March 25, 2026

EDITORIAL NOTE: Due to various circumstances, we will be unable to produce a Daily Brief tomorrow, March 26. We look forward to resuming operations on Friday. ~editor

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 26.

• As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to suggest that talks are under way to reach a deal to the Middle East war, reports say Iran has received a 15-point cease-fire proposal from the United States that includes, among other things, items on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, shipping access to the Strait of Hormuz, and limitations on Iran's nuclear and missile programs, as well as its support of armed proxy groups. [more]
• Reports cite U.S. military sources as saying at least 1,000 troops from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to the Persian Gulf region in the coming days. The deployment comes as an estimated 5,000 U.S. Marines are also expected to bolster U.S. force strength in the region. [more]
• Bahrain submitted a resolution to the U.N. Security Council yesterday calling for the United Nations to authorize countries or naval partnerships to use military action to secure passage and “to repress, neutralize and deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz" and for Iran to cease all attacks on merchant and commercial vessels. Reports say several countries have raised concerns about the resolution, as it was filed under Chapter Seven of the U.N. Charter, which allows the council to authorize actions ranging from sanctions to the use of force. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,488 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Amidst Moscow's reportedly renewed spring offensive, Russia and Ukraine traded large-scale airstrikes over the past day, with Russia claiming to have shot down 389 incoming Ukrainian drones and Ukraine reporting that Russia had fired almost 1,000 drones and 34 missiles at targets in Ukraine over a 24-hour period. [more]
• Lawmakers in Moldova approved a 60-day energy state of emergency yesterday after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure in Ukraine severed a key power transmission line linking Moldova and Romania. [more]

MINNESOTA | Saying the federal government has failed to comply with an agreement to cooperate with state investigations, Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration yesterday, seeking access to evidence they say is needed to independently investigate the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as the wounding of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, by federal immigration officers earlier this year during the enforcement surge in Minneapolis and St. Paul. [more]

U.S. SOCIAL MEDIA | Concluding a nearly seven-week trial, a New Mexico jury yesterday imposed a $375 million penalty on Facebook parent company Meta after finding the social media giant to have knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms. Meta has indicated it will appeal the verdict. [more]

U.S. FRAUD PROSECUTION | The Senate voted, 52-47, yesterday to confirm President Donald Trump's nomination of Colin McDonald to lead a new Justice Department division focused on prosecuting cases of fraud nationwide – a role traditionally performed by the Department's Criminal Division. [more]

CALIFORNIA | In a lawsuit filed earlier this week, California sued the Trump administration, seeking to block an U.S. Energy Department emergency order that would force operators to restart an offshore oil and pipeline operation closed more than 10 years ago. State officials contend the emergency powers law cited in the order is meant to prioritize contracts during emergencies, not to override state law. [more]

U.K. | Officials with London's Metropolitan Police say two men were arrested yesterday in connection with Monday's arson attack that burned four ambulances operated by a Jewish charity in the city. A claim of responsibility for the attack by a group with potential links to Iran is under investigation, according to reports. [more]

MORE U.K. | Sarah Mullally will be installed today as the Church of England's first female Archbishop of Canterbury ‌and spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide. Prince William and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are among those expected to attend the investment ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral. [more]

DENMARK | Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s center-left Social Democrats lost ground in yesterday national elections in Denmark, receiving 21.9% of the vote, compared to the 27.5% received in the 2022 election. Reports note that the Danish government is typically formed of coalitions of parties and that Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen's centrist Moderate party appears to be in a key role to decide whether Frederiksen, who submitted her government's resignation today, will be able to serve a third term as prime minister. [more]

CUBA | The first of three planned shipments of humanitarian aid from the Nuestra America Convoy arrived by boat in Cuba yesterday amidst ongoing U.S. sanctions on the Caribbean island nation that have limited the delivery of oil and other supplies. [more]

SPACE | NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced several new initiatives for the U.S. space agency yesterday, including plans to launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars before the end of 2028 and the construction of a $20 billion base on the moon's surface. [more]

GAMING INDUSTRY | Fortnite publisher Epic Games announced the layoff of more than 1,000 employees yesterday – a reduction in its workforce of about 20%. Company executives said in a memo to employees that the cuts were not related to artificial intelligence, but, rather, to slower growth and spending in the gaming industry. [more]

SKIIING | With her finish in the season-ending giant slalom today in Norway, U.S. skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin won her record-tying sixth overall women's ‌World Cup title, equaling the number won by Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell ​in the 1970s. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland at Scone on this date in 1306. He went on to free Scotland from English rule, winning the decisive Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, and to confirm Scottish independence in the Treaty of Northampton in 1328. [more history]