August 26, 2026

MIDDLE EAST WAR | Day 180.

• Iranian officials say that military vessels would be prohibited from transiting through the Strait of Hormuz under an agreement currently being negotiated with Oman on management of the strategic waterway. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,642 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian drones struck a major warehouse operated by Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, overnight, causing a fire that destroyed the facility. [more]

U.S. SOCIAL MEDIA | Social media giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion and make major changes to its platforms to settle lawsuits brought by 29 U.S. states that charged the company with designing its platforms to addict children, misleading consumers about platform safety, and improperly collecting children's personal data. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | According to Commerce Department data released today, the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, rose 0.2% in July – up from a 0.1% decrease in June. Prices increased by 3.7% compared to the year-ago period in July, marking the 65th straight month that annual inflation has been above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. [full report] [more]

MORE U.S. ECONOMY | The Conference Board says its index of U.S. consumer confidence fell to 89.4 in August – down from 90.2 in July and the lowest level in seven months. Respondents to the organization's survey cited oil, gasoline, and food prices, war, and geopolitics as contributing to more negative views about the U.S. economy. [press release] [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT | According to new data from the agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 49,571 people in July 2026 – the highest single monthly arrest total of President Donald Trump's second term in office. The July arrest total represents a 15% increase from June and a 70% increase from February. [more]

U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT | The Legal Accountability Center watchdog group says it has filed bar complaints in New York and Virginia accusing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and two of her colleagues of violating their ethical duties in seeking to charge six Democratic lawmakers with federal crimes in February for appearing in a video that called on military service members to resist unlawful orders. [more]

U.S. DRUG WAR | The U.S. military's Southern Command says forces struck a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean Sea yesterday, killing four people and bringing to 227 the number of people killed in similar strikes since September of last year. [more]

U.S. NAVY | Reports cite Thai officials as confirming that the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will make a stop in Thailand for rest and recovery in the coming days. The stop follows the Abraham Lincoln's record-setting uninterrupted deployment at sea of more than 250 days in support of U.S. operations against Iran. [more]

OHIO | A federal judge yesterday blocked enforcement of an Ohio requirement that voters show proof of citizenship when registering to vote at a motor vehicle bureau. U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. said in his ruling that Ohio's requirement was "more than the signed attestation to U.S. citizenship that Ohio’s other voter registration methods accept" and that the state's “motor voter” registration process has illegally limited the option to sign up to vote to those who successfully obtain a driver’s license, rather than offering it to everyone who submits an application for one, as required by federal law. [more]

LOUISIANA | The Louisiana National Guard has announced the end of its eight-month deployment patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Guard officials say troops completed their final patrol in the city on Monday and are set to conclude their mission August 31. [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | Canada has released a list of more than 700 U.S. products it will target with new tariffs of 15%, 25% or 50% in a "dollar-for-dollar" response to the recent 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The new Canadian tariffs are set to take effect on September 8. [full list of new Canadian tariffs] [more]

U.S. AND SAUDI ARABIA | Reports say President Donald Trump on Monday submitted a classified document to Congress for review that details a potential agreement with Saudi Arabia for the U.S. to assist the Middle Eastern country in expanding its civilian nuclear program. Trump has insisted that the agreement will not move forward unless Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel. [more]

U.S. AND RUSSIA | Media reports cite government sources as saying the then-unidentified U.S. military plane that landed in Moscow, Russia, yesterday was carrying U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, and that Ratcliffe attended talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit. [more]

U.S. AND MEXICO | U.S. government officials issued a travel alert for the northern Mexico city of Mexicali on Monday, citing unspecified "potential threats." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said yesterday the alert was related to information about possible activities in the city by a criminal group. [more]

NEPAL | Dozens of people were killed, and hundreds of others, including more than 300 tourists, remain missing following flash flooding around Nepal's Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers today. Reports cite climate researchers at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development as saying an avalanche from a glacier likely caused today's flash floods. [more]

PAKISTAN | Fourteen newborns in a hospital nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad died yesterday when an air conditioner malfunction caused a fire at the facility. Government officials have launched an investigation into the incident, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the Health Ministry’s highest civil servant, to be removed from office. [more]

HAITI | United Nations officials say at least 47 people were killed, and more than 50 others were kidnapped, Sunday when armed men assaulted the Kenscoff community near the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. Reports say local gang leaders have threatened to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members. [more]

TYPHOON SAUDEL | Residents and services in some areas of southwestern Japan are recovering today amidst power outages, flight cancellations, and other effects of Typhoon Saudel, which is currently over the East China Sea and headed toward China's eastern coast. [more]

SYRIA | Officials of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced the official dissolution of the militia group yesterday, saying the SDF has completed its merger with the Syrian army and would cease to operate as an independent force. [more]

AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS | Citing intensified risks and acceleration of weapons development, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday renewed their joint call for countries to adopt bans and restrictions on the use of autonomous weapons systems. [UN statement] [more]

R.I.P. | Country music icon, actress, and philanthropist Dolly Parton died yesterday at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Parton is the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history, behind only Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, and was inducted into both the Country and Rock & Roll halls of fame. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1936, the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty established Egypt as a sovereign state after 50 years of British occupation. [more history]