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July 24, 2026
 

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Erin Banco
People vote during primary elections at the Brooklyn Museum in New York on June 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 11, 2026
Trump officials sought ways to sidestep election agency before firings
Some officials were frustrated with what they saw as the Election Assistance Commission¡¯s slowness in updating guidelines for states on voting machines.
From left: FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. James Adams, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, Acting National Security Agency Director Lt. Gen. William Hartman and CIA Director John Ratcliffe testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2026
Top U.S. spy agencies feud over turf and mission
The infighting between the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has flared for more than a year.
A man holds a flag with a picture of Iran's former supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (left) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (center), and new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, during a rally in Tehran on April 29.
WORLD
May 5, 2026
U.S. intelligence indicates limited new damage to Iran¡¯s nuclear program
Analysts estimate that Iran would need up to one year to build a nuclear weapon, assessments that remain broadly unchanged even after two months of war.
A woman walks past a billboard featuring an image of the late supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a building in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2026
U.S. spy agencies examine how Iran would react to Trump declaring victory
A quick de-escalation could ease political pressure on the U.S. president but also leave behind an emboldened Iran that could eventually threaten U.S. allies in the region.
Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, the world¡¯s most vital oil artery, provides the only real leverage it has over the United States.
WORLD
Apr 4, 2026
U.S. intelligence warns Iran unlikely to ease Hormuz Strait chokehold soon
Tehran¡¯s grip on the world¡¯s most vital oil artery provides the only real leverage it has over Washington.
A Palestinian man climbs on the remnants of an Iranian missile that landed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank village of Hares on Tuesday.
WORLD
Mar 29, 2026
U.S. can only confirm about a third of Iran¡¯s missile arsenal destroyed
Iran¡¯s drone capability may be similarly depleted, according to one source.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset on the day of Trump's address in Jerusalem last October
WORLD
Mar 24, 2026
Trump OK¡¯d Iran operation after Netanyahu argued for joint killing of Khamenei, sources say
The Israeli leader argued there might never be a better chance to kill the Iranian supreme leader and avenge previous efforts to assassinate Donald Trump.
Smoke rises following airstrikes near a cemetery in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 19, 2026
U.S. weighs military reinforcements as 51³Ô¹ÏÍø enters possible new phase
The deployments could help provide Trump with additional options as he weighs expanding U.S. operations, with the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø well into its third week.
Shia Muslims holding portraits of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and of his son, new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, shout anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans during the Youm-e-Ali procession in Karachi on Wednesday, marking the anniversary of the death of Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2026
U.S. intelligence indicates Iranian government is not at risk of collapse, sources say
With political pressure building over soaring oil costs, U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested he will end the biggest American military operation since 2003 ¡°soon.¡±
Puerto Ricans line up at a U.S. voting booth in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2026
Trump¡¯s ¡®Stop the Steal¡¯ lawyer pushed for voter fraud evidence from U.S. intelligence agency
Some officials are attempting to prove the president¡¯s charges that the 2020 election was stolen, a claim repeatedly rejected by courts.
A Ukrainian soldier shoots during training at an undisclosed location in the country's Zaporizhzhia region on Jan. 30.
WORLD
Feb 7, 2026
U.S. aims for March peace deal in Ukraine followed by quick elections
Sources say that timeline is likely to slip given a lack of agreement between Russia and Ukraine on the key issue of territory.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello speaks at a rally in Caracas on Dec. 1.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2026
U.S. talks with hard-line Venezuelan minister Cabello began months before raid
Diosdado Cabello controls the country¡¯s security services and militant ruling-party supporters, and could threaten interim President Delcy Rodriguez¡¯s grip on power.
A destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military airbase in Caracas is seen after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. struck the country and captured President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 4, 2026
Mock house, CIA source and special forces: The U.S. operation to capture Maduro
The action came as a surprise, but planning for one of the most complex U.S. operations in recent memory had been in the works for months and included detailed rehearsals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference, in Moscow on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2025
U.S. intelligence indicates Putin¡¯s war aims in Ukraine are unchanged
The reports present a starkly different picture from that painted by U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukraine peace negotiators.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in July 2024.
WORLD
Dec 13, 2025
U.S. briefly withheld some intelligence from Israel during Biden era
The decision came as worries intensified in the U.S. intelligence community about the number of civilians killed in Israel¡¯s military operations in Gaza.
A firefighter extinguishes a fire at the site of a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 19.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 26, 2025
U.S. peace plan for Ukraine drew from Russian document, sources say
The paper contained language that the Russian government had previously put forward at the negotiating table, including concessions that Ukraine had rejected.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev talks to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 11.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 23, 2025
Trump officials¡¯ meeting with Russian envoy spurs questions about latest Ukraine plan
The meeting resulted in a 28-point plan for ending the war, sources said, that appears heavily tilted toward Russian interests.
Israeli soldiers walk out from a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on June 8.
WORLD
Nov 13, 2025
U.S. had intel on Israeli forces using human shields in Gaza, sources say
The U.S. intelligence gathered in the final months of 2024 raised questions inside the White House and the intelligence community about how widely the tactic was being used.
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2025
U.S. intel found Israeli military lawyers warned there was evidence of Gaza war crimes
The previously unreported intelligence pointed to doubts within the Israeli military about the legality of its tactics in Gaza.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on as President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the White House in Washington on March 21.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2025
Hegseth¡¯s order to cancel Ukraine weapons caught White House off guard
The story of how the flights were canceled points to an at-times haphazard policymaking process within the Trump administration.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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