May 13, 2026
U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | UKRAINE | U.S. ECONOMY | U.S. ELECTIONS | U.S. EDUCATION | MARYLAND | U.S. DEFENSE INFRASTRUCTURE | U.S. MEDICAL SYSTEM | U.S. IMMIGRATION | U.S. AND CHINA | U.K. | HANTAVIRUS | AFRICA AND FRANCE | BRAZIL AND E.U. | PHILIPPINES | NIGERIA | TODAY IN HISTORY

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 75.
- In its monthly oil market report released today, the International Energy Agency projects that, due to effects of the Middle East war, including infrastructure damage and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, global oil supply will not meet total demand in 2026. [report highlights] [more]
- Reuters cites unnamed Western and Iranian sources as saying that Saudi Arabia launched numerous unpublicized airstrikes against Iran during the Middle East war in retaliation for Iranian strikes on Saudi infrastructure. [more]
UKRAINE | Today is day 1,537 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that at least eight people were killed over the past day in Russian airstrikes on 14 Ukrainian regions. Zelenskyy noted that among the areas targeted by the Russian strikes were residential and railway infrastructure in the central Dnipro and northeastern Kharkiv regions, port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region, and energy facilities in the central Poltava region. [more]
- Russian defense officials say Ukraine resumed drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and ports today, targeting facilities in Russia's southern Krasnodar and Astrakhan regions. [more]
U.S. ECONOMY | Data released by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics today indicate that the Producer Price Index – a key measure of wholesale inflation – rose a higher-than-expected 1.4% from March to April – the largest monthly increase since March 2022. Compared to the year-ago period, PPI rose 6% in April – the largest annual increase since December 2022. [full report] [more]
U.S. ELECTIONS | In continuing moves by numerous states to redraw congressional districting maps to favor one political party or another ahead of November's mid-term elections, Missouri's Supreme Court yesterday upheld a lower-court ruling that approved a new map seen as likely to eliminate Democratic control of the House seat representing the Kansas City area, while South Carolina's state senate rejected a measure that could have eliminated the state's only Democratic-held seat. [more on Missouri] [more on South Carolina]
U.S. EDUCATION | According to the national Education Scorecard analysis of student testing in more than 5,000 school districts in 38 states, high- and low-income districts have shown the most post-Pandemic improvement in reading and math, with middle-income districts lagging behind. Researchers also note that data indicate a return to improvements in reading scores in 2025 and that high levels of student absenteeism continue to pose a challenge to education in grades 3-8. [full report] [press release] [more]
MARYLAND | Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges yesterday against two shipping companies and one person in connection with the 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after the container ship Dali collided with one of the bridge's support columns. Along with charges related to obstructing investigations into the incident, the companies and the individual face charges of conspiracy and misconduct causing death. [more]
U.S. DEFENSE INFRASTRUCTURE | A new report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says its analysis of one approach to building President Donald Trump's so-called "Golden Dome" national missile defense system could cost as much as $1.2 trillion over a 20-year period – a much higher cost than the $175 billion price the president estimated last year. [full CBO report] [more]
U.S. MEDICAL SYSTEM | New York's NYU Langone hospital system said yesterday that it recently received a subpoena from federal prosecutors in Texas seeking information about minors who received gender-affirming care at its hospitals and the medical providers who administered it. NYU Langone noted it was one of several institutions that received similar subpoenas earlier this month and said it is evaluating how to respond. [more]
U.S. IMMIGRATION | A federal judge ruled yesterday that federal immigration officers in Colorado have violated an order he previously issued on when officers can arrest people without a warrant. U.S. District Senior Judge R. Brooke Jackson said ICE agents violated the order by continuing to make warrantless arrests “without individualized, pre-arrest probable cause determinations of flight risk," and ordered that ICE agents receive instruction on warrantless arrest requirements within 45 days. [more]
U.S. AND CHINA | U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that his meetings this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing will concentrate on trade "more than anything else." Other topics expected to be addressed include artificial intelligence, Taiwan, and the Iran war. [more]
U.K. | Opening Parliament today with a speech written by the government, King Charles III laid out the U.K.'s legislative program and government priorities for the coming year today, emphasizing potential economic, energy, and national security challenges from the wars in Iran and Ukraine and promoting cost of living reforms and the need to strengthen ties with the European Union. [full King's Speech] [more]
HANTAVIRUS | In an update on the hantavirus outbreak aboard a Netherlands-flagged luxury cruise ship, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said yesterday that while a total of 11 cases of the disease have now been reported, nine of which have been confirmed, infections have only been seen in the ship's passengers and crew members, suggesting no additional known spread. [more]
AFRICA AND FRANCE | A two-day summit intended to showcase France's new Africa-related policies, including those related to the European country's former African colonies, closed yesterday in Nairobi, Kenya. The Africa Forward Summit was attended by about 30 national leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who announced $27 billion in new joint France-Africa investments to fund various sectors in Africa, including energy, artificial intelligence, and agriculture. [more]
BRAZIL AND E.U. | The Brazilian agriculture ministry said yesterday that the European Union, citing having not received proof that animal products from Brazil and other countries were free of antimicrobial substances used to stimulate animal growth, has moved to limit Brazilian animal product exports to the European bloc starting in September. Reports note that the issue arose just days after the landmark trade deal between the E.U. and the South American trade bloc Mercosur went into effect. [more]
PHILIPPINES | Reports say gunfire broke out in the Philippine Senate office building today amidst reports that authorities have tried to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who faces International Criminal Court charges of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in deaths that took place during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug crackdowns. [more]
NIGERIA | Rights group Amnesty International alleges that about 100 civilians were killed over the weekend in a military airstrike on a market in Nigeria's Zamfara state. Reports cite government officials as saying that while an airstrike in the region has been confirmed, there is "no verifiable evidence of civilian casualties as being suggested in the media." [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1846, the United States Congress formally declared war against Mexico following clashes along the countries' shared border triggered by the U.S. annexation of Texas. The Mexican-American War continued for nearly two years before ending with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848. [more history]