August 18, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Tens of thousands of Israelis took part in demonstrations in Tel Aviv yesterday to demand that Israel's government make a deal to free the hostages held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group. Reports note that at least 20 of the 50 hostages still held by Hamas are believed to still be alive. [more]
• Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Lebanon said today that the U.S. is considering an economic proposal for post-war reconstruction in Lebanon and would hold talks on a possible long-term cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel after Beirut endorsed a U.S.-backed plan for the Hezbollah militant group to disarm. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,271 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and multiple European leaders are scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump today at the White House to discuss Friday's meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, about which few details were released. Expected to attend the group meeting today are Trump, Zelensky, and the leaders of the European Union, France, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Finland, and NATO. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say at least seven people were killed, and dozens of others were injured, in overnight Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Odesa regions. [more]

WASHINGTON, DC | Amidst protests over the Trump administration's federalization of police and deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, DC, three Republican-led states – West Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina – have announced plans to send hundreds of state National Guard troops to the city to supplement policing efforts. [more]

U.S. MEDICARE | According to a Congressional Budget Office report released Friday, projected federal budget deficit increases linked to President Donald Trump’s tax and spending measures could trigger automatic Medicare funding cuts of up to $500 billion over a decade if Congress does not act to mitigate a 2010 law that forces across-the-board cuts to many federal programs once legislation increases the federal deficit. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | In a social media post today, President Donald Trump said he intends to issue an executive order ahead of next year's mid-term elections targeting mail-in balloting and what he termed "inaccurate" voting machines. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | The State Department announced Saturday that it was suspending visas for all people from Gaza. The move came a day after conservative activist Laura Loomer posted videos on social media of children from Gaza arriving in the U.S. for medical treatment and questioning how they got visas. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The Commerce Department reports that retail spending in the U.S. rose 0.5% in July, with much of the increase seemingly linked to purchases of higher priced items in anticipation of tariff-related price increases in the coming months, according to analysts. [more]

HURRICANE ERIN | After re-strengthening to a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Erin is expected to cause dangerous surf and rip currents along parts the U.S. east coast this week. The storm is moving northwest this morning and was located about 915 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as of about 5am today. [NOAA Erin info] [more]

NEW MEXICO | After 43 years, organizers of the annual Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico – billed as North America's largest assemblage of Indigenous people, tribes, and cultural events – say next year's powwow will be the last. No reasons for the move have been released. [more]

U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA | The annual joint U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises begin today and will involve some 21,000 troops. North Korea has warned that the drills will deepen regional tensions. [more]

BOLIVIA | Centrist Rodrigo Paz and right-wing former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga will compete in a run-off election on October 19 following yesterday's presidential election in Bolivia. [more]

CANADA | After the union representing flight attendants defied a return-to-work order from government regulators over the weekend, Air Canada says it expects to resume flights this evening. [more]

MYANMAR | Four years after seizing power, Myanmar's military government announced today that national elections will be held in December. Reports note that opposition leaders have denounced the polls as an attempt to normalize the military junta and that a law was passed just last month that imposes punishments of up to the death penalty for anyone who opposes or disrupts the elections. [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities say at least 277 people have died in flooding and mudslides in northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since Friday. Search and rescue efforts for more than 150 people still missing in the area are continuing today. [more]

SERBIA | Following days of widespread anti-government demonstrations, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic yesterday accused protesters of "pure terrorism" and said authorities would impose unspecified tough new measures to stem riots and clashes with police. [more]

NIGERIA | Authorities say the leaders of two militant groups – the al-Qaida-linked Ansaru and the relatively new Mahmuda – have been arrested in a series of operations involving multiple Nigerian security agencies. [more]

SPAIN | Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said yesterday that an additional 500 military troops are being deployed to help fight 12 major wildfires burning in Spain's northwestern Galicia region amidst the country's ongoing and prolonged period of dry and hot weather. [more]

TECH INDUSTRY | The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a statement today that Google has agreed to pay a $36 million fine for signing anticompetitive deals with Australia’s two largest telecommunications companies that banned the installation of competing search engines on some smartphones. [more]

GOLF | World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a final-round 3-under-par 67 yesterday to complete a come-from-behind victory and win the BMW Championship. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Weapons" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $25 million in receipts, followed by "Freakier Friday" and "Nobody 2." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing American women the right to vote. [more history]