June 26, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 119.

• The U.N.'s International Maritime Organization said yesterday that it has paused its planned evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after a ship was hit by a suspected Iranian drone off the coast of Oman. Reports note that the targeted ship was not part of the U.N. evacuation effort and that the attack came just hours after Iran warned vessels to stop using a route through the strait near Oman's coast without Tehran’s permission. [more]
• Iran reasserted its right to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz today, saying it was responding to an "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative" joint statement by the United States and six Gulf states that rejected Iran's insistence that it could charge tolls on vessels transiting the strait. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,581 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukraine launched one of its largest aerial attacks of the war overnight, with at least 660 drones fired at targets in 12 Russian regions as well as on Russia-occupied Crimea and in the Black and Azov Seas, according to Russian Defense Ministry officials. [more]
• Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, announced a state of emergency for the territory today amidst economic issues and the halting of all fuel sales in response to Ukrainian attacks. [more]

U.S. SUPREME COURT | In a series of rulings issued yesterday:

• In a 6-3 decision, the Court overturned lower court rulings and allowed the Trump administration to end temporary protected immigration status for migrants fleeing violence and natural disasters in Haiti and Syria. Analysts note that the ruling, which found that the law does not permit courts to question the process that immigration authorities use to revoke such protections, could be used as a basis to end legal immigration protections for hundreds of thousands of people. [more]
• In another 6-3 decision, Supreme Court justices cleared the way for the Trump administration to potentially revive an immigration policy allowing border agents to stop migrants before they actually reach U.S. borders and thereby circumvent a federal law requirement that migrants who arrive in the U.S. must be able to apply for asylum and be screened for fear of persecution in their home countries. [more]
• In a Second Amendment ruling, the Court struck down a Hawaii state law that required people to get permission to carry firearms onto privately owned property such as stores, hotels, shopping malls, and gas stations. [more]
• In a ruling analysts say could block thousands of related lawsuits, the Court said that Bayer, the maker of Roundup weedkiller, cannot be sued over state-level claims that the company failed to warn of cancer risks from Roundup and its chemical ingredient glyphosate because a separate federal law governing pesticides preempts state-based actions. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Commerce Department data released today indicates that there U.S. trade deficit increased a higher-than-expected 27.4% to $105.8 billion in May – up from a $55.9 billion deficit in April. Analysts cite higher prices related to the Middle East war and increased imports to avoid shortages as factors in the increase. [more]

U.S. VOTING | A federal judge issued a summary judgement yesterday blocking President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to create a federal list of eligible voters and direct the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots only to people on that list. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani said in her ruling that Trump's orders were "legally void" because they “unconstitutionally violate the separation of powers" under which states and Congress are given the power to regulate elections. [more]

U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT | According to a letter sent to the Justice Department yesterday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is seeking an investigation of whistleblower claims that DEA agents knowingly permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to enter the streets of New Mexico as part of efforts to build bigger criminal cases between 2023 and 2025. [more]

FLORIDA | Saying the facility had served its purpose, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said yesterday that the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades has been closed. Reports note that the center, which opened in July 2025, had faced legal challenges over the treatment of detainees and over allegations that officials never obtained the permits or performed required environmental reviews needed to build the facility. [more]

WASHINGTON, DC | The National Park Service said yesterday that the liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which recently underwent a $16 million rehabilitation, was cut with a sharp knife or razor earlier this month. Court documents filed this week by the Park Service did not specifically state when the damage occurred or whether it was a suspected case of vandalism. Reports note that President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed over the past week, without citing specific evidence, that issues with the renovated reflecting pool had been caused by vandals. [more]

NEW YORK | Fulfilling a central campaign promise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city's Rent Guidelines Board voted yesterday to freeze rents for about one million rent-stabilized apartments for up to two years. [more]

NATO | Ahead of next month's alliance summit in Turkey, NATO deputy supreme allied commander John Stringer said in an interview this week that his hopes for the Ankara summit include spurring member nations to spend more on defense, reaffirming NATO's support for Ukraine, and underlining the unity of the alliance. [more]

GLOBAL CLIMATE | In an accelerated study released today, researchers at the Europe-based World Weather Attribution climate study group suggest the ongoing heatwave affecting much of Europe would have been nearly impossible 50 years ago and is about 100-times more likely today than it would have been just 20 years ago due to climate change. [press release] [full study] [more]

VENEZUELA | As search-and-rescue and damage assessment efforts continue, authorities in Venezuela say the death toll from Wednesday's dual earthquakes that struck the region has risen to at least 589. Officials note that at least 4,300 people were injured in the quakes and that tens of thousands of people are still missing. [more]

NORTH KOREA | According to state media reports, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed major weapons tests of ballistic missile, artillery, and rocket launch systems yesterday and called for his military’s "deadly and destructive offensive posture" to be strengthened. [more]

GERMANY | Saudi-born doctor Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was convicted of murder and other charges and sentenced to life in prison today for carrying out the 2024 car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, in which six people were killed and more than 300 others were wounded. [more]

AUTO INDUSTRY | Reuters cites unnamed sources as saying automaker giant Volkswagen is considering shutting four German factories, putting more than 45,000 jobs at risk and bringing to nearly 100,000 the number of potential job cuts when taking a previously announced cut of 50,000 positions into account. [more]

WORLD CUP | The 32-team World Cup knock-out stage continues to take shape as teams compete in their final group stage matches, which conclude tomorrow. All three host countries – the U.S., Canada, and Mexico – have advanced to the knock-out stage. [full bracket] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2015, with a 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the United States, finding that state-level bans on the practice violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. [more history]