September 29, 2026

MIDDLE EAST WAR | Day 214.

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said late yesterday that ongoing indirect talks with the U.S. are focused solely on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief spokesman General Hossein Mohebbi said early today that the only way for the war to end is for the U.S. to admit defeat and leave the Middle East. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,676 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Citing new data on the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia to support the invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that there are more than 8,000 North Korean troops currently on Russian territory and that preparations are underway to deploy another 10,000 troops. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | Ruling in a case brought by multiple cities in Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas, Washington, D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Amir Ali said yesterday that federal agencies do not have the authority to withhold counterterrorism funding from states that don’t meet election-related demands from the Trump administration. [more]

U.S. COLLEGE ATHLETICS | The Senate voted, 77-22, yesterday to approve a bill aimed at regulating college athletics by, among other things, codifying a 2025 court settlement allowing colleges to directly pay players for their name, image, and likeness, giving schools and conferences the option of pooling their TV media rights, restricting player transfers to one "free" move over five years without sitting out a year, and forcing schools that want to switch conferences to spend three years as an independent. Reports note that the measure will require passage in the House to become law and that its fate in the lower chamber remains unclear. [more]

PUERTO RICO | The U.S. Coast Guard reports that it rescued at least 40 people in open waters west of Puerto Rico yesterday after a makeshift boat in which about 60 people were traveling capsized. At least two people died in the incident and several others remain missing. Reports note that it remains unclear where the boat passengers were traveling to or from. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Commenting on ongoing criticism of campaign-style television ads that the White House has characterized as "public service announcements" and which are being paid for with federal funds, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said yesterday that such ads "shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars." Reports note that federal law bans the use of congressionally appropriated funds for partisan publicity or propaganda. [more]

U.S. STEEL INDUSTRY | President Donald Trump announced yesterday that Minnesota-based Mesabi Metallics, a subsidiary of India's Essar Group, is building a $15 billion steel plant in Lee County, Iowa, which he said will become the largest steel plant in the United States. The plant is expected to begin production in 2030. [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | Amidst an escalating trade war between the two countries, a U.S. ban on nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products, and motorcycles, took effect early today. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the ban after Canada retaliated against U.S. tariffs imposed over the summer. [more]

U.S., CHINA, AND TAIWAN | Amidst concerns over Chinese leader Xi Jinping's recent request during his state visit to the United States that the U.S. halt arms sales to Taiwan, Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said today that existing U.S. arms sales to Taiwan remain unchanged and that talks are ongoing over a proposed new $14 billion arms package to the self-governing island. [more]

E.U. ENERGY | Attending a two-day meeting of energy ministers from across the European Union, and amidst bloc-wide energy price surges linked to the Middle East war, E.U. energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen suggested today that the E.U. is looking to accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels and decrease its reliance on energy imports. [more]

MYANMAR | The Arakan Army rebel group says at least 49 people were killed, and 58 others were wounded, yesterday when Myanmar's military carried out an airstrike that hit near a market in the country's western Rakhine state. Regional officials confirmed the strike took place and that casualties included vendors, shoppers, and pedestrians at the market. [more]

ISRAEL AND GAZA | Palestinian health officials say at least two people were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike on an apartment west of Gaza City. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a senior commander in the Hamas militant group’s northern Gaza brigade. [more]

MEXICO | Hurricane Polo made landfall in Mexico's Baja California state early today as a Category 2 storm. Forecasters have warned of flash flooding and life-threatening wind risks from the storm. [more]

THAILAND | The Thai government approved $122 million in emergency funding today for people affected by widespread flooding brought on by weeks of heavy rains. Reports cite authorities as saying at least 19 people have died in the flooding and more than 2.6 million people have been affected. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | Following a series of incidents in which artificial intelligence systems from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta hacked into other organizations on their own, Nvidia unveiled its new Open Agent Safety Platform yesterday, which the chipmaker says can prevent AI agents from going rogue. [more]

MORE AI INDUSTRY | Reuters reports that the prospectus for AI developer Anthropic's planned initial public offering warns investors that advanced artificial intelligence could pose "catastrophic or existential risks to humanity," and that the company's own models could attempt to "resist shutdown." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1923, set in motion by the Balfour Declaration of 1917, the British mandate for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which was approved by the Council of the League of Nations, took effect. [more history]