March 24, 2026
U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | UKRAINE | U.S. TRAVEL | U.S. PENTAGON PRESS | U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY | TEXAS | U.S. ENERGY | COLOMBIA | DENMARK | E.U. AND AUSTRALIA | THAILAND | NORTH KOREA | VIETNAM AND RUSSIA | FOOTBALL | TODAY IN HISTORY
U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 25.
- Estimated death tolls in the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran war have risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel, and 13 U.S. military personnel. [more]
- Iran continued to fire missiles and drones at targets in Israel and Gulf Arab nations today as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will continue to strike Iran and Lebanon even as the U.S. considers a ceasefire. [more]
- Following US President Donald Trump's delay of threatened US strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure after what he said were "productive" talks with Iran, Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf denied that any talks with the US have taken place and suggested that news of such talks was being "used to manipulate the financial and oil markets." [more]
- Reports say multiple sites in Tel Aviv, Israel, were damaged by incoming Iranian missiles fire today and that several people were wounded in the attacks. [more]
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today that his country's military plans to create a "defensive buffer" in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River – some 30 kilometers north of the Israel-Lebanon border. Reports note that Katz had previously warned Lebanon's government that it would lose territory if it did not disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. [more]
- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared an energy emergency for his country today amidst fuel supply, distribution and market uncertainty linked to the ongoing Middle East war. [more]
UKRAINE | Today is day 1,487 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:
- Ukrainian Air Force officials say Russia launched large scale airstrikes overnight, firing at least seven ballistic missiles, 23 cruise missiles, four air-launched guided missiles, and 392 drones at targets across Ukraine. Reports say damage assessments from the strikes are ongoing, but that at least five people are known to have been killed in the attack. [more]
U.S. TRAVEL | White House immigration czar Tom Homan says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been deployed to 14 airports across the U.S., including to major air hubs in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston, amidst the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that has resulted in Transportation Safety Administration officers not being paid. [more]
U.S. PENTAGON PRESS | Following a recent court ruling that found Department of Defense policies illegally restricted press credentialing and access at the Pentagon, the Defense Department announced yesterday that it will remove media offices for all members of the press from the Pentagon building. Responding to the announcement, the Pentagon Press Association characterized this latest move as a "clear violation of the letter and spirit of last week’s ruling." [more]
U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY | The Senate voted 54-45 last night to confirm Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin's nomination to replace Kristi Noem as the Secretary of Homeland Security. [more]
TEXAS | Residents of Port Arthur, Texas – located about 90 miles east of Houston – have been advised to shelter in place, limit outdoor activity, and keep windows and doors closed following a large explosion and resulting fire at the Valero oil refinery in the city. Reports say the state has deployed environmental monitoring equipment to the area and note that no injuries have been associated with the incident. [more]
U.S. ENERGY | The U.S. Department of Interior announced yesterday that it will refund $1 billion paid for two U.S. offshore wind leases by French energy company TotalEnergies under an agreement that calls for the company to abandon the leases and invest the refunded money in U.S.-based fossil fuel projects. [more]
COLOMBIA | According to Colombian military officials, 66 people were killed, and dozens of others were injured, yesterday when a military transport plane with 127 people on board crashed shortly after taking off in the southern border city of Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. [more]
DENMARK | Voters are casting ballots in today's early general election in Denmark in which Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is seeking a third term in office. [more]
E.U. AND AUSTRALIA | The European Union and Australia announced new free trade and defense partnership agreements yesterday. Commenting on the trade agreement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "open rules-based trade delivers positive sum outcomes. Trust matters more than transactions," while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese characterized the defense partnership as showing "our shared commitment to global peace and security." [more]
THAILAND | Ruling in a decade-old class action lawsuit today, a Thai court found the Australian-owned Chatree Gold Mine responsible for environmental damage and health impacts on local residents in Thailand's Phichit province. Analysts say the ruling could set a precedent for climate litigation in the Southeast Asian country. [more]
NORTH KOREA | Speaking at the conclusion of his country's Supreme People’s Assembly session yesterday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accused the United States of "state terrorism and aggression" and said North Korea would continue to cement its status as a nuclear power to counter U.S. and South Korean "provocations and schemes." [more]
VIETNAM AND RUSSIA | Under a new deal signed during a visit to Moscow by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh, Russia and Vietnam have agreed to cooperate to build Vietnam's first nuclear power plant, which is expected to begin producing electricity in 2031. [more]
FOOTBALL | Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $168.8 million contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground, spilling some 11 million gallons (41 million liters) of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska and creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history up to that time. [more history]