January 9, 2026

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Palestinian health officials say at least 13 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in northern and southern Gaza yesterday that Israeli officials say targeted Hamas infrastructure and fighters. [more]
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday that Bulgarian diplomat, and former U.N. Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov has been selected to head day-to-day administration of the so-called Board of Peace that will oversee the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. [more]
• Amidst reports that the group's leader fled to the United Arab Emirates this week, Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council separatist group said today that it will dissolve its organization and institutions, effective today. [more]
• Following three days of clashes with Kurdish-led forces in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s Defense Ministry announced a cease-fire today and said armed groups would be given a six-hour window in which to leave the area. Reports late this morning say Kurdish groups in the city have rejected the cease-fire terms and vowed to defend their neighborhoods. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,413 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Russian officials say a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile was used against a site in Ukraine in large-scale overnight drone and missile strikes that reports say continued to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure amidst cold winter temperatures. Analysts note that this is thought to be only the second time an Oreshnik missile has been used in the nearly 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine. [more]

MINNEAPOLIS | The FBI has reportedly taken steps to assume full and sole control of the investigation into the ICE shooting this week of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to state law enforcement, the FBI informed the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that "the investigation would now be led solely by the FBI, and the BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence, or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation." [BCA statement] [more]

PORTLAND | State authorities say two people in a vehicle were shot and wounded by federal immigration agents in Portland, Oregon, yesterday, and vowed to investigate “whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority” and refer criminal charges to prosecutor’s if warranted. U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials say one of the vehicle's occupants was an illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua gang and that the driver tried to run over federal agents. [more]

U.S. HEALTHCARE | The House voted 230-196, with 17 Republican lawmakers joining all Democrats in the chamber, to approve legislation that would reinstate expired subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance policies. Reports note that the fate of the legislation in the Senate remains uncertain. [more]

U.S. WAR POWERS | The Senate voted 52-47, with five Republicans joining all Democrats, to advance a resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to carry out further military actions against Venezuela. Analysts say the measure is unlikely to become law, as it would require passage by the Republican-controlled House and overriding of a probable veto by President Trump. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | According to the Labor Department jobs report released this morning, U.S. employers added a lower-than-expected 50,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate fell 0.1% from November to 4.4%. The report also notes that overall payroll employment in the U.S. rose by just 584,000 in 2025 – down from an increase of 2 million in 2024. [full jobs report] [more]

U.S. MORTGAGES | In a social media post yesterday, President Donald Trump said that he is directing the federal government to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds as part of efforts to reduce mortgage rates and that funds from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two mortgage companies under government conservatorship, will be used to make the purchase. [more]

GLOBAL ECONOMY | Citing higher U.S. tariffs, economic uncertainties, and geopolitical tensions, the United Nations' new World Economic Situation and Prospects report predicts that the global economy will grow by 2.7% this year, down from an estimated 2.8% growth in 2025 and below the annual average of 3.2% growth between 2010 and 2019. [more]

IRAN | Amidst ongoing and growing nationwide protests sparked by the country's sharp economic downturn, Iran yesterday cut off most connections to the internet and international telephone lines across the country. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that at least 42 people have been killed, and 2,270 others have been arrested, in days of protests that have been supported by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Officials in the Philippine city of Cebu say at least one person has died, and 38 others remain missing, following the collapse of a massive landfill yesterday that buried nearby buildings in garbage and debris. At least 13 people were rescued from the debris overnight and search and rescue efforts continue today. [more]

U.K. AND FRANCE | Tens of thousands of homes and businesses remain without power this morning in northern France and southern England following strong winds, rain, and snow associated with named Storm Goretti. [more]

SWITZERLAND | A national day of mourning is being recognized today in Switzerland in remembrance of the 40 people killed in the fire at the Le Constellation bar in the resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year's celebrations. [more]

SPACE | NASA said yesterday that it will cut short a four-person U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew's mission aboard the International Space Station due to an astronaut's medical issue. Citing patient privacy, NASA did not identify the astronaut or the specific medical issue. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | Miami has advanced to the College Football Playoff championship after beating Ole Miss, 31-27, in the teams' semi-final game last night. Top-seeded Indiana and Oregon play tonight in the other semi-final game. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS | Ahead of Sunday's Golden Globe Awards, actress Sarah Jessica Parker received the Golden Globes’ Carol Burnett Award for lifetime achievement in television last night, while actress Helen Mirren received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1839, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre of France proclaimed his invention of the daguerreotype, the first commercially successful form of photography. [more history]