January 15, 2026

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Following weeks of protests in the Islamic Republic, and after having said to protesters that help was "on the way," US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he's been told "on good authority" that the killing of protesters in Iran had stopped. Trump's statement came as multiple countries in the region warned residents of possible US military action related to the protests. [more]
• At the request of the United States, the U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting for today to discuss the protests in Iran in which, according to human rights groups, at least 2,600 people have been killed. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,419 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• In an interview with Reuters yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to make a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and suggested that Ukraine, not Russia, is standing in the way of a potential peace deal. [more]

U.S. AND DENMARK | Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Wednesday that a "fundamental disagreement" over Greenland remains with President Trump after meetings with Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, though the two sides agreed to create a working group to address American security concerns while respecting Danish territorial integrity. Denmark announced plans to boost its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic, with France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway also sending military personnel to Greenland for exercises and planning. [more]

U.S. AND VENEZUELA | Less than two weeks after the U.S. military seized now-deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet today with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won the South American country's 2024 elections. The meeting comes as Trump has signaled a willingness to work with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president. [more]

U.S. WAR POWERS | The Senate yesterday rejected a measure that would have required congressional approval for further military action in Venezuela, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after GOP Senators Josh Hawley and Todd Young withdrew their earlier support following intense pressure from the Trump administration. [more]

MINNESOTA | A federal judge yesterday gave the Trump administration until Monday to respond to Minnesota's request for a restraining order against immigration operations that have sparked protests and confrontations since ICE officer Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good on January 7. [more]

MORE MINNESOTA | Governor Tim Walz said in a televised statement yesterday that the federal law enforcement surge in Minnesota "long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement" and that "Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government." The statement was released hours before reports began to emerge of a second Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related shooting in Minneapolis. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL FUNDING | The Department of Health and Human Services terminated approximately 2,000 federal grants totaling roughly $2 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration this week and then re-instated the grants without explanation yesterday. The termination letters stated the programs no longer aligned with administration priorities. The now-rescinded cuts affected non-profits providing street-level care for addiction, homelessness, and mental illness, including overdose prevention and naloxone distribution programs. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION VISAS | The State Department announced yesterday that it will suspend immigrant visa processing starting January 21 for citizens of 75 countries—including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, Somalia, and Brazil—whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance. The suspension does not apply to non-immigrant visas for tourists or business visitors. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | In a pair of reports delayed by last fall's 43-day government shutdown, the Labor Department says its producer price index, which measures inflation before it reaches consumers, rose 0.2% in November from October and 3% from a year earlier, and the Commerce Department reports that retail sales in the U.S. rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in November, following a revised 0.1% decline in October. [more]

CALIFORNIA | A federal three-judge panel ruled yesterday that California can use its new voter-approved congressional districting map in upcoming elections, rejecting challenges by state Republicans and the Department of Justice that claimed the new map violated the Constitution by using race as a factor when drawing new district lines. [more]

GLOBAL CLIMATE | Earth's average temperature in 2025 was among the three hottest on record at 15.08 degrees Celsius, marking 1.44 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with six science teams ranking it behind 2024 and 2023 while NASA and a joint American-British team placed it slightly warmer than 2023. [more]

CANADA | British Columbia Health Minister Josie Osborne announced yesterday that her province would not seek to extend its three-year experiment in decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs, saying the experimental policy "hasn’t delivered the results” officials hoped for. [more]

JAPAN AND PHILIPPINES | Amidst concerns over China's regional aggressiveness, Japan and the Philippines signed a defense agreement today that will allow the countries to provide ammunition, fuel, food, and other necessities tax-free when they hold joint military training. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Just over a month after Australia's law banning social media accounts for people under age 16 went into effect, the country's eSafety Commissioner says companies have deactivated some 4.7 million accounts held by young Australians. [more]

SOCCER | Global soccer governing body FIFA said yesterday that it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for this summer's World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1759, the British Museum—which was established by an act of Parliament in 1753, and which counts among its world-renowned antiquities and archaeological holdings the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone—opened to the public in London. [more history]