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Here's what we know about the 2 Israeli embassy staffers killed in Washington, D.C.

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Here's what we know about the 2 Israeli embassy staffers killed in Washington, D.C.


A man draped in the Israeli flag, bearing a cross and the name “Jesus” at its center, gestures as Metropolitan Police officers secure the area outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late Wednesday by a gunman who allegedly shouted “free Palestine.”

Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images


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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Two staff members from the Israeli embassy — a young couple about to be engaged — were shot and killed Wednesday night outside an event at a Jewish museum by a man who allegedly chanted “free, free Palestine” after he was detained by security officers.

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Many U.S. and Israeli officials identified the attacks as the latest in a marked rise of antisemitic incidents in recent years — and more notably, as Israel ramps up its offensive in Gaza, where the risk of famine looms for a population ground down by a months-long blockade.

Israel’s foreign ministry identified the two victims of Wednesday night’s attack as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26.

Speaking to reporters, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the pair was about to become engaged. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” he said.

Here’s what we know so far.

What happened?

Shortly after 9 p.m. ET, as an event for young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee wrapped up at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown D.C., a man was observed “pacing back and forth” outside the building, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters.

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The man approached a group of four people, then opened fire, Smith said. Two people were killed — a man and woman who were a couple, officials said. Afterward, the shooter entered the museum and was detained by event security, Smith said.

“The suspect chanted ‘free, free Palestine’ while in custody,” Smith added. Police said they had tentatively identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago. He did not have any prior known encounters with police, Smith said. It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had legal representation.

Who were the victims?

26-year-old Sarah Milgrim was an American born in Kansas, and 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky was originally from Germany but immigrated to Israel when he was 16, according to his LinkedIn profile. He held citizenship in both countries, according to both the Israeli and German governments.


This undated handout photo provided by the embassy of Israel in the U.S. shows staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Israeli citizen Yaron Lischinsky, right, and U.S. citizen Sarah Milgrim, who were shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum in Washington.

This undated handout photo provided by the embassy of Israel in the U.S. shows staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Israeli citizen Yaron Lischinsky, right, and U.S. citizen Sarah Milgrim, who were shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum in Washington.

Embassy of Israel in the U.S./via AP


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Embassy of Israel in the U.S./via AP

“Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,” said Ted Deutch, chief executive of the AJC, the organization behind the event the two were attending at the museum. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.”

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Milgrim worked in the embassy’s public diplomacy department, and Lischinsky was a researcher focused on the Middle East and North Africa region. On his LinkedIn profile, Lischinsky wrote that he was an “advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding” between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Milgrim grew up in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, and was a member of a reform synagogue there, B’nai Jehudah. In a statement, the temple called Milgrim “a devoted Zionist and a radiant presence in every space she entered.”

“She stood for something larger than herself and she paid the ultimate price for it,” the statement said, calling for unity in the community in response to the attack.

Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas posted on X about the attack, saying “People in our area know the pain of religious-based violence. We pray for its end.” A Jewish community center in Overland Park was the site of a 2014 shooting that killed three people and was later deemed a hate crime by law enforcement.

In a post on X, Shoval Ronen said that he taught Lischinsky at the Argaman Institute in Jerusalem, saying he was “a Christian, a great lover of Israel, who immigrated to Israel, served in the army, and decided to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and Zionism.”

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he spoke with the parents of both victims, saying that he “shares in their great grief along with the entire people of Israel.”

Who is the suspect?

The suspect has been identified as Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, Ill.

He was taken into custody shortly after the shooting and was being interviewed early Thursday by D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department as well as the FBI.

Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and resided in the northwest neighborhood of Albany Park, in an apartment on a quiet, leafy residential side street.

The windows of an apartment believed to be his were covered with political signs facing the street below. Some signs were for local politicians and causes, but several others addressed Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas. One called for a ceasefire, while another demanded “Free Palestine!” in handwritten letters and a third said “Justice for Wadea,” referring to six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian-American who was stabbed to death in his home by his family’s landlord shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

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Rodriguez was an employee of the American Osteopathic Association. In a statement, the organization said it was “shocked and saddened” that an employee had been arrested as a suspect in the attack, and said it was fully cooperating with the investigation.

Steve Jensen, with the FBI’s Washington field office, called the shooting “a heinous crime.” The FBI is investigating “ties to potential terrorism or motivation based on a bias-based crime or a hate crime,” he said.

NPR’s Odette Yousef contributed to this report from Chicago, and NPR’s Jennifer Ludden contributed from Washington. Shir David contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.



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Washington

Deputies use drone to catch man wanted for damaging car in Washington County

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Deputies use drone to catch man wanted for damaging car in Washington County


WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – The Washington County Sheriff’s Office released video of deputies using a drone to track down a man wanted for damaging a car.

On Saturday, May 30, a 911 caller reported a man damaging a car outside their home on Southwest 179th Avenue in Aloha. The sheriff’s office said it was reported the suspect, 21-year-old Santos Paulino Castro-Ramirez, was punching the car.

Deputies used a drone to follow the suspect as he ran toward Southwest Barcelona Lane. The sheriff’s office said Castro-Ramirez then entered a white SUV that did not belong to him on SW Barcelona.

Deputies arrested Castro-Ramirez. He was booked into the Washington County Jail for first-degree burglary and attempt to commit a crime – second-degree theft.

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Copyright 2026 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.



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Lebanon hopes crunch talks in Washington will halt an Israeli invasion

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Lebanon hopes crunch talks in Washington will halt an Israeli invasion


Beirut, Lebanon – On Tuesday, representatives from Lebanon and Israel met at the US Department of State in Washington, DC – the first session of a two-day round of negotiations that Lebanese negotiators hope will end an invasion of their country.

The negotiations, which started at 9am local time (13:00 GMT), come as Israel’s invasion of Lebanon pushes deeper than at any point since the year 2000 and as Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade attacks. Israel has killed 3,468 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.

With the war raging on, what do Lebanon and Israel have to discuss and will the talks lead to an end of the Israeli assault?

Here’s everything you need to know.

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What will Israel and Lebanon discuss?

Similar to past meetings, the two sides are ostensibly looking to come to some kind of deal following fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with strong doubts it will be achieved.

Lebanon’s government is still pushing for a total ceasefire. However, as talks started, Israel was striking various parts of southern Lebanon. Lebanon is also trying to get Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory in the south, so that more than 1.2 million displaced people can return home, and so the state can resume finding a way to disarm Hezbollah and rebuild areas devastated by Israeli attacks.

Israel is meanwhile looking to get assurances that Lebanon will disarm Hezbollah, a prospect analysts say Israel knows is complicated by the continuation of its military operations and occupation of swaths of southern Lebanon. Instead, Israel appears to be trying to fuel sectarian tensions inside Lebanon, leading to chaos and internal strife.

What has happened so far?

An initial meeting took place in April between Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the United States. A second round took place in May with a larger delegation on both sides.

On Friday, a meeting took place with Lebanese and Israeli military representatives, while Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group, is not involved in the meetings.

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Israel claimed the two sides found common ground in that they both wanted to see Hezbollah disarmed. Some Israeli officials suggested there may soon be trade agreements and an exchange of tourists between the two countries. Lebanon, however, said it preferred to find a deal closer to the 1949 armistice agreement between the two countries.

In the last meeting, Beirut reportedly outlined the damage done by Israeli attacks since the 2024 ceasefire agreement and presented detailed maps showing homes destroyed or razed by Israel.

Is there a chance for a ceasefire?

That remains to be seen, but for now, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s military would continue attacking Lebanon.

On Monday, Netanyahu announced that attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs would resume, despite a ceasefire. Apart from two targeted attacks, Israel has not struck the suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, since April.

Iran, which has attempted to include Lebanon in a wider ceasefire between themselves, on one side, and Israel and the US on the other, then intervened by threatening to attack northern Israel.

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US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to stop Israel’s attacks. He announced another ceasefire, after his previous announcement of one between Israel and Lebanon on April 16, after claiming he had gotten the approval of Netanyahu and spoken to Hezbollah.

“There will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back,” Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social.

But attacks from Israel and Hezbollah are continuing.

How do Lebanese people feel about the talks?

Not everyone is on the same page.

Some Lebanese support the talks and say they are the only option the state, which has little leverage, has. Among those who believe direct talks are the best way forward are Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

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“There is no option other than negotiation,” Aoun said in a statement on Tuesday.

Others, however, oppose direct talks. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his allies, Hezbollah, have said indirect talks are preferred and that negotiations cannot be conducted while attacks are ongoing.

How are Iran and the US connected?

Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28, killing the country’s longtime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran is Hezbollah’s primary benefactor, and two days after Khamenei’s assassination, Hezbollah fired six rockets towards Israel on 2 March.

Hezbollah’s response brought a huge response from Israel, who have crossed the Litani River – the supposed buzzer zone in southern Lebanon it had created – towards the Zahrani River.

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Despite a 2024 ceasefire, Israel had never stopped attacking Lebanon, while Hezbollah had only responded once in December 2024.

Iran has attempted to include Lebanon in the ceasefire deal it has with the United States and Israel, who say this theatre is not part of the agreement.

Although Trump has now announced a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel twice, the invasion of southern Lebanon continues.

Are there other actors involved?

Gulf states have also intervened. Saudi Arabia has been working behind the scenes to get Lebanon’s leadership – Aoun, Salam and Berri – on the same page. Meanwhile, analysts say Saudi Arabia and Qatar engaged the Trump administration to stop an escalation in Lebanon.



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Washington Lottery Powerball, Cash Pop results for June 1, 2026

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The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 1, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from June 1 drawing

02-42-47-57-58, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 1 drawing

11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 1 drawing

8-6-0

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 4 numbers from June 1 drawing

07-08-09-18

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Check Match 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Hit 5 numbers from June 1 drawing

03-10-28-32-33

Check Hit 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Keno numbers from June 1 drawing

04-05-08-14-16-17-23-24-27-28-31-32-38-43-45-47-51-58-65-66

Check Keno payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto numbers from June 1 drawing

05-09-10-15-21-26

Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 1 drawing

02-07-35-44-57, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.

To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:

Washington Lottery Headquarters

PO Box 43050

Olympia, WA 98504-3050

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For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).

Olympia Headquarters

Everett Regional Office

Federal Way Office

Spokane Department of Imagination

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Vancouver Office

Tri-Cities Regional Office

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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