June 9, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 102.

• After issuing an evacuation order for the entire city, Israeli forces struck the Lebanese port city of Tyre today, killing at least eight people. Reports note that Israel and Iran agreed to halt direct attacks on each other yesterday, but Iran warned it would resume hostilities if Israel continued attacks on Lebanon. [more]
• A U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter crashed early today near the Strait of Hormuz. The cause of the crash remains under investigation and U.S. officials say neither of the two crew members aboard the aircraft were injured. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,564 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Authorities in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region say at least three people were killed, and 25 others were wounded, over the past 24 hours in Russian airstrikes on the region. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Estonia today to attend a summit of Nordic and Baltic leaders. The meeting comes amidst concern over multiple intrusions of Ukrainian drones into the airspace of regional countries during strikes targeting Russian sites in the Baltic Sea area. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | A federal judge yesterday struck down the Trump administration's $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas, which are meant for use in filling high-demand and high-skilled jobs in the United States. Boston-based U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin said the fee "imposes a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation by Congress" and that the executive branch exceeded its authority in imposing the visa policy. Trump administration officials have indicated their intention to appeal the ruling. [more]

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE | President Donald Trump yesterday formally nominated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, to fill the attorney general role vacated by Pam Bondi when she was fired in April. [more]

U.S. NEW WORLD SCREWWORM | The Department of Agriculture says the number of recently identified cases of new world screwworm animal infection has risen to five – four in Texas and one in neighboring New Mexico. [USDA press release] [more]

MINNESOTA | In a social media post yesterday, Vice President JD Vance said that he has referred allegations related to social program fraud against various Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, to the Justice Department for criminal investigation. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | Amidst ongoing trade and security tensions, the U.S. Department of Defense has added dozens of prominent Chinese businesses to its list of more than 180 Chinese companies said to be linked to the Chinese military and, therefore, declared ineligible for U.S. government contracts. Among the companies newly added to the list were tech giant Alibaba, electric vehicle maker BYD, and search engine Baidu. [full list of newly added companies] [more]

GLOBAL CONFLICT | According to a new report from researchers at Sweden's Uppsala Conflict Data Program, 244,600 people were killed in global conflicts in 2025 – up from about 187,000 in 2024. The report notes that global conflict-linked deaths in 2025 were the highest since the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and that there were a post-World War II-high 65 state-based conflicts during the course of the year. [press release] [full report] [full academic study] [more]

GLOBAL AIRLINE INDUSTRY | Amidst high fuel costs associated with the Middle East war, a report from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics says U.S. air carriers spent nearly $6.5 billion on fuel in April – up 78% from the year-ago period despite using slightly less fuel. Another report, this one from the International Air Transport Association, projects that airlines worldwide will earn a combined $23 billion in net profits in 2026 – down from a previous forecast of $41 billion and about half the profit level seen in 2025. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Rescue and recovery efforts continue today across large portions of the Philippines following yesterday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake in which at least 37 people were killed, more than 500 were injured, and more than 20,000 were displaced. Authorities say about 2,500 houses and 117 government buildings and facilities were damaged in the quake across several Philippine provinces and that airports and schools in affected areas remain closed today while damage assessments continue. [more]

CONGO | Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say at least 101 people have died, and 550 cases have been confirmed, in the country's Ebola outbreak since its declaration on May 15. [more]

BOLIVIA | In a continuation of nearly five weeks of unrest amidst demonstrations calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, protesters and police clashed in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba yesterday after Paz signed a measure that makes it easier for the government to impose a state of emergency that would suspend constitutional rights and empower the military to restore order. The South American country's ombudsman issued a report over the weekend that detailed at least 10 deaths, 37 injuries, and 365 arrests in protest-related clashes from May 1 to June 2. [more]

IRAQ | Authorities in Iraq's Thi Qar province say work to identify all 21 people killed in a bus crash and fire on Sunday is ongoing. Reports say the bus was traveling from the city of Najaf to the southern port city of Basra when the crash occurred on a poorly maintained road. [more]

CHINESE ECONOMY | Government data released today shows that China's exports rose 19.4% in May compared to the year-ago period, while imports rose 27.4% for the month. Exports to the United States showed a 35% increase in May over the same period last year. [more]

CANADA | Retired Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour was installed yesterday as Canada's new governor general – a largely ceremonial role as the representative of Britain’s King Charles III, who is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth of former British colonies. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | San Francisco-based artificial intelligence giant OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, said yesterday that it has filed preliminary paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of a planned initial public offering of stock. The move follows recent similar filings by high-profile AI companies Anthropic and SpaceX. [more]

BASKETBALL | The San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks, 115-111, last night in Game 3 of the best-of-seven NBA Finals championship series. Game 4 of the series, which New York leads 2-1, is scheduled for tomorrow night. [more]

WORLD CUP | Ahead of Thursday's opening of the 2026 men's World Cup soccer tournament, Iran's national soccer federation said today that world soccer governing body FIFA has revoked the ticket allocation for Iranian fans at the Iranian team's three matches in the United States. Also yesterday, a Somali referee scheduled to officiate World Cup games in the U.S. was denied entry after U.S. Customs and Border Protection determined him to be "inadmissible due to vetting concerns." [more on Iran] [more on Somali referee]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1815, the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna, comprising several agreements separately negotiated among various participants for the reorganization of Europe in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, was signed by representatives of Austria, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden. [more history]