5 things to know for April 2: Israel, Trump, Abortion, Finland, Google

CNN’s 5 Things brings you the news you need to know every morning.

A severe thunderstorm dumped softball-sized hail in parts of the central and eastern US Monday. Forecasts show the storm will intensify today as it rumbles from the Southeast to the Ohio Valley, threatening to unleash another round of dangerous conditions. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. The US is close to approving the sale of up to 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel in a deal expected to be worth more than $18 billion. It would amount to the largest US foreign military sale to Israel since the country went to war with Hamas on October 7. The transaction underscores the extent to which the US continues to support Israel, despite the strained relationship between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to retaliate after a strike it blamed on Israel killed two of its top commanders and five officials at its consulate in Syria, potentially raising the risk of a wider Middle Eastern conflict. Former President Donald Trump posted a $175 million bond Monday as he appeals the judgment against him in the New York civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James. This is a win for Trump’s team as the bond pauses any action that James could take against his properties in response to the judgment until at least September. The bond amount was lowered by several hundred million dollars by a state appeals court last month after Trump’s attorneys argued that covering the full bond on the $464 million verdict against him was not feasible. Also on Monday, shares of Trump’s media company plunged after it disclosed that it lost more than $58 million and generated little revenue in 2023. Trump is the company’s majority shareholder, and his net worth tumbled by more than $1 billion as a result. The Florida Supreme Court has cleared the way for a six-week abortion ban, but voters will consider a constitutional amendment in November that could potentially undo the measure. Monday’s rulings will make Florida one of the most restrictive states in the country to obtain an abortion and set up a presidential-year fight over reproductive rights in the Sunshine State. With the measure poised to appear on the state’s ballot, Florida will join several other states, including Michigan and Ohio, where voters have weighed in directly on reproductive rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The initiative will likely boost voter turnout in what is expected to be a close rematch between President Biden and Donald Trump. One 12-year-old child has died and two others have been seriously injured in a school shooting near Finland’s capital Helsinki, Finnish police reported today. A suspect in the incident, also age 12 and a student at the same school, fled on foot but was later caught by police, according to a local broadcaster. Police have not yet “provided details about the nature or severity of the injuries,” nor what type of firearm was used, the broadcaster reported. Finland enjoys a strong tradition of hunting and its gun ownership rates are among the highest in the world, but school shootings are extremely rare.