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U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 143.

• The U.S. military's Central Command carried out airstrikes on Iranian targets for the ninth night in a row overnight, saying its forces struck Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks. The strikes followed a weekend of escalating U.S. action against Iran and the Iranian targeting of Gulf-region U.S. allies and facilities in which at least three U.S. service members are reported to have been killed. [more]
• Following recent urging by Iran for the Houthi rebel group in Yemen to close its Red Sea shipping gateway if the U.S. attacked Iranian power infrastructure, Houthi leadership announced today that it is imposing a blockade of Saudi Arabia-linked shipping through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb gateway. [more]
• The price of international Brent crude oil rose about 3.2% this morning to $90.95 per barrel on increased concern over escalations in the Middle East war. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. rose to $4 today – up from $3.14 a year ago. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,605 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says Ukraine launched more than 400 drones toward Moscow overnight, with most of the aircraft being intercepted far from the capital city and 85 downed near the city itself. [more]
• Ukrainian officials report that Russia targeted multiple Ukrainian regions overnight with at least two ballistic missiles and 94 long-range strike drones. [more]

U.S. TERRORIST REMOVAL | The Justice Department is reported to have filed a first-ever petition last week to the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a special federal court created by Congress in 1996 to review applications to remove suspected alien terrorists from the United States for whom "removal under other available legal means would pose a risk to national security." Reports note that applications are made to the court under seal and, therefore, the target of the Justice Department petition is not yet known. [court history] [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state officials Friday that they could face criminal charges or risk losing funding if their states do not comply with President Donald Trump’s election security demands. Reports note that administration efforts to force states to adopt Trump's registration and voting requirements have largely been blocked by courts citing the fact that the Constitution grants states control over how their elections are carried out. [more]

NEW YORK | The New York City Health Department said yesterday that three people have died in connection with an ongoing outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the city. Officials note that 72 people have contracted the disease in the outbreak, which is centered on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL FUNDING | Ruling in a case brought by 23 U.S. states last year, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said the Trump administration cannot use the so-called Termination Clause, which relates to interpretation of how agency priorities align with administration priorities, to make billions of dollars in widespread grant and funding cuts. In granting a summary judgement, Talwani said the administration's use of the clause is "not clearly supported by the text of the provision, runs counter to the regulatory scheme, receives no support in the rulemaking history, and would violate the Spending Clause’s requirement that conditions be imposed unambiguously." [more]

U.S. AND AMERICAN SAMOA | In a move criticized by environmental groups, the U.S. Marine Minerals Administration, citing an increasing need for critical minerals, announced plans Friday to auction leases for potential deep-sea mining in about 33 million acres (or 51,560 square miles) of water east of American Samoa in the South Pacific. [more]

U.K. | Andy Burnham became the U.K.'s seventh prime minister since 2016 today, succeeding Keir Starmer after being selected as the governing Labour Party's leader late last week. [more]

CONGO | According to new government data, at least 930 people have died, and 2,344 cases have been confirmed, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's ongoing Ebola outbreak. [more]

INDIA | Reports say police fired tear gas and charged protesters with batons today in efforts to break up demonstrations near the parliament building in New Delhi by supporters of India's youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, which became a popular movement after an Indian Supreme Court justice characterized some unemployed young people as “cockroaches" in May. [more]

RUSSIA AND NORTH KOREA | Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui yesterday in Moscow. Russian media outlet Tass reports that Putin praised the two countries' bilateral relations during the meeting and expressed "gratitude to the North Korean leadership and people” for supporting his military operations against Ukraine. [more]

GUYANA | Search and rescue efforts are ongoing off the coast of Guyana after a government ferry carrying 133 passengers and crew capsized late Saturday while traveling from the capital, Georgetown, to Port Kaituma. Emergency response officials in the South American country said 67 people had been rescued as of yesterday afternoon. [more]

SPAIN | Emergency response officials say the ongoing wildfire in Spain's central Guadalajara province has become the country's largest blaze of the year, having burned more than 26,000 hectares (about 64,247 acres) in five days. [more]

WORLD CUP | Spain beat Argentina, 1-0, in extra time yesterday to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Spain also won the Women’s World Cup in 2023, and yesterday's victory makes the country the first to hold both the men's and women's titles simultaneously. Spanish captain Rodri was named the tournament's top player, while France's Kylian Mbappe received the Golden Boot award for scoring the most goals in the tournament. [more]

GOLF | New Zealand's Ryan Fox shot a final-round 2-under-par 68 yesterday, with a clinching birdie on the final hole, to win the British Open at Royal Birkdale. [more]

RUNNING | British runner Josh Kerr broke the 27-year-old world record for the mile on Saturday, finishing the distance race in 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds at the Novena London Athletics Meet. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "The Odyssey" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $124.5 million in receipts, followed by "Moana" and "Minions & Monsters." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1969, the Eagle lunar landing module, carrying U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin (“Buzz”) Aldrin, landed on the Moon. Several hours later Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the Moon's surface. [more history]