June 24, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 117.

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio begins a two-day visit to multiple Gulf-region countries today in what is reported to be an effort to ease concerns over provisions included in the U.S-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the Middle East war. Reports say Rubio will meet with leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain during the trip. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,579 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Local officials in Russia-occupied Crimea said today that overnight Ukrainian drone strikes knocked out power to the city of Sevastopol and that public transportation and schooling in the city was largely disrupted as a result. [more]

U.S. WAR POWERS | The Senate voted, 50-48, yesterday to approve a war powers resolution aimed at blocking further military operations in Iran without Congressional approval. The House passed the resolution earlier this month. President Donald Trump characterized the Senate vote as providing "aid and comfort" to Iran and said it was "poorly timed and meaningless." [more]

TEXAS | Eight people convicted on various charges in connection with the shooting of a police officer last year during a demonstration at a Texas immigration detention center were sentenced yesterday to prison terms ranging from 30 to 100 years. The 100-year sentence was imposed on Benjamin Song, a former U.S. Marine reservist who was convicted of opening fire during the July 4 demonstration outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | In a 6-3 decision announced yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court said border patrol officers do not have the burden to "establish by clear and convincing evidence" that a lawful permanent resident has committed a crime involving moral turpitude to be placed on immigration parole after being accused of a crime. Opponents of the ruling argue that the decision could provide an expanded path for revoking green cards, while supporters suggest it could be an important tool to allow the removal of people who abuse their lawful permanent resident status. [more]

MORE U.S. IMMIGRATION | Calling such acts "arbitrary and capricious" and noting their potential to turn "places of due process into zones of fear," U.S. District Court Judge P. Casey Pitts yesterday issued a nationwide injunction against the Trump administration policy of making arrests at immigration courts. [more]

U.S. HEALTHCARE FRAUD | The Justice Department said yesterday that 455 people, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, have been charged in the department's 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown initiative. Officials said the crimes committed by defendants involved more than $6.5 billion in false claims. [press release] [more]

U.S. HOUSING | The House voted, 358-32, yesterday to give final approval to a major Senate-approved bill aimed at increasing housing supply and lowering related costs. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure into law later today. [more]

U.S. NUCLEAR POWER | Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced yesterday that the federal government will provide $17.5 billion in funding to five utilities and energy companies to speed the development of 10 new large nuclear reactors that are expected to be operational by the mid-2030s and help meet increased electricity demand from massive data centers. [more]

U.S. AND NATO | Ahead of next month's NATO summit in Turkey, alliance Secretary-General Mark Rutte is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, today. The status of U.S. troops in Europe, NATO members' military spending levels, and Iran are expected to be among the main topics of discussion. [more]

U.S. AND CUBA | U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on Cuban state companies yesterday, including on entities linked to Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., which is run by Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces and is believed to control nearly 40% of the Caribbean island nation's gross domestic product. [more]

GLOBAL DATA CENTERS | A coalition of 40 mayors of major cities around the world announced the signing of a pact yesterday to work together to shape how urban data centers are built and operated, with specific focus on how such centers use local resources such as land, electricity, and water. The announcement was made during London Climate Action Week. [more]

SUDAN | United Nations officials have warned of "escalating atrocity risks" in and around the Sudanese city of El Obeid amidst reports of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces' increased troop presence near the city. [more]

NORTH KOREA | In a continuation of the country's nuclear arsenal expansion, North Korea yesterday announced the commissioning of a new 5,000-ton destroyer tasked with defending the country’s western coast. The new warship is equipped with anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, according to state media reports. [more]

FRANCE | Amidst the heatwave affecting the U.K. and much of Central Europe, French officials say France experienced its hottest day ever yesterday, with the country's national thermal indicator – an average of temperatures measured at 30 weather stations – reaching 29.8 C (85.6 F). Reports note that temperatures at some individual weather stations exceeded 40 C (104 F). [more]

LIBYA | In a move believed to be linked to efforts to limit the influx of migrants seeking to reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, governing authorities in the eastern part of divided Libya announced an entry ban yesterday for nearly all people from the nearby African nations of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. [more]

PERU | With nearly 99% of votes counted, Peru's national electoral authority says Keiko Fujimori has won this month's presidential election, narrowly defeating leftist congressman Roberto Sanchez. Fujimori, who will become Peru’s first elected female president, is scheduled to take office on July 28. [more]

GERMANY | Government-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn says a faulty communications component swap was the cause of a nearly three-hour outage of all train operations across Germany overnight. [more]

WORLD CUP | Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals in yesterday's 5-0 win over Uzbekistan, becoming the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. [more]

BASKETBALL | The Washington Wizards selected BYU forward AJ Dybantsa as the No. 1 pick in last night's first round of the NBA draft. Darryn Peterson of Kansas and Duke's Cameron Boozer were taken as the second and third picks by the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively. [full draft list] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion. [more history]