May 28, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 90.

• Amidst what U.S. officials contend is still an ongoing cease-fire, U.S. forces shot down at least four Iranian drones and struck an Iranian drone control station near the Strait of Hormuz today. The U.S. military's Central Command said the drones and station posed a threat to U.S. forces in the region. [more]
• Without providing additional details, Kuwaiti officials say their country was targeted with a missile and drone attack today. Iran later confirmed that it targeted a U.S. military base in Kuwait in response to the U.S. strike on Iran earlier in the day. [more]
• Ahead of Israel-Lebanon talks scheduled for tomorrow in Washington, DC, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes today in southern Lebanon. Reports say at least 14 people were killed, and dozens of others were wounded, in the strikes, which Israel says targeted the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. [more]
• U.S. stock futures and world markets declined today, and oil prices rose, amidst reports of renewed strikes in the Middle East involving the U.S., Iran, and Kuwait. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,552 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian and Swedish officials have confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Sweden today for talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Talks between the two leaders are expected to focus on bilateral defense cooperation that reports say could include a deal to provide Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. [more]

U.S. HEALTH INSURANCE | In its latest report on health insurance coverage rates, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics says 28 million people of all ages in the U.S. – about 8.3% of the population – had no health insurance in 2025. [full report] [more]

U.S. MILITARY | According to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, it may take up to three years for U.S. military contractors to replenish stockpiles of three key weapons systems heavily used in the Iran war – Tomahawk cruise missiles, Patriot interceptors, and THAAD defense missiles – to pre-war levels. [full analysis] [more]

U.S. DRUG WAR | The U.S. military's Southern Command launched strikes on at least two alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean this week, killing at least three people and leaving two survivors. Reports note that at least 196 people are known to have been killed in similar U.S. strikes on small boats since last September. [more]

ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON | In its new seasonal outlook report for the Atlantic, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a below-average season for Atlantic storms, with eight to 14 named storms. The agency forecasts three to six storms becoming strong enough to reach hurricane status and one to three of those intensifying to major hurricanes. [full report] [more]

U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT | According to various media reports, the Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s. The investigation, according to reports, centers on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied ​to two civil lawsuits that she won against Trump. [more]

VIRGINIA | Reports say David Rush, a former senior Central Intelligence Agency official, was arrested earlier this month in Virginia and charged with criminal theft of public money in connection with some $40 million worth of gold bars and other items seized from his home. According to court filing, Rush requested and received a “significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses," but details of what the funds were to be used for remain unclear. [more]

WASHINGTON | Authorities say the death toll from a chemical tank rupture at a Washington state paper mill earlier this week has likely risen to 11 after one person injured in the incident died yesterday and emergency officials said there was no hope of finding more survivors. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Ahead of next Tuesday's state primary elections, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation yesterday aimed at protecting against what he said was potential federal interference in this November's mid-term elections. The new law prohibits any person — including federal agents — from accessing voter rolls or election technology without a court order, and restricts law enforcement officers from disrupting election workers, except in public safety emergencies. [more]

PUERTO RICO | In an executive order released yesterday, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González announced a state of emergency to fight surging coastal erosion along the U.S. territory's northern coast. [more]

U.S AND MEXICO | Negotiators began formal talks today on restructuring and renewing the U.S. and Mexico portions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, trade deal. [more]

GLOBAL CLIMATE | A new report from the U.N. World Meteorological Organization and the U.K. Meteorological Office suggests that global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels over the next five years, with the annual global mean near-surface temperatures during 2026–2030 predicted to range between 1.3°C and 1.9°C above pre-industrial averages and a likelihood that one year between 2026 and 2030 will surpass 2024 as the warmest year on record. [press release] [full report]

EBOLA | Amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa in which at least 220 people have died and about 1,000 suspected cases have been reported, Uganda yesterday ordered the immediate closure of its border with Congo, where the outbreak has been centered. [more]

PHILIPPINES AND JAPAN | As part of a four-day state visit to Japan, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi today, with the strengthening of defense and weapons cooperation between their countries expected to be among the main topics of discussion. [more]

CANADA | In his latest move to diversify Canada's military spending away from the U.S., Prime Minister Mark Carney announced yesterday that Canada is choosing to purchase multiple early warning radar planes built by Sweden’s Saab and Canada’s Bombardier over two American options. [more]

BRAZIL | President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced plans yesterday for the Brazilian government to invest $75 million in the BR-319 highway that runs through the Amazon rainforest, prompting objections from environmentalists. Reports note that the highway was inaugurated in 1976 but remains largely unpaved. [more]

KENYA | Education Ministry officials say at least 16 students at a government-owned girls’ boarding school in Kenya's Gilgil region were killed, and more than 70 others were injured, today when a fire spread through a dormitory. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and investigations into the incident are ongoing. [more]

WORLD CUP | The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey announced an investigation this week into the ticketing practices of world soccer governing body FIFA for this summer's men's World Cup. The investigation follows widespread reports of alleged ticket price and delivery manipulation, which New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport characterized as "a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices." [more]

BASEBALL | Ahead of December's expiration of Major League Baseball's labor contract with players, a proposal announced yesterday by the players association asks for expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights, as well as a minimum salary increase from $780,000 this year to $1.5 million next season. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1788, 77 of the Federalist papers—a series of 85 essays on the proposed new U.S. Constitution and on the nature of government, written in 1787–88 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay—were first published in book form. [more history]