March 23, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 24.

• In a social media post this morning, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran have had "very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities" over the past two days and that he was postponing his threatened U.S. strikes on Iranian power infrastructure over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Following the Trump post, Iranian media cited government sources as denying that any conversations between the U.S. and Iran have taken place. [more]
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested in an interview yesterday that more than 20 countries are "coming together to implement" plans to open the Strait of Hormuz and make it safely navigable as soon as possible. [more]
• Amidst reports of U.S. ground forces being transported to the Gulf region, Iran's Defense Council threatened today to deploy naval mines across the "entire Persian Gulf" if a land invasion of Iranian territory takes place. [more]

U.S. AIR TRAVEL | As the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continues and airports are faced with screening delays linked to Transportation Security Administration officers not being paid, President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be deployed to U.S. airports to assist with security measures. [more]

NEW YORK | LaGuardia Airport is expected to remain closed until at least 2 p.m. today following an incident yesterday in which an Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on a runway, killing both the pilot and co-pilot. Reports say about 40 passengers aboard the plane were taken to area hospitals to be treated for injuries. [more]

HAWAII | More than 2,000 customers remained without power yesterday on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui following extensive flooding that state officials have called the worst in more than 20 years. Governor Josh Green says flood and storm damage to airports, schools, roads, homes, and a Maui hospital could cost more than $1 billion to repair. [more]

U.S. VOTING | The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today in a Mississippi case that questions whether states can count mail-in voting ballots that arrive after polls close if they are postmarked by Election Day. Reports say the Court is expected to make a ruling in the case by late June and that voting in the upcoming November elections in 14 states that allow grace periods for mail-in ballots could be affected. [more]

U.S. PRESS FREEDOM | U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled Friday that a policy implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year illegally restricted the press credentialing of reporters who refused to agree to new Pentagon rules on Department of Defense access and coverage. [more]

U.K. | Four ambulances operated by a Jewish charity in London were set on fire early today in what British police say they are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime and that Prime Minister Keir Starmer characterized as a "deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack." [more]

CZECH REPUBLIC | Tens of thousands of people took part in peaceful protests Saturday in Prague against the new Czech government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Reports cite protest organizers as saying the pro-democracy gathering was in response to autocratic and anti-E.U. policies of Babiš and his coalition government. [more]

CUBA | Amidst ongoing infrastructure issues and a U.S.-imposed blockade of oil, Cuba's power grid collapsed Saturday for the third time in a month. Limited restoration of power began yesterday, with reports saying some 72,000 customers, including five hospitals, had their power restored in the capital Havana. [more]

CANADA | The Supreme Court of Canada is scheduled to begin four days of hearings today on a controversial secularism law in Quebec that bars civil servants such as judges, police officers, and teachers from wearing religious symbols at work. Analysts say the Court's ruling in the case could affect not only the religious symbols law itself, but also the so-called "notwithstanding clause" of the Canadian constitution that allows provincial or federal governments to override certain "fundamental freedoms" of religion, expression, and association. [more]

SUDAN | Amidst the country's ongoing civil war, officials at the U.N.'s World Health Organization say at least 64 people were killed, and 89 others were injured, Friday in a strike on a hospital in Sudan's western Darfur region. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces blamed the strike on the military, which denied responsibility. [more]

HUNGARY AND RUSSIA | Citing multiple unnamed current and former European security officials, the Washington Post reported on Friday that Hungary’s government under Viktor Orbán has for years provided Russia with detailed information from European Union Council meetings – an allegation that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, posting on social media, has denied. [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says at least 10 Palestinians were injured last night in attacks by Israeli settlers on four Nablus-area villages in the occupied West Bank. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | Following weekend games, reports say no perfect prediction brackets for this year's men's NCAA basketball tournament remain out of the 26.5 million entries tracked by ESPN and the 36 million tracked by the NCAA. [full bracket] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Project Hail Mary" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $80.5 million in receipts, followed by "Hoppers" and "Dhurandhar: The Revenge." [more]

R.I.P. | Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who oversaw U.S. anti-terrorism efforts after the September 11, 2001, attacks and who led investigations into allegations of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, died Friday at the age of 81. [more]

MORE R.I.P. | Actor and martial arts icon Chuck Norris, best known for a number of action films and for his starring role in television's "Walker, Texas Ranger," died last Thursday at the age of 86. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1775, Patrick Henry, a major figure of the American Revolution, delivered his well-known speech featuring the phrase “give me liberty or give me death” at the second Virginia Convention, at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia. [more history]