May 15, 2026
U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | UKRAINE | U.S. ECONOMY | MORE U.S. ECONOMY | U.S. ABORTION | U.S. ENVIRONMENT | U.S. ELECTIONS | U.S. FBI | TRUMP ADMINISTRATION | U.S. SENATE | U.S. AND CHINA | U.S. AND CUBA | CANADA | EBOLA | BOLIVIA | AUSTRALIA | TODAY IN HISTORY
U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 77.
- Amidst apparently stalled cease-fire talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, speaking to reporters in India today, said that Iran has "no trust" in the United States and would be interested in continuing talks only if the U.S. is "serious." [more]
UKRAINE | Today is day 1,539 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that the death toll from a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Kyiv yesterday has risen to at least 24, with three children among those who were killed. [more]
- In the first state of a planned exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, Russia and Ukraine each released 205 POWs today. [more]
U.S. ECONOMY | Commerce Department data released yesterday indicates that U.S. import and export prices increased by 1.9% and 3.3%, respectively, from March to April. Compared to the year-ago period, import prices rose 4.2% in April, led by a 22% year-over-year increase in the price of imported fuel, lubricants, and other petroleum products. [full report] [more]
MORE U.S. ECONOMY | According to government data released yesterday, retail sales in the U.S. rose 0.5% in April – down from a 1.6% increase in March. On a yearly basis, April retail sales showed a 4.9% increase from April 2025. [full report] [more]
U.S. ABORTION | In a 7-2 decision released yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed access to the abortion drug mifepristone at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor, while a Louisiana challenge to such access plays out in a lower court. [more]
U.S. ENVIRONMENT | The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans yesterday to undo some regulations that require coal-fired power plants to monitor and treat groundwater for power plant-related contaminants before releasing it into rivers, lakes, and streams. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin characterized the Biden-era rules as "burdensome regulations on the coal-fired power plant sector" and said the new changes would help ensure sufficient power production for the "new 21st century energy reality." [more]
U.S. ELECTIONS | Amidst efforts by numerous U.S. states to redraw congressional districting maps ahead of this November's mid-terms elections, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of voters yesterday claiming that Florida's approval of new districts violates the state's constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering. [more]
U.S. FBI | Reports cite previously undisclosed government e-mails as documenting that FBI Director Kash Patel, while on an official visit to Hawaii last summer, took part in a rare "VIP snorkel" around the USS Arizona cemetery and memorial where the sunken battleship entombs more than 900 sailors and marines killed in the December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. News of the incident comes amidst ongoing criticisms that the FBI director’s activities and use of government resources have at times blurred the line between professional and leisure activities. [more]
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION | Two resignations of note took place this week among holders of senior-level positions in the Trump administration: Dr. Marty Makary resigned as head of the Food and Drug Administration and Michael Banks resigned as chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. Replacements for the two positions have not yet been named. [more]
U.S. SENATE | The Senate unanimously approved a resolution yesterday to withhold senators' pay whenever a government shutdown affects one or more agencies. Reports note that withheld pay would be released once agencies' funding is restored and that that the resolution does not affect pay for members of the House of Representatives. [more]
U.S. AND CHINA | Following U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing, both U.S. and Chinese officials have characterized Trump's meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as successful. While details of any agreements reached during the meetings have not been released, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the summit promoted mutual understanding, deepened trust, and advanced cooperation between the world's two largest economies, and reports say Xi and Trump agreed on a new diplomatic framework to manage differences and limit competition with an eye toward maintaining stability and peace. [more]
U.S. AND CUBA | Cuban and U.S. officials have confirmed that U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials, including Raúl Castro’s grandson, in Havana yesterday. CIA officials say Ratcliffe conveyed to the Cuban officials that the U.S. is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes "fundamental changes," while Cuba's government said the meeting "took place ... against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations.” [more]
CANADA | Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new clean energy strategy yesterday that he said will help double Canada's electrical generation by 2050 using a combination of hydro, nuclear, wind, solar, natural gas, carbon capture, and geothermal initiatives. Reports say construction associated with the power generation strategy is expected to cost more than $1 trillion Canadian ($730 billion). [more]
EBOLA | The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed today that at least 65 people have died, and 246 are suspected to have been infected, so far in a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeastern Ituri province. [more]
BOLIVIA | Police in the Bolivian capital of La Paz used tear gas yesterday to disperse miners who were demonstrating and set off small dynamite charges outside the government palace to demand labor reforms. Reports note that the capital city has seen about two weeks of demonstrations by various groups against the government of President Rodrigo Paz, who took office late last year. [more]
AUSTRALIA | In continuing action against hate groups in the aftermath of the December antisemitic attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the Australian government today banned the far-right National Socialist Network under the country's new law that criminalizes hate groups and support for them. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2020, amidst the global coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump formally unveiled a vaccine program called “Operation Warp Speed” to accelerate development of COVID-19 vaccines and quickly distribute them around the country. [more history]