10 things you need to know today: June 1, 2016

1.

California Gov. Jerry Brown endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on Tuesday, giving the Democratic frontrunner a boost ahead of the state's June 7 primary. Brown praised Clinton's rival, Bernie Sanders, for standing up for the majority of Americans left behind as "the top one percent has unfairly captured way too much of America's wealth." Still, Brown said, Clinton's "tenacity" and support offer the "only path forward to win the presidency and stop the dangerous candidacy of Donald Trump."

2.

Thousands of U.S.-backed Syrian fighters launched an offensive on Tuesday to capture an area in northern Syria that the Islamic State has been using to move foreign fighters to and from Europe. "It's significant in that it's their last remaining funnel" to Europe, a U.S. military official said. Some U.S. special operations forces will serve as advisers and offer support in the area, known as the Manbij pocket, but they will not engage in direct combat. The operation also will involve airstrikes from the U.S.-led coalition.

3.

Donald Trump lashed out at the media on Tuesday for demanding details on his promised donations to veterans' groups, telling journalists at a news conference that they were "dishonest" and "sleazy." Trump listed donations to 41 veterans' charities, and said he had given a total of $5.6 million. An Associated Press investigation found that many of the checks went out in overnight mail on or about May 24, the day Trump was interviewed by The Washington Post, which had been raising questions about the promised donations for weeks.

4.

Iraqi forces have surrounded Fallujah, but Islamic State fighters stopped them from advancing through the city's southern gate in fierce fighting on Tuesday. ISIS said it killed at least 25 Iraqi soldiers and destroyed six military vehicles. About 3,700 people have fled in the past week as government forces launched an offensive to retake the city, the last major ISIS stronghold in western Iraq. The U.N. says 50,000 people, including 20,000 children, are trapped in Fallujah, and ISIS is using hundreds of families as human shields.

5.

Drew Peterson, a former police officer who is serving a 38-year prison sentence for the 2004 murder of his wife Kathleen Savio, was found guilty on Tuesday of trying to hire a hitman to kill the prosecutor who tried his case. The charges carry a sentence of up to 60 years. The jury took just an hour to reach its verdict. Another inmate worked with investigators in 2014 to record conversations in which Peterson discussed having the other man hire his uncle to kill the prosecutor, Will County, Illinois, State's Attorney James Glasgow.

6.

The animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now filed a federal negligence complaint on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Zoo over the killing of a 450-pound gorilla named Harambe last weekend. The complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, asks for a penalty of $10,000. Zoo officials said they had no choice but to kill the gorilla to rescue a 3-year-old boy who fell into its enclosure. Local police are investigating the actions of the boy's mother and others as prosecutors consider whether to file charges against anyone.

7.

The State Department issued a travel alert on Tuesday, warning Americans of the possibility of a terrorist attack in Europe this summer. The alert says restaurants, commercial centers, tourist sites, transportation networks, and major events — such as the European Soccer Championship, the Tour de France, and the Catholic Church's World Youth Day in Poland — could be targeted. The warning followed several deadly attacks by Islamist terrorists on the continent in recent months.

8.

An Oklahoma judge on Tuesday sentenced former Tulsa County volunteer sheriff's deputy Robert Bates to four years in prison for the fatal 2015 shooting of an unarmed black suspect. The suspect, Eric Harris, had tried to run away during an illegal-gun-sale sting. He was being restrained by other deputies when Bates, a white insurance executive, fatally shot him. Bates, 74, said he confused his handgun for his stun gun. The incident was caught on video. A jury found Bates guilty of second-degree manslaughter last month.

9.

The federal government filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to keep the family of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook from collecting $275,000 in life insurance payments. Prosecutors say Farook was planning a terrorist attack when he obtained the policies: one for $25,000 in 2012, and another for $250,000 in 2013. His mother, Rafia Farook, is the beneficiary for both policies. "Terrorists must not be permitted to provide for their designated beneficiaries through their crimes," U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker said in a statement.

10.

Nearly 46 million people live in slavery around the world, according to the Walk Free Foundation's third annual Global Slavery Index, released Tuesday. The number — up from 35.8 million in 2014 largely due to improved data collection — includes people who were born into servitude, those forced into sex work by human traffickers, and those trapped in debt bondage or forced labor conditions. India was the country with the largest total, but North Korea had the highest prevalence.