June 22, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 115.

• Qatari and Pakistani mediators characterized weekend talks between the U.S and Iran in Switzerland as having made "encouraging progress." Reports cite sources as saying the opening round of negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran war included talks on creating a "de-confliction cell" to address fighting in Lebanon and mechanisms to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open. Lower-level technical talks between Iran and the U.S. are expected to continue throughout the week. [more]
• U.S. Vice President JD Vance says Iran agreed, as part of weekend negotiations in Switzerland, to admit U.N. nuclear inspectors to monitor the country's nuclear facilities. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,577 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea suspended gasoline sales to civilians yesterday amidst fuel supply issues linked to increased Ukrainian attacks on oil and gas infrastructure on the Black Sea peninsula. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say at least seven people were killed, and more than 10 others were injured, in overnight Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa regions. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Authorities say at least seven people were killed, and 38 others were wounded, in a series of shooting incidents over the weekend in Chicago, Illinois. In one of more than two dozen incidents in the city, at least 12 people suffered gunshot wounds Friday evening when two people inside a vehicle shot into a crowd. Other firearm-related deaths occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri, over the weekend. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency Saturday as part of efforts to ensure the availability of resources needed to fight a large warehouse fire in the city's Boyle Heights neighborhood. Reports say emergency responders are currently concentrating on mitigating potential hazardous materials-, biohazard-, and environmental-related challenges related to the fire. [more]

U.S. COMPENSATION FUND | The Justice Department on Friday rebuffed a federal judge's request that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent submit a court declaration confirming that plans for a $1.776 billion compensation fund for allies of President Donald Trump who believe they have been unfairly investigated or prosecuted will not move forward. The request was made by Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, who presided over a legal challenge to the fund and said she was inclined to rule the dispute moot after Blanche testified before Congress that plans for the fund would not go forward. [more]

U.S. DRUG WAR | The U.S. military's Southern Command launched strikes on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean late last week, killing two people and leaving six survivors. Reports note that at least 210 people are known to have been killed in similar U.S. strikes on small boats since last September. [more]

WASHINGTON, DC | Following the site's recent $14-million renovation, the Reflecting Pool on Washington, DC's National Mall has shown persistent algae and lining issues that President Donald Trump, in weekend social media posts, blamed, without offering any evidence, on vandalism. [more]

U.K. | British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation today amidst rising opposition to his leadership within the governing Labour Party. The formal process to replace Starmer and choose the U.K.'s seventh prime minister in 10 years will begin in July, and former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says he will run to succeed Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister. [more]

MORE U.K. | British transportation authorities say investigations are ongoing into the cause of the collision of two passenger trains Friday in central England in which one person was killed and more than 80 others were injured, including nine who remain in critical condition. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Two suspects, ages 14 and 15, have been arrested after allegedly opening fire with handguns today at a high school in Tacloban City, Philippines, killing three fellow students and wounding seven others. [more]

QATAR | Authorities say at least 54 people were injured at Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial center yesterday when workers tried to resume operations at a gas export terminal that was hit by an Iranian missile in March. [more]

ISRAEL AND GAZA | Palestinian health authorities say at least six people, including two children and a cameraman with the Al Jazeera broadcast network, were killed in Gaza Saturday in multiple Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave. [more]

EBOLA | Congo’s Ministry of Health said yesterday that there have now been 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 deaths in the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae was sentenced to 25 years in prison today for his role in ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024. [more]

FRANCE | Large portions of France are under extreme heat warnings amidst an ongoing heatwave in which temperatures have reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Reports note that authorities have canceled public transportation, concerts, and sporting events in some regions due to the heat and have restricted public alcohol consumption in "red alert" zones to “preserve emergency services and allow medics to concentrate on taking care of the most vulnerable.” [more]

COLOMBIA | With nearly all votes counted, conservative candidate Abelardo de la Espriella is reported to have a lead of about 1% over progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda in Colombia's presidential runoff election. Reports cite Cepeda campaign officials as saying they intend to challenge the results. [more]

BOLIVIA | President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency Saturday amidst coordinated road blockades and protests against government austerity measures that have largely isolated the Bolivian capital of La Paz. [more]

SCOTLAND | Police in Edinburgh, Scotland, say one man has been arrested following a series of attacks in the city on Friday in which at least five people were injured and which appeared to target Muslims. [more]

TAIWAN | As part of efforts to assess the island territory's readiness in the event of a Chinese military attack, Taiwan began five days of military exercises today that, according to defense officials, will include "real-time, live-fire" drills. [more]

SPAIN | Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, was ordered Saturday to face trial on charges of influence peddling and corruption. Prosecutors say Gómez, who was also ordered to surrender her passport, is accused of using her position to influence government contracts given to a group of technology companies. [more]

GOLF | Wyndham Clark shot a final-round 3-over-par 73 yesterday to win the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills. [more]

COLLEGE BASEBALL | North Carolina and Oklahoma face off tonight in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the College World Series final in Omaha, Nebraska. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Toy Story 5" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $160 million in receipts, followed by "Disclosure Day" and "Obsession." [more]

R.I.P. | Alan Greenspan, who helped shape the U.S. economy for nearly two decades as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, died today at the age of 100. Greenspan chaired the U.S. central bank from August 1987 to January 2006. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1633, accused of heresy by the Inquisition, Galileo was forced to recant his support of the Copernican heliocentrism, which held that the Sun was the center of the solar system. [more history]