across Israel this morning,” he said. “In moments like these, we are reminded of what’s truly at stake, and the values we are defending.”

Meanwhile, Israel said the targets of its overnight attacks included Iran’s Arak nuclear reactor and a nuclear weapons development site in the Natanz area.

Iran’s Arak nuclear reactor was under construction and not operational, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said, and “contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects.”

“The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Read the full story here.

More coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict:

• Trump said he has not made up his mind about whether to launch an airstrike on an Iranian nuclear facility, saying that Iran wants to re-start negotiations after being battered by Israeli airstrikes, which Iran denied.
• National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, who has been an outspoken critic of past U.S. military interventions abroad, has been largely sidelined in discussions on Iran.

• Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggest Iran is close to creating a nuclear weapon, but the U.S. assessment of Iran’s nuclear program hasn’t changed since in months, sources say.

• Media personality Tucker Carlson clashed with Sen. Ted Cruz in an interview in which Cruz was unable to answer questions about Iran.

Karen Read found not guilty of murder

Karen Read was acquitted of second-degree murder over the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in a retrial after her first widely watched trial ended in a hung jury. The jury also acquitted Read on two lesser charges — motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision that caused the death of O’Keefe. But Read was convicted of operating under the influence of liquor and sentenced to one year of probation.

Cheers erupted among the dozens of Read supporters positioned across the street. Outside the courthouse, she thanked those who she said had provided financial and emotional support. “No one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have,” she said. Several people who knew O’Keefe released a statement calling the result a “devastating miscarriage of justice” and accusing Read’s team of pushing “lies and conspiracy theories.” Read the full story here.

Meanwhile, Michael Proctor, the former Massachusetts state trooper who was fired over his conduct in the case, told “Dateline” that accusations that he’s corrupt and helped frame her are “ridiculous.”

Raw milk advocates wonder: Where is Kennedy?

In February, shortly after Robert F. Kennedy was confirmed as Health and Human Services secretary, Mark McAfee said he received a text message from Kennedy. McAfee, one of the country’s leading raw milk producers, had been in close touch with Kennedy’s presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan, and he expected to advise Kennedy’s department on ways to support raw milk farmer, expand access to consumers and reverse the federal government’s official stance that raw milk is too risky to consume. After all, Kennedy is a self-professed avid raw milk fan.

But there has been silence since that February text, McAfee said, and a recent report on children’s health titled “The MAHA Report” — a reference to Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again campaign — stressed the importance of whole milk and other unprocessed foods but made no mention of raw milk. The FDA’s stance that “raw milk puts all consumers at risk” because of potential contamination hasn’t been changed or updated, nor has the federal ban on selling it across state lines.

Kennedy’s seeming inaction on the issue so far has frustrated and concerned raw milk advocates who believe the risks of consuming it have been overstated and the health and nutritional benefits undersold. But they haven’t given up on him yet. Read the full story here.

More politics news:

• Some of the seven Senate Democrats who voted to confirm Kristi Noem to lead the Homeland Security Department are critical of her actions so far, with some saying they regret their votes.

• Trump hopes to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, but his new criteria stripping protections from some is expected to significantly expand the pool of undocumented immigrants.

• The upcoming mayoral primary in New York allows for ranked choice voting. Here’s how it works.

Read All About It

• Hurricane Erick is set to make landfall as a Category 4 storm near southern Mexico’s Pacific coast.

• The Buss family, which has run the Los Angeles Lakers for 46 years, is selling a majority stake in the iconic NBA franchise at a valuation of $10 billion.

• A cardiac arrest was reported at the home of celebrity chef Anne Burrell, who died this week, the New York City Fire Department said.

• The FDA approved a new HIV-prevention medication that was shown in clinical trials to have eliminated the virus’ spread among people given an injection every six months.

• The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have secured a 400% raise after a Netflix docuseries raised questions about their pay.

Staff Pick: Thunder fans aren’t like other fans

What makes the Oklahoma City Thunder one of the NBA’s most fascinating teams isn’t that they can clinch the franchise’s first championship tonight. It’s that the team’s bond with its city is one of the most unique in all of professional sports. The Thunder’s general manager texts with the mayor. Fans cheer late-night arrivals at the airport and overwhelmingly devote taxpayer money for the team. In downtown Oklahoma City, window paintings in the team’s orange and blue colors are everywhere. The Thunder, meanwhile, require all new players and staff to take a city history lesson.

This city wants a championship. But they’ll love the Thunder, regardless of what happens. — Andrew Greif, sports reporter

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

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