May 15, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• At least 54 people were killed overnight in multiple Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, according to the city's Nasser Hospital. [more]
• The newly formed, U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said yesterday that it has reached an agreement with Israel and expects to begin overseeing aid operations in Gaza before the end of May. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1176 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, today for peace talks aimed at ending the more than three-year-old war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin declined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's invitation to meet one-on-one at the talks, sending, instead, his aide Vladimir Medinsky to head the Russian delegation. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered Georgetown University visiting scholar and postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri's release from immigration detention yesterday. The judge said in her order that Suri's comments regarding the war in Gaza and in opposition to Israel's military operations – reason's cited by immigration officials for detaining him – were likely protected speech and that “The First Amendment does not distinguish between citizens and noncitizens.” [more]

MORE U.S. IMMIGRATION | Reports say several hundred immigrants have been charged with national security violations and unauthorized access to newly designated military zones along the U.S.-Mexico border since President Donald Trump transferred oversight of the regions to the Department of Defense and authorized U.S. troops to temporarily detain immigrants entering the country illegally. [more]

U.S. RETAIL | In a company earnings call today, CEO Doug McMillon said retail giant Walmart cannot absorb all the price pressures related to increased U.S. tariffs and that, as a result, it will raise some of its prices for consumers. [more]

U.S. CITIZENSHIP | The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today on a Trump administration emergency appeal of a lower court ruling that blocked an executive order denying citizenship to children born to people who are in the United States illegally from taking effect. [more]

U.S. ENVIRONMENT | The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans yesterday to rescind Biden-era limits on certain so-called "forever chemicals" in drinking water and extend deadlines for reductions for two of the most commonly found PFAS chemicals. [more]

CALIFORNIA | In announcing a $322 billion budget plan yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that California has a $12 billion budget shortfall and proposed scaling back the state's Medicaid coverage for immigrants without legal status as part of efforts to balance the state's budget. [more]

U.S. DRUG OVERDOSES | Provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday indicates that about 80,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2024 – a 30,000 decline from 2023 and the largest one-year decline ever recorded. Experts cite expanded availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and more addiction treatment as being among the factors contributing to the decline. [CDC report] [more]

U.S. AND IRAN | Speaking in Qatar today, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that there are only two alternatives for outcomes from ongoing talks with Iran over the Middle Eastern country's nuclear program: "intelligent and brutal." Trump also suggested that a deal with Iran is "sort of" done – a claim Iranian officials have not yet explicitly confirmed. [more]

NATO | At a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya, Turkey, and amidst U.S. demands that alliance members expand and increase defense-related spending, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said today that more investment and military equipment are needed to deal with threats posed by Russia, China, and global terrorism. [more]

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT | Reports say prosecutions and other operations at the International Criminal Court have been significantly hampered in the more than two months since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan over the Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. [more]

U.K. | According to Office for National Statistics data released today, the British economy grew at a rate of 0.7% in the first quarter of 2025, making it the fastest growing economy for the period among Group of Seven leading industrial nations. [more]

AUSTRALIA AND INDONESIA | Closer economic and defense ties are expected to be among the main topics of discussion in meetings between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto today in Jakarta. [more]

SPAIN | Spanish airport authority AENA said yesterday it will restrict access to Madrid's airport for non-travelers during certain parts of the day to limit the number of homeless people sleeping in airport terminals. [more]

ARGENTINA | Saying that immigrants were bringing "chaos and abuse" to his country, Argentine President Javier Milei announced new curbs on immigration today, including tightening restrictions on citizenship by requiring either significant financial investment in the country or spending two uninterrupted years in-country to obtain an Argentine passport. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | The U.S. Department of Commerce yesterday rescinded a Biden-era rule that was to have taken effect today that would have limited the number of artificial intelligence chips that could be exported to certain international markets without federal approval. Reports note that restrictions on sales of the chips to Russia and China remain in place and note that the move comes as Saudi Arabia has announced plans to purchase some 18,000 AI chips from U.S. company Nvidia. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1970, less than two weeks after the shooting at Kent State University in which four people were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard, two Black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi were killed, and 12 others were injured, when police opened fire during student demonstrations. [more history]