In today’s newsletter: Russia bombards Ukraine, leaving at least 18 dead. Voters head to the polls for primaries across six states, where the fight to shape the future of the Democratic Party is playing out. And Scott Pelley accuses CBS News’ Bari Weiss of “murdering” “60 Minutes.”

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Here’s what to know today.

What to watch in today’s primaries

The fight to shape the future of the Democratic Party is playing out in a slew of key primaries across six states tonight — California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota.

Two of California’s races have attracted a great deal of national attention. The race to succeed Gavin Newsom as governor has narrowed to a three-way contest between two Democrats and a Republican with President Donald Trump’s backing. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor is facing two major challengers in her all-party primary, including former reality TV star Spencer Pratt.

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House incumbents from California to New Jersey are facing serious electoral threats from members of their own parties, in another clear sign voters are eager for change. Many of the primary fights among Democrats are highlighting divisions between progressives and more establishment candidates.

But the party’s hopes for a midterm boost have extended to red-state Iowa, with the governor’s office and one Senate seat up for grabs.

Democrats have quickly coalesced around State Auditor Rob Sand to replace GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who received Trump’s endorsement last week, had long been considered the frontrunner, but farmer and businessman Zach Lahn has been pouring his own money into the race and received backing from the “Make America Healthy Again” camp.

If no candidate wins at least 35% of the primary vote, the Republican nominee will be chosen at the state party convention on June 13.

More House battleground elections are happening across the country. Here’s what you need to know about the races to watch.

As Ebola spreads, the institute Fauci once led stays on the sidelines without a leader

As the U.S. races to respond to the growing Ebola outbreak, a key player has been notably quiet: the institute that Dr. Anthony Fauci used to run.

For decades, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has been a world leader in research into the prevention and treatment of deadly diseases such as AIDS, Ebola and Malaria. But without a director and the loss of various senior leaders, the institute has been on the sidelines.

During the largest Ebola outbreak in history, from 2014 to 2016, research from NIAID scientists offered early evidence that an Ebola vaccine might be safe to give to humans, and the agency stood up trials of two experimental vaccines in Liberia.

Since Trump took office, a handful of NIAID leaders have resigned or been fired or reassigned to other roles. In addition to the departures at NIAID, 14 of the 27 institutes and centers within NIH are missing permanent directors.

In the absence of NIAID representation during a Senate committee hearing last week, the Trump administration noted a shift in the institute’s focus: moving away from pandemic preparedness and biodefense toward addressing “diseases and conditions that people actually have,” according to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health.

Read the full story here.

Russian attack kills at least 18 and leaves Ukraine pleading for help from Trump

Russia unleashed a devastating assault on major cities across Ukraine early today, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than a hundred, authorities said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded for more help from the United States after the strikes, which left people trapped under the rubble of apartment buildings and residents scrambling to shelter underground as smoke billowed over the capital Kyiv.

It follows warnings from Moscow of an intense new wave of attacks, as the Kremlin hopes to change the narrative of a war mired in battlefield setbacks and diplomatic stalemate amid growing signs of domestic disquiet.

Ukraine’s emergency service said that a rescuer was among the 11 dead in Dnipro after what appeared to be a double-tap strike.

Read the full story here.

Trump administration appears to back off $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund after rare GOP backlash

After fierce backlash from Senate Republicans and Democrats who teamed up to block the ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, it appears the Trump administration backed down.

The Justice Department cited a Friday ruling that temporarily blocked the fund, saying it “disagrees strongly” but “will abide by the Court’s ruling.” A hearing had been set for June 12.

The DOJ announcement is aimed at restarting the party-line “reconciliation” bill Republicans are trying to push through Congress to fund ICE and Border Patrol. The push to fund both agencies stalled two weeks ago due to disagreements over whether to include the fund in the bill.

“The only thing that’s going to solve this problem, to get immigration funded and law enforced, is for the president to do away with the weaponization fund,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chair of the Judiciary Committee that oversees the DOJ, said.

Democrats are not convinced by the administration’s backtrack, however. Many have threatened to use amendments in the reconciliation bill and force votes on stand-alone legislation to prevent it from being revived later.

Read the full story here.

Scott Pelley accuses CBS News’ Bari Weiss of ‘murdering’ ‘60 Minutes’

“60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the newsmagazine during a heated staff meeting Monday, according to an audio recording and a source who was in the room.

Nick Bilton, a documentary filmmaker and former tech columnist at The New York Times tapped to oversee the show, told “60 Minutes” staff members that Weiss “loves this institution,” the source said. Pelley interrupted Bilton and pushed back.

“She is murdering ‘60 Minutes.’ She does not love this place,” Pelley told Bilton. “She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that.”

Weiss, a former opinion columnist and the founder of the website The Free Press, hired Bilton as part of a push to overhaul CBS News and “60 Minutes.” In a major shake-up Thursday, CBS ousted Bilton’s predecessor, “60 Minutes” veteran Tanya Simon, and fired two correspondents, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

Read the full story here.

Read All About It

• Forecast experts predict a relatively slow hurricane season in the Atlantic region, with just three to six hurricanes expected this year.
• The Israeli military launched deadly new strikes in Lebanon today after reporting attacks from Hezbollah overnight, despite Trump saying both sides had agreed to de-escalate after Iran threatened to pull out of peace talks.

• Five of the 18 U.S. cruise ship passengers in Nebraska who were exposed to hantavirus have been permitted to leave for the second half of their 42-day quarantine.

• Sabrina Carpenter was granted a temporary restraining order against a man she alleges has been stalking her and tried to get into her home.

• Nearly 1 in 5 young people are using AI chatbots for mental health advice, one survey finds.

Staff Pick: Diplomacy in decline

As a journalist covering the State Department, I have watched the departure of dedicated public servants over the past year and a half — people who joined the U.S. Foreign Service decades ago because they believed in the United States and were proud to represent it under any administration. I would run into diplomats I had known for years who were at the height of their careers, and they would all tell me they didn’t want to leave but there was nowhere left to go.

The message was so consistent — a deep sense of frustration at the decades spent building specialized skills and expertise to help their country and being shut out from using them. There was also a shared sense of betrayal for those who were unceremoniously forced out of a career after committing themselves and their families to a life that requires significant sacrifices.

In my more than 12 years covering the department, I have found career diplomats reluctant to step into the spotlight even after leaving their positions. Their willingness to go on the record speaks to a new level of concern about the state of U.S. diplomacy.

— Abigail Williams, coordinating producer and off-air reporter

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Can you believe it’s June already? Let’s take a quick look back at the best products the NBC Select team tried (and loved!) in May. Plus, this Adidas walking sneaker is perfect for summer, and it’s 50% off for a limited time.

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Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.