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MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Israel called an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council yesterday to demand the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza that Israel says are being starved. Reports say the Israeli demand drew broad sympathy in the meeting, but that Council members also condemned Israel's ongoing blockade of Gaza that has been linked to reports of more than 100 deaths from starvation. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,259 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Authorities in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region say at least two people were killed, and 12 others were wounded, overnight in Russian airstrikes that hit a recreation center. [more]
• Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's Friday deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face expanded sanctions, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow today for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the Russia-Ukraine war. [more]

U.S. CRIME | According to new data released by the FBI, the overall number of violent crimes in the U.S. fell 4.5% in 2024, compared to 2023. The data, collected from more than 16,000 law enforcement agencies across the country, also indicates 2024 declines in murder and non-negligent manslaughter, down 14.9%; rape, down 5.2%; aggravated assault, down 3%; robbery, down 8.9%; and hate crimes, down 1.5%. [FBI press release] [more]

U.S. VACCINES | Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced yesterday that the Department of Health and Human Services will cancel some $500 million in contracts and funding to develop vaccines using mRNA technology, including those for COVID-19 and the flu. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | The Justice Department published a revised list yesterday of what it says are so-called "sanctuary jurisdictions" that have "policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws." The department notes that the states, counties, and cities on the list could be subject to legal action over their immigration policies. [full list] [more]

U.S. 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION | Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department this week to move forward with an investigation and grand jury presentation related to the origins of allegations that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election in support of then-candidate Donald Trump. [more]

FLORIDA | Following completion of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in Florida, reports say the state has awarded at least one contract for construction of a second similar facility to be located at the Florida National Guard's Camp Blanding training center. [more]

U.S. EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION | The House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena yesterday for the Justice Department files related to the sex-trafficking investigation into late financier Jeffrey Epstein that some lawmakers continue to suggest could implicate others in prominent positions. [more]

WASHINGTON, DC | President Donald Trump suggested again yesterday that the federal government should impose direct federal control of the District of Colombia due to what he said is the city's "out of control" crime. Trump's statement, posted on social media, followed a weekend attempted carjacking and beating of prominent Department of Government Efficiency member Edward Coristine. [more]

U.S. AND BRAZIL | President Donald Trump's 50% tariff rate on many goods imported into the U.S. from Brazil takes effect today. The new tariff rate will apply to major Brazilian exports, such as coffee and beef, but not to other key exports, such as civil aircraft, pig iron, precious metals, wood pulp, energy, and fertilizers. [more]

INDIA | At least four people have died, and dozens of others remain missing, following flash floods yesterday in northern India's Uttarakhand state. Authorities say most of the Himalayan mountain village of Dharali in the state's Uttarkashi district was destroyed in the flooding. [more]

FRANCE | Officials in France's Mediterranean region of Aude say about 1,800 firefighters are involved in battling a "very active" wildfire that has burned some 30,000 acres of land and continues to spread. Reports say at least one person has died, and several others have been injured, in the blaze. [more]

COLOMBIA AND PERU | Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Peru yesterday of illegally annexing the disputed Santa Rosa island in the Amazon River, which, reports note, has been administered by Peru for decades. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Researchers say Australia's Great Barrier Reef – considered to be the world's largest living ecosystem – suffered the largest decline in coral cover in two of its three regions over the last year, following a mass bleaching of its corals that was among the worst on record. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS | Lady Gaga leads the nominations for this year's MTV Video Music Awards with 12 nominations, including for artist of the year, for which Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Morgan Wallen, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift are also nominated. [full list of nominees] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1945, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb code-named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan, as part of efforts to hasten the end of World War II. The bombing – the first-ever use of a nuclear weapon in armed conflict – killed more than 70,000 people and destroyed most of the city.  [more history]