WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Israel-Iran strikes, grooming gangs, and the battle to be the world's oldest restaurant

 
today's international story

Israel and Iran trade further blows in ongoing attacks

What happened
Israel launched fresh strikes on Iran early this morning as the hostilities between the two nations entered their fourth day. The Israeli military warned its citizens to remain near shelters due to possible retaliatory attacks from Iran. The escalation followed a series of strikes yesterday, including a rare daytime assault on Tehran, intensifying fears amid growing international calls for both sides to de-escalate the clash.

Who said what
Donald Trump urged Israel and Iran to reach an agreement to end the conflict. "Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal," he wrote yesterday on social media. But the US president reportedly told ABC News that "it's possible" the US could become involved in the conflict. Republican Rand Paul told NBC News he hoped that Trump's "instincts will prevail" in avoiding war with Iran.

Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are "three angry old men who could get us all killed", said Simon Tisdall in The Guardian. "Whether inept, driven by survival or corrupt, they are unfit to lead their countries, let alone make decisions that imperil the whole world." The UK should also avoid getting involved, said Sam Kiley in The Independent. Britain is "rushing to send a handful of RAF jets to the region", but "there is plenty for Britain to do without risking the reputational damage that could occur as a result of helping Israel with military aid that it hardly needs right now". It's "geopolitical dirty linen".

What next?
As fighting escalates, some Iranians are putting "life on hold" and bracing for a long conflict, said The New York Times. Nuclear talks between Iran and the US have been cancelled. Meanwhile, in Israel, damage from Iranian missiles is under review, with casualties reported and concern growing over the limits of Israel's air defence capabilities.

 
 
today's politics story

Starmer launches new grooming gangs investigation

What happened
The National Crime Agency will lead a nationwide crackdown on child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs, in partnership with police forces across England and Wales, the Home Office has announced. It follows news that more than 800 previously closed cases have been reviewed since January. A report by Baroness Louise Casey on group-based child sexual abuse will be released today.

Who said what
Keir Starmer confirmed that there would be a full statutory inquiry into grooming gangs, accepting Baroness Casey's recommendation.

The grooming gangs issue was "thrust into the spotlight" at the start of this year, "fuelled partly by tech billionaire Elon Musk", who had criticised Starmer for not calling a national inquiry, said the BBC. This is "one of the most toxic debates in British politics", said Peter Walker in The Guardian. "The hope must be that, at the very least, the new inquiry helps replace some of the invective with facts."

What next?
The inquiry, with powers to compel witnesses, will investigate failures by authorities and look into possible cover-ups. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will address Parliament today following the report's release.

 
 
Today's crime story

US lawmakers shooting suspect apprehended

What happened
The manhunt for a suspect in the fatal shooting of Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband ended yesterday with the arrest of 57-year-old Vance Boelter. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder after also allegedly wounding State Senator John Hoffman and his wife in a separate attack. The back-to-back shootings stunned the state and prompted a two-day search by law enforcement.

Who said what
Federal Senator Amy Klobuchar called the shootings "clearly politically motivated". Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar were reportedly also on the suspect's "target list" of Democratic politicians. A neighbour of the Hortmans described them as kind, bipartisan and community-minded. "We're very shocked," another local told the BBC.

This violence "did not come out of nowhere" said Professor Barbara McQuade in The New York Times. The landscape for it has "built up over time" because of factors including "deeply polarised politics, social alienation, disinformation and in-your-face trolling on social media".

What next?
Tim Walz, Minnesota's governor, confirmed the end of a "complex and dangerous manhunt" and made a plea for civility. "This cannot be the norm," he said, urging people to "shake hands, find common ground".

 
 

It's not all bad

Rapper and TV personality Big Zuu scored a late winner as a Carlos Tevez-inspired World XI beat England 5-4 in front of a packed Old Trafford in the 14th Soccer Aid match. Tevez, returning to Manchester, netted four second-half goals after England had gone 3-0 up. The star-studded charity game raised £15 million for Unicef. YouTuber Angry Ginge, playing for England, earned Player of the Match, while Wayne Rooney made history with the fastest ever Soccer Aid goal. Zuu won over fans by celebrating his goal with a Ronaldo-style "siuuu".

 
 
under the radar

The battle to be named the world's oldest restaurant 

The table is set for a culinary battle in Madrid, where two of the city's most beloved eateries are vying for the official title of "oldest restaurant in the world".

Sobrino de Botín, which opened in 1725, has held the Guinness World Record since 1987. But another establishment – Casa Pedro – is making a bid for the accolade. "If you look at the restaurant's logo, it says 'Casa Pedro, since 1702', so we said 'damn it, let's try to prove it'," the restaurant's eighth-generation proprietor Irene Guiñales told The Associated Press.

Just like Sobrino de Botín, Casa Pedro is a family owned affair, offering classics like stewed tripe and roast suckling pig in a rustic setting with "charming" Spanish tiles, said The Independent. Both venues have welcomed famous visitors; Botín has served literary giants including Truman Capote and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ernest Hemingway once described it as "one of the best restaurants in the world". Casa Pedro has frequently hosted royals, including Spain's current monarch King Felipe VI.

But Casa Pedro's attempt to take Botín's crown is no easy task. Meeting the esoteric rules laid down by the Guinness Book of Records to prove a claim is anything but straightforward. Guinness is cagey about its exact criteria: the verification process is shared only with applicants. But a spokesperson said it insisted that contenders had "substantial evidence" and "documentation".

Antonio González, the third-generation proprietor of Botín, said Guinness required the restaurant to show that it had continuously operated in the same location, with the same name. Unfortunately, archive papers for the area around Casa Pedro went up in flames during the Spanish Civil War.

 
 
on this day

16 June 1963

Valentina V. Tereshkova became the first woman to travel in space on board the Vostok 6 capsule aged 26. She was followed by fellow Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982. Next year Christina Koch hopes to become the first woman on the Moon as part of Nasa's Artemis programme.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Keir Starmer has announced a national inquiry into grooming gangs, something he previously refused to do, says the Daily Mail. He should "say sorry" for the delay, says Kemi Badenoch in the Daily Express. There's a "world crisis", says the Daily Mirror, with Israel and Iran on the brink. The two enemies are "broadening their strikes", says The Guardian, and The i Paper reports that the RAF is on standby to "defend" Israel. There's a "bullying probe" at BBC Breakfast, says The Sun. It claims there's a feud between presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, while BBC Breakfast boss Richard Frediani has been accused of "tyrannical behaviour".

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Crumbs of justice

A Zoom court hearing in the US went "off the rails" when the defendant started making a sandwich during the session, according to Fox2. District Court Judge Sean Perkins kicked Asja Outerbridge off the call after she appeared on camera in a dressing gown, scooping peanut butter from a jar in her kitchen. Ousterbridge told local media that the sandwich was lunch for her sick toddler and that she'd had "a lot going on" that day.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Ross Couzens and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Khoshiran / Middle East Images / AFP / Getty Images; Jordan Pettitt / Pool / AFP / Getty Images; Stephen Maturen / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.