February 24, 2026

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Amidst regional tensions centered on the potential for U.S. military action against Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, the U.S. State Department yesterday ordered non-essential diplomats and their family members to leave Lebanon – a move analysts note has been taken as a security measure in the past ahead of regional military action. [more]
• Reuters cites unnamed security sources as saying that, as the buildup of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East continues, Iran is close to a deal with China to purchase Chinese‑made CM‑302 anti‑ship cruise missiles. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,459 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Today marks the four-year anniversary of the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More than a dozen senior European officials are in Kyiv today in a show of support for Ukraine on the anniversary. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that Russia has neither broken Ukraine nor triumphed in the war and that "we have defended our independence," and suggested in an interview yesterday that the war is at the "beginning of the end." [more]
• According to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War's latest assessments, Russia now controls about 19% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula and parts of eastern Ukraine seized in 2014. [more]
• Statistics from the Center for Strategic and International Studies indicate that Russian forces have suffered approximately 1.2 million casualties (killed, wounded, and missing) and as many as 325,000 killed since February 2022, while Ukrainian forces have suffered 600,000 total casualties, with 140,000 deaths. [more]

U.S. STATE OF THE UNION | President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress tonight at 9pm Eastern. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is scheduled to give the Democratic response following Trump's speech. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon yesterday permanently blocked the release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on the investigation into President Donald Trump's alleged possession of classified documents and attempts to obstruct government efforts to get them back following his first term in office. Reports note that Trump was indicted on the charges but that the case was abandoned after his November 2024 election win. [more]

CLIMATE LITIGATION | The U.S. Supreme Court agreed yesterday to hear a case in which oil and gas companies are attempting to block lawsuits seeking to hold them liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. At issue in this particular case from Colorado is whether emissions- and climate-related cases can be adjudicated in state courts rather than, as the companies would prefer, in federal court, where similar legal actions have repeatedly been dismissed. [more]

U.S. DRUG WAR | The U.S. military's Southern Command said that forces struck an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea yesterday, killing at least three people. Reports note that at least 151 people have been killed in more than 40 known U.S. strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats since last September. [more]

ICE TRAINING | In comments at a forum held by congressional Democrats yesterday, former US Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer Ryan Schwank characterized the agency's training program for new recruits as "deficient, defective and broken," adding that many essential parts of ICE training have been eliminated. The forum, hosted by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Representative Robert Garcia of California, was held amidst ongoing concern over ICE policies and actions during immigration enforcement surges. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | Global transportation company FedEx filed a lawsuit yesterday in the U.S. Court of International Trade seeking to recover funds the company paid as part of President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs that were found by the U.S. Supreme Court last week to be illegal. [more]

U.S. AND FRANCE | French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot directed yesterday that U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner no longer have direct access to members of the French government after Kushner failed to appear following a formal diplomatic summons related to comments he made about the beating death of a far-right activist. [more]

PANAMA | Following a Panamanian Supreme Court ruling that struck down a related law, Panama moved yesterday to take control of two ports at either end of the Panama Canal that have been operated by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison since 1997, prompting criticism and threats of legal action from both Hong Kong and China. Analysts note that the action comes amidst increasing U.S. and Chinese competition for influence in the region. [more]

U.K. | In continuing fallout following the U.S. release of documents related to late financier and convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, former U.K. ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, who is suspected of improperly passing U.K. government information to Epstein, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Mandelson has since been released on bail pending further investigation. [more]

AUSTRALIA | As promised by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and in the aftermath of the December mass shooting at a Sydney Jewish festival, Australian authorities yesterday opened a so-called royal commission investigation into the shooting itself and into a rise in antisemitism in the country. [more]

INDIA | National aviation officials in India say a Beechcraft C90 aircraft operating as an air ambulance crashed yesterday in the eastern Jharkhand state, killing all seven people on board. Reports cite state officials as suggesting the crash may have been linked to local air turbulence caused by severe weather. [more]

RUSSIA | Interior Ministry officials say one police officer was killed, and two others were injured, early today when an unidentified assailant detonated an explosive device next to a patrol vehicle outside the Savyolovsky Train Station in downtown Moscow. The suspect was also killed in the explosion. [more]

CANADA | Prime Minister Mark Carney is traveling to India, Australia, and Japan this week for meetings with political and business leaders as part of Canada's ongoing efforts to diversify Canadian trade amidst ongoing tensions with the United States. [more]

BASKETBALL | In a collective bargaining negotiation session yesterday, the WNBA said the women's professional basketball league's scheduled May 8 season start is at risk if a deal is not reached with the players' union by March 10. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1803, in its landmark Marbury v. Madison decision, the U.S. Supreme Court established judicial review of the constitutionality of laws and statutes, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes they find to violate the Constitution of the United States. Marbury, which established that the U.S. Constitution is actual law, not just a statement of political principles and ideals, is widely regarded as the single most important decision in American constitutional law. [more history]