April 16, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 48.

• Reports cite mediators linked to U.S.-Iran peace talks as saying both sides in the conflict have an "in-principle agreement" to extend the two-week cease-fire deal that expires next week. [more]
• U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday that the U.S. is considering new secondary sanctions on financial institutions that do business with Iran that would be the "financial equivalent" of a bombing campaign. [more]
• Amidst continued Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, reports cite Israeli officials as saying Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak directly today – the first such direct talks between the countries' leaders in more than 30 years. [more]
• The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group claims it carried out multiple attacks on northern Israel and on Israeli ground troops in southern Lebanon today. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,510 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say Russia launched nearly 700 drones and dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles at targets across Ukraine overnight, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 80 others. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was awarded the Roosevelt Foundation's International Four Freedoms Award today in the Netherlands for his, and the Ukrainian people's, courage and resilience in resisting the Russian invasion. The award, established in 1982, honors the four freedoms outlined by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union address: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. [more]

U.S. WAR POWERS | In its fourth war powers-related vote of 2026, the Republican-led U.S. Senate yesterday rejected a measure that would have required the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Iran conflict until Congress authorizes further action. [more]

U.S. SUPREME COURT | Speaking yesterday at Yale Law School, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized the conservative-majority Court for what she said was its frequent use of emergency orders allowing President Donald Trump to implement controversial policies after lower courts found they were likely illegal. [video of Jackson speech] [more]

U.S. PRESIDENCY | The office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed yesterday that it has sent at least one criminal referral to the Justice Department seeking investigations of a whistleblower complaint and its handling by the intelligence community watchdog that led to the 2019 impeachment of President Donald Trump. [more]

WISCONSIN | Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin yesterday following powerful storms that forced the closure of multiple streets and highways due to flooding in the state's southeastern region. [more]

NEW YORK CITY | In a move New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised amidst the city's budget shortfall, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a new tax surcharge yesterday on secondary residences worth over $5 million in the city. Hochul's office says the measure could generate up to $500 million for the city annually. [more]

U.S. MILITARY | According to reports, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which has taken part in recent military actions in Venezuela and the Persian Gulf, has been deployed for 295 days – the longest deployment by an aircraft carrier in the post-Vietnam War era. [more]

NEW JERSEY | Voters in New Jersey's 11th congressional district will choose today between Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway in a special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by former U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill, who was elected governor in November. [more]

U.S. PACIFIC TERRITORIES | A shelter-in-place order remains in effect for portions of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean today after the region was hit by Super Typhoon Sinlaku earlier this week.  Reports say thousands of people remain without power following the storm's passage and cite emergency officials as saying full restoration of electrical service could take weeks. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Citing "complex and threatening strategic circumstances" around the world, Defense Minister Richard Marles announced a major increase in Australia's defense spending today, from 2.8% of GDP this year to 3% of GDP by 2033 – an increase of about $38 billion. [more]

EUROPEAN AIR TRAVEL | Ahead of the summer travel season, the European Union is reported to be drafting plans to maximize oil refinery output and supplies to mitigate potential jet fuel shortages linked to the Middle East war. [more]

EL SALVADOR | President Nayib Bukele signed controversial constitutional reforms into law yesterday that permit life prison sentences in El Salvador for people as young as 12 years old who are convicted of various crimes, including homicide, femicide, rape, and gang membership. [more]

U.K. | Amidst what it has characterized as "substantial financial pressures," U.K. national broadcaster BBC has announced plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs over the next two years as part of efforts to reduce its annual budget by about 10%. [more]

CHINA | According to data released today, China's economy expanded by a better-than-expected 5% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the year-ago period and 1.3% from the previous quarter. [more]

TURKEY | Reports say Turkish police have arrested 162 people accused of posting content online publicizing or praising two deadly school shootings that took place in the country this week. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY | A New York jury yesterday found entertainment giant Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary have operated as an illegal monopoly over large concert and other event venues, resulting in higher event ticket prices for consumers. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1948, with the aim of restoring the economies of Europe after World War II, 16 European countries formed the Organization for European Economic Co-operation – later the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.  [more history]