June 5, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 98.

• Iranian ​Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reiterated Tehran's stance that the Middle East war "will end only when it ends in Lebanon as well" yesterday and reaffirmed Iran's support for the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon while demanding that Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon. [more]
• The Associated Press cites a confidential report from the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency as saying the agency has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June and "cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities.” [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,560 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In an open letter posted online yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy detailed his assessment of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and proposed face-to-face negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending the conflict. [full open letter] [more]
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday that would provide more than $1 billion in direct new security and reconstruction aid to Ukraine and make another $8 billion available to Kyiv through loans. The measure, which is expected to face Republican opposition in the Senate, would also increase U.S. sanctions on key segments of the Russian economy. [more]
• Russian President Vladimir Putin, amidst several high-profile incidents of sites inside Russia being struck by Ukrainian drones, said yesterday that his country will strengthen its air defenses to counter such attacks. [more]
• Ukraine's military says its forces carried out drone strikes today on five cargo ships in the Sea of Azov and in coastal waters off Russian-occupied territories. The ships, according to Ukrainian officials, were involved in "stealing" Ukrainian grain, as well as transferring military cargo and fuel. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT | The Senate voted, 52-47, early this morning to pass legislation providing $70 billion to fund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agencies through the end of President Donald Trump's term in office. Several attempts to amend the bill to include a permanent block of Trump's proposed $1.776 billion compensation fund for political allies who believe they have been politically persecuted were rejected in the lead-up to the final Senate vote. [more]

U.S. COAL INDUSTRY | Citing authority under the 1950 Defense Production Act, which grants presidents broad authority over national security-related industries, President Donald Trump announced plans yesterday to provide $700 million in funding to support 13 coal plants across the U.S. and help build new plants in Alaska and West Virginia. [more]

U.S. EMPLOYMENT | Labor Department data released today indicates that U.S. employers added a higher-than-expected 172,000 jobs in May – a slight decrease from a revised 179,000 in April – and that the national unemployment rate remained steady for the month at 4.3%. [full report] [more]

U.S. MORTGAGES | The average interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. fell to 6.48% this week, according to mortgage firm Freddie Mac – a slight decrease from a nine-month high of 6.53% last week and below the year-ago average rate of 6.85%. [more]

U.S. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY | Amidst bipartisan congressional opposition to President Donald Trump's planned nomination of federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte to be the next director of national intelligence, Trump said yesterday that Pulte would not be his permanent choice for the role and that other candidates are being interviewed. [more]

ALASKA | Amidst opposition from environmental and Indigenous groups, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is scheduled to hold an oil and gas lease sale for the coastal plain region of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge today. [press release] [more]

U.S. AIR TRAVEL | Citing elevated fuel costs associated with the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, American Airlines announced yesterday that it will temporarily suspend "select routes" in August and September and will offer impacted travelers alternative arrangements or refunds. [more]

U.S. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION | John Bolton, who served as national security advisor in President Donald Trump's first administration, but who has become a vocal critic of the president, has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time. [more]

U.S. AND CUBA | As part of ongoing efforts to pressure the Caribbean island nation to align with U.S. interests, the Trump administration yesterday announced new U.S. sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife, and three other individuals. [more]

EUROPEAN UNION | The leaders of numerous European Union countries and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are meeting with the heads of several E.U. candidate countries today in Montenegro to discuss expanding the bloc amidst security and economic threats seen as being posed by Russia and China. Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova, and several Baltic region countries are among the nations aspiring to E.U. membership. [more]

CHINA AND NORTH KOREA | The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced today that President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea early next week for a state visit and meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Talks between the two leaders are expected to focus on advancing bilateral ties and addressing regional security issues. [more]

CANADA | Unveiling his government's artificial intelligence strategy yesterday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country is too dependent on foreign technology and AI suppliers that could pose risks and called for Canada to develop advanced AI capabilities domestically. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy also calls for working with a "coalition of aligned democracies" to pool research, talent, and compute and procurement power and "offer a credible alternative to the dominant market actors that increasingly define the global AI landscape." [more]

HUNGARY | As part of efforts to obtain the final release of some $19.1 billion in suspended European Union funding, the Hungarian government said today it will submit comprehensive anti-corruption legislation to the country's parliament next week. [more]

PERU | In a runoff election to select the country's ninth president in 10 years, voters in Peru will choose Sunday between Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of late President Alberto Fujimori, and Roberto Sánchez, a close ally of imprisoned former President Pedro Castillo. [more]

HOCKEY | The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, last night to win Game 2 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final and tie the championship series at one game apiece. Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for tomorrow. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported cases of a rare type of pneumonia in five Los Angeles-area men – the first recognized instances of what later became known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. [more history]