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U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 112.

• In a letter shared by state media yesterday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the Middle East between Iran and the U.S. does not signal Iran's "acceptance of the enemy’s position," and suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a deal "out of desperation." [more]
• Amidst ongoing Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon overnight, reports say Iran withdrew from talks scheduled for today with U.S. Vice President JD Vance to begin the negotiations on finalizing terms of a permanent end to the Middle East war. The White House cited "logistical issues" as the reason for Vance not attending the talks in Switzerland. [more]
• At least four Israeli soldiers and 18 residents of Lebanon are reported to have been killed in the overnight clashes between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. [more]
• Reports early today cite unnamed U.S. officials as saying Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a new cease-fire in Lebanon following an escalation in fighting that threatened U.S.-Iran negotiations to permanently end the Middle East war. [more]

MEDAL OF HONOR | President Donald Trump awarded the Medal of Honor – America's highest military decoration – to three veterans yesterday: Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr. and Marine Corps Col. John W. Ripley for their actions in Vietnam and Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery for his actions in Afghanistan. [more]

U.S. GUN RIGHTS AND DRUGS | In a unanimous decision announced yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of illegal drugs does not necessarily preclude someone from legally owning or possessing a firearm. In the court's written opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the ruling narrowly limits the government’s power to take guns away from drug users who are not considered dangerous and that the court did not "address efforts to ban addicts, or those presently intoxicated, from possessing a firearm." [full ruling] [more]

U.S. FUEL PRICES | Amidst the tentative U.S-Iran peace deal and the resumption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. fell to $3.97 today, according to AAA – the lowest average since late March, but still about $1 more per gallon than before the Middle East war and 25% higher than the average at this point in 2025. [more]

U.S. EMPLOYMENT | According to Labor Department data released yesterday, the number of initial applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell by 4,000 to 226,000 in the week ended June 13. [full report] [more]

U.S. STUDENT LOANS | The Department of Education has announced a temporary reduction in interest rates for some federal student loans as part of what it said is a plan to make higher education more affordable. Reports note the 1% rate reduction, which lasts through June 30, 2028, is available only to those borrowers with federal Direct Loans issued after July 1, 2012, whose repayments are in good standing and who are enrolled in automatic payments. [press release] [more]

U.S. DRUG WAR | The U.S. military's Southern Command launched strikes on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean yesterday, killing three people. Reports note that at least 211 people are known to have been killed in similar U.S. strikes on small boats since last September. [more]

OBAMA CENTER | Former Presidents George Bush, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden were among the attendees at yesterday's dedication ceremonies for former President Barack Obama’s presidential center on Chicago's South Side. The center opens to the public today. [more]

OHIO | Reversing a lower court ruling, a panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act, which requires companies to get parental permission for use of social media and gaming apps by children and to provide their privacy guidelines, is not unconstitutional and ordered enforcement of the law restored. [more]

U.S. OCEAN MONITORING | Following objections from lawmakers and scientists, the National Science Foundation yesterday reversed an earlier decision and said it would halt efforts to remove or disable the Ocean Observatories Initiative – a network of more than 900 ocean sensors used to track ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change, and extreme weather. [more]

GLOBAL VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN | According to a new United Nations report on Children and Armed Conflict, more than 24,000 children around the world in 2025 were caught in conflict zones and were victims of violations that included killings, rape, recruitment to fight, abduction, and denial of humanitarian aid. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres notes that, for the first time, government forces – not non-government armed groups – were the main perpetrators of violations against children. [press release] [full report] [more]

CUBA | The ruling Communist Party yesterday approved and submitted to the Cuban National Assembly an emergency economic package proposing unprecedented free-market reforms, including expanded opportunities for private enterprise, greater autonomy for municipalities and state-owned companies, and measures to attract foreign investment. The move comes amidst an ongoing U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean island nation and long-term economic struggles. [more]

EBOLA | Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday that 894 cases have been confirmed in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda – up 38% since last week – and that more than 200 people infected with the viral disease have died. [more]

U.K. | Labor Party candidate Andy Burnham, who currently serves as the mayor of Greater Manchester, won a special election for a seat in Parliament yesterday, putting him in position to pursue an anticipated challenge of Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the U.K.'s governing party. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Western Australia state Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis announced today that Australia's first suspected case of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a migratory sea bird. Reports note that Australia had been the only continent without a previous mainland case of the viral disease. [more]

JAPAN | Emergency response officials in Tokyo, Japan, say several people were injured, and about 300 students and teachers were evacuated or rescued today when a fire broke out at an elementary school in the city's downtown area. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. [more]

WORLD CUP | Among the items of note from the ongoing FIFA men's World Cup: Canada beat Qatar, 6-0, yesterday to claim the team's first-ever World Cup victory in a game in which Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a serious broken-leg injury; Mexico became the first team to reach the tournament's knockout stage with a 1-0 win over South Korea; and the U.S. plays its second group-stage match today against Australia. [more on Canada] [more on Mexico] [more on United States]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free. Commemoration of the event, which symbolically marks the end of slavery in the United States, was made a U.S. national holiday in 2021 and is celebrated as “Juneteenth.” [more history]