European leaders push for diplomacy with Iran. Representatives from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are set to meet with Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva today in their first face-to-face meeting with Tehran officials since the conflict began. President Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran, and said he seeks to keep open the door to diplomacy. – The Associated Press
Our coverage: On Wednesday we hosted Steve Bannon at a Monitor Breakfast. Why he warns against heavy involvement in Iran. 

President Trump can keep control over National Guard troops in Los Angeles. Thursday’s decision by an appeals court halts a ruling from a lower court judge who found Mr. Trump acted illegally by activating the soldiers over opposition from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Mr. Trump argued the troops were necessary to restore order following protests over immigration raids, but Gov. Newsom said the move inflamed tensions and usurped local authority. – AP

Finland voted to withdraw from a landmines treaty. Other European countries that border Russia, including Poland and Baltic nations, are considering doing the same. The Ottawa Treaty, which bans anti-personnel landmines, has been seen as a triumph of human rights, but concern for Russia and a desire to keep all means of deterrence on the table led to overwhelming support for the bill, which passed 157 to 18 on Thursday. Finland has an 800-mile border with Russia. – Staff

Visas for foreign students resumed. The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the process for foreigners applying for student visas, but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review. Consular officers will be on the lookout for posts that could be deemed hostile to the U.S., its government, culture, institutions, or founding principles. – AP

Congo and Rwanda agreed to a peace agreement. The agreement aims to end fighting in eastern Congo and is set to be signed on June 27 in Washington. Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in the east of the country. The decades-long conflict flared in January when the rebels advanced and took the Congolese city of Goma. – AP

Hungarian police banned the Budapest Pride march. The police are citing recent controversial legislation passed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s conservative government that bans the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors. The mayor of Budapest has promised the June 28 march will go ahead, with politicians from across Europe confirming their attendance. It is the latest tension in a clash over LGBTQ rights in Hungary. – Staff

Artificial dyes are on their way out. Kraft Heinz will pull them from its U.S. products starting in 2027 and will no longer add new products with such dyes. General Mills will remove artificial dyes from its U.S. cereals and all foods served in schools by next summer, dropping them entirely by the end of 2027. The shift comes after U.S. health officials said they would urge foodmakers to phase out petroleum-based artificial colors. – AP

One of America’s oldest Black churches is being rebuilt. Ground was broken on Juneteenth at the Colonial Williamsburg museum in Virginia for the reconstruction of the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg. The church officially established itself in 1776, and its free and enslaved congregants erected their first meetinghouse around 1805. The wooden building was destroyed by a tornado in 1834. The museum uncovered the brick foundation in 2020. – AP

The Trump administration’s deportation campaign is starting to be felt in farm fields and factory floors across America. Amid reports of arrests and rumors about impending raids by federal customs agents, even immigrants with legal status are wary of showing up to work. Employers, immigrant employees, and even the administration are now starting to grapple with the economic consequences of a vital labor force driven into hiding.

The disruption to energy infrastructure in both Israel and Iran raises questions about how vulnerable each economy is to enemy strikes – and about the potential impact of a conflict that could last months. In Iran, years of strict sanctions, and economic mismanagement, wreaked havoc on the economy – even before Israel’s attack last week – resulting in a degree of resilience among Iranians. In Israel, meanwhile, dismantling Iran’s nuclear program could be an economic boon. “For the past 20 to 30 years, the Iranian threat has been a glass ceiling for Israel’s economy,” says Yaniv Pagot of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

In a landmark ruling Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee state law banning gender-transition treatment for minors, declining to build heightened constitutional protections around an issue at the heart of America’s culture wars. Supporters described the 6-3 decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti as “heartening,” citing the need to protect vulnerable children from potentially irreversible decisions. Opponents say it will harm those same children by denying them medical care that could prevent self-harm or suicide. Chief Justice John Roberts said scientific studies on the efficacy and harms of gender-transition treatments “only underscore the need for legislative flexibility in this area.”

At a Christian Science Monitor Breakfast in Washington on Wednesday, Steve Bannon warned against the Trump administration getting involved in a lengthy conflict in Iran rather than focusing on deporting millions of unauthorized immigrants in the United States. Hawkish Republicans are urging a strike on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But Mr. Bannon, a prominent voice in the “America First” movement, criticized Israel for attacking Iran last week and putting pressure on the U.S. to finish the job. He said, however, that there were still opportunities to avoid a dramatic escalation. “Leveler heads will prevail,” he said. “I think the president’s going to look for a broad range of input.”

A few decades ago, the village of Marottichal in southwestern India fell into a spiral of alcohol addiction and gambling. Then a soft-spoken stall merchant had a transforming idea. He taught the residents to play chess. The sound of clinking bottles has given way to the quiet contemplation of the next move. In a community of 6,000 residents, public chessboards are everywhere. Chess is now part of the school curriculum, and the village has sent several of its bright young players to international competitions. In Marottichal, where rooks reign, residents are no longer pawns to vice.

In a speech after being released from 27 years in prison, South African leader Nelson Mandela told the United Nations in 1990, “We must ensure that colour, race and gender become only a God-given gift to each one of us and not an indelible mark or attribute.” He urged that “We ... see [and] interact with one another as equal human beings.”

South Africa still grapples with the legacy of apartheid rule, which ended three decades ago. And its national sports teams have been the arena for heated debate about equal opportunity, representation, and quotas. But their evolution, especially in sports traditionally seen as domains of the white minority, reveals progress toward Mr. Mandela’s ideals.

In mid-June, the national cricket team clinched the world championship in the sport. The Proteas’ victory was all the more historic for being led by their first Black captain heading a multiracial squad of bowlers, batsmen, and fielders.

Sports often convey social trends and distill deeper aspirations. “We’ve come a long way as a team, as a country. ... Diversity is our strength,” one player remarked. Sports commentator Firdose Moonda wrote on ESPN’s Cricinfo site that the win “unites the past, present and future of ... South Africa itself.”

This symbolism is not lost on Proteas captain Temba Bavuma, who seeks to inspire the country as a whole and be seen as more than “just a black African cricketer,” he said.

Mr. Bavuma’s counterpart on the national rugby team has similarly sought to broaden the views of teammates and fellow citizens. Siya Kolisi, the first Black captain of the Springboks, has led them to two World Cup wins. He has helped shift perceptions of rugby as being a “white” sport to being more of a national sport. “If you think in racial terms, you are limiting yourself and your horizons,” Mr. Kolisi told The Guardian. “We represent something much bigger than we can imagine.”

This aspiration for higher views of identity is not unique to South Africa, nor to sports.

The late Black American tennis player Arthur Ashe said, “My potential is more than can be expressed within the bounds of my race or ethnic identity.” Legendary jazz musician Duke Ellington was proud of who he was but sought to be viewed as an artist rather than as a “Black” artist. And only last year, pop and R&B singer Beyoncé broke both genre and racial barriers by winning a Grammy for Best Country Album.