June 18, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• As Israel and Iran continue to trade airstrikes for a sixth day, U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran's "unconditional surrender" amidst increasing reports that the U.S. is considering active participation in strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Open-source intelligence group Aurora Intel cites public aviation tracking data as showing that the U.S. has deployed additional refueling aircraft and fighter jets in strategic locations across Europe. [more]
• In an interview today regarding the ongoing conflict with Israel, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that “any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.” [more]
• Washington-based group Human Rights Activists says local reports and in-country sources indicate that at least 585 people have been killed, and more than 1,300 have been wounded, in Iran since the beginning of the current conflict with Israel on Friday. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and several hundred have been wounded. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Commerce Department data released yesterday shows that U.S. consumer spending dropped 0.9% in May – down from a 0.1% decline in April and a 1.5% increase in March. Reports note that a steep drop in auto sales contributed significantly to the overall spending decline. [Commerce Department report] [more]

U.S. FEDERAL TAXES AND SPENDING | A new report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the Trump administration tax and spending measure currently under consideration in Congress would, when taking other economic effects into consideration, increase the federal deficit by more than $2.7 trillion over the next decade. [full report] [more]

U.S. TRAVEL BAN | According to a weekend diplomatic cable sent by the U.S. State Department, the Trump administration has given 36 countries, most of them in Africa, a deadline of today to commit to improve vetting of travelers or face being added to the current list of 12 countries whose citizens are not allowed to visit the United States. [more]

U.S. PASSPORTS | In an expansion of a previous ruling, U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick yesterday blocked a Trump administration policy that limited passport sex markers for many transgender and nonbinary Americans. The new ruling allows those without a passport or who need to apply for a new one to request a male, female, or “X” identification marker rather than being limited to the marker that matches the gender assigned at birth. [more]

U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING | A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Trump administration must reinstate some $32.7 million in Congressionally approved public health funding payments withheld from four U.S. municipalities while related court proceedings play out. The affected localities include: Harris County, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents yesterday after he linked arms with a person that authorities were attempting to detain at an immigration court. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say Lander, who was later released, was arrested "for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer." [more]

E.U. AND RUSSIA | German news outlet Der Spiegel reports that the European Union has summoned Russia's E.U. envoy for further information regarding an alleged attack on an E.U. official in Vladivostok last month that is thought to have been carried out by two men working for Russian security authorities. [more]

INDONESIA | Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupted for a second straight day today, forcing the evacuation of multiple villages and prompting flight cancellations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Emergency officials raised the volcano's danger level designation to the highest level yesterday. [more]

BRAZIL | Over protests from environmental and indigenous groups, the Brazilian government auctioned off 34 land and offshore potential oil sites near the Amazon River yesterday as part of efforts to increase the country's oil output. [more]

JAPAN | Finance Ministry officials say Japan's exports fell 1.7% in May, compared to the year-ago period, while imports fell 7.7% during the same span. Officials note that Japanese automobile sales to the U.S. were down 25% in May, compared to 2024, due largely to increased tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. [more]

MICROPLASTICS | According to a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, residents of coastal regions with very high levels of water-borne microplastics appear to be at significantly higher risks of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke, compared to those in areas with lower microplastic levels. [full study] [more]

SOCIAL MEDIA | Saying "The state is impermissibly trying to generate public controversy about content moderation," social media platform X, formerly Twitter, filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging a New York law that requires the company to report on how it handles problematic posts that include such things as hate speech, racist or extremist content, and disinformation. Reports note that the company successfully challenged a similar regulatory approach in California last year. [more]

HOCKEY | The Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1, last night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to claim their second-straight NHL championship. The Panthers' Sam Bennett received the Conn Smythe Trophy as the league's playoff MVP. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS | The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences says actor Tom Cruise, singer and actor Dolly Parton, actor and choreographer Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas will receive honorary Oscars for lifetime achievement at the Academy's annual Governors Awards gala in November. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1815, Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo, ending 23 years of recurrent warfare between France and the other powers of Europe. [more history]