ABC News

US General Francis Donovan, head of US Southern Command, held a brief meeting with Cuban military officials at the perimeter of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on May 29 focused on operational security. The encounter was publicly announced by US Southern Command on X and follows an earlier visit to Havana by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Available reporting from two outlets identifies the event as the first such contact by a Southern Command head in recent memory.

Ukraine conducted drone strikes on Russian energy and industrial targets in multiple regions overnight into May 31, 2026, causing fires at fuel storage sites and an oil refinery. A separate drone impact damaged the turbine building at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on the prior day, prompting IAEA concern, though Ukraine denied involvement. Russian forces have controlled the plant since early 2022.

President Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on May 26, 2025, and the White House released a physician's memo on May 29 stating he remains in excellent health with strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall function. The memo, authored by U.S. Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, concluded Trump is fully fit for duties as Commander-in-Chief and Head of State. Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, described the results as confirming that everything checked out perfectly.

Loud booms were reported across the East Coast from New England to South Carolina over several days. A meteor that exploded over Massachusetts produced shockwaves heard in the Boston area and as far as Delaware and Montreal. Sources including WJAR, CNN, and The New York Times identified the meteor as the cause of localized booms.

An Amtrak maintenance vehicle caught fire on track 11 in a Hudson River tunnel near Penn Station at approximately 1:25 a.m. on May 29, 2026, leading to service suspensions by NJ Transit and LIRR. LIRR service later resumed while NJ Transit impacts and Amtrak delays extended through the morning. Eyewitnesses reported a loud explosion that shook trains and caused power outages.

The US military carried out a strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday, killing three men and marking the third such attack that week. The operation is part of a series that began in early September and has resulted in a reported death toll of 202. US Southern Command released color video footage of the strike but provided no supporting evidence for its claims regarding the vessel.

One of five gold miners was rescued from a cave in Xaisomboun province, Laos, on May 29, 2026, after entering on May 19. Laos and Thai rescue teams conducted the operation, with the rescued individual reported in stable condition for hospital transfer. Two villagers remain missing and four others require extraction.

A fire at a dormitory of Utumishi Girls' Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Kenya, killed 16 students and injured 79 others. Kenyan police arrested eight female students on suspicion of planning and carrying out arson. The incident was reported by the government on Thursday, with Education Minister Julius Migos commenting publicly.

A loud boom was reported across parts of New England on Saturday afternoon and attributed to a meteor that entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded off the Massachusetts coast. Dozens of witness reports were submitted to the American Meteor Society from multiple states and Canada, with no ground impact recorded. Entry location and exact timing remain disputed between news outlets.

ABC News and Posting and Toasting report that the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will meet in the 2026 NBA Finals, a rematch of the 1999 series. The Knicks won the 2025 NBA Cup, while the Spurs enter with five prior titles and recent wins including one in Oklahoma City. Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday in San Antonio.