Iran talks delayed after new strikes; Renovated Reflecting Pool already peeling
Peace talks with Iran are next on the agenda. So why has Vice President JD Vance’s trip been delayed as Israel resumes strikes in Lebanon? The answer could shape what happens next.
Plus, more than two feet of rain turns parts of the Gulf Coast into lakes. Homes are flooded, vehicles are swept away and the danger isn’t over yet.
And the Pentagon made flu shots optional. Now, a major outbreak at an Air Force training base is forcing military leaders to change course.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, June 19, 2026.
US-Iran talks stall as Israeli strikes resume in Lebanon
Just days after the U.S. and Iran signed a peace deal, the first real test of that agreement is already here. Vance was expected to head to Switzerland for the next round of talks with Iran. But that trip is now on hold.
Swiss officials confirmed the talks have been delayed, though they have not said why.
The timing comes after Israel launched new strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, even though a halt to fighting there was included in the agreement Trump and Iran’s president signed earlier this week.
The White House insists the process is still moving forward. A spokesperson said the “logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” and said the administration expects technical talks to begin as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the fighting continues.
Lebanese health officials said strikes across southern Lebanon have killed at least 18 people and injured more than 30 others.
Israel’s military also said an attack on an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) tank killed four of its soldiers.
For now, officials said preparations for future talks are continuing, even as the violence the deal was supposed to end on the ground persists.
Vance warns Israel over attacks on Trump, says US remains Israel’s only major ally
Vance has taken a much tougher public tone with Israel than previously heard from this administration so far.
A day after the U.S. and Iran signed their initial peace deal, Vance used the White House briefing room to deliver a blunt message to members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who have been attacking the agreement.
The comments came after Axios reported Netanyahu and members of his cabinet expressed fury over the deal. Vance said Netanyahu has not personally taken that tone with him. But the vice president made it clear he’s fed up with some of the criticism coming from other Israeli officials.
“What I will say, and this does bother me, is that you have seen people within Bibi’s cabinet who have come out and attacked the deal, and in some ways very personally attacked the president of the United States. And I guess my message to them would be twofold. Number one, Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. And he happens to be the head of state of the world’s superpower. If I were in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world. And the second message I would give to some of those cabinet members, Bibi, to his credit, has not gone down this path, but to some of these cabinet members in Israel who are attacking the president of the United States, the other thing that I would say is that over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars. The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that the country is in. Thank you all.”
Vice President JD Vance
The remarks are some of the sharpest public comments this White House has directed toward Israel since the war began.
During the same briefing, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, urging all sides to let the peace process “beautifully unfold,” saying he expects a complete ceasefire across the region.
Meanwhile, Iran has projected a much different message. Iranian state media quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying the war did not bring Iran to its knees, but instead made the country “more powerful” both militarily and diplomatically.
Storms flood homes across the South, prompting emergency rescues
The remnants of former Tropical Storm Arthur are pushing across the southeast, leaving flooding, damage and water rescues in their wake. The threat is far from over Friday after heavy rain and severe weather battered parts of the Gulf Coast on Thursday.
In rural Louisiana, more than two feet of rain fell in just 48 hours, flooding at least 200 homes in Avoyelles Parish. Mississippi was also hit hard.
Life-threatening floodwaters trapped people at a campground, where rescuers used canoe paddles to break through RV windows to reach those stranded inside. The floods swept away cars and mobile homes, and some areas received up to ten inches of rain.
A road crew member died during cleanup operations in Franklin County while officials evacuated about 30 homes near the Anchor Lake Dam as a precaution.
Forecasters said the system will continue tracking east, keeping the threat of heavy rain and flash flooding in parts of the southeast through the day.
Flu outbreak hits Texas Air Force Base months after Hegseth nixed vaccine requirement
Two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the military’s flu shot requirement, the Air Force faces a major outbreak at its largest basic-training base. Nearly 160 trainees have been sickened by the flu at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the primary training center for new Air Force and Space Force recruits.
The New York Times first reported the spread through a basic training unit where recruits live in close quarters, sleep in open bays and eat together in large dining facilities.
It comes less than two months after Hegseth scrapped the military’s long-standing flu vaccine requirement and made the shot voluntary.
Here’s what Hegseth said in April:
“Our new policy is simple. If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it; you should. But we will not force you. Because your body, your faith, your convictions are not negotiable to your health. It’s common sense; it’s the kind of common-sense approach we’re undertaking in this department.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Since that policy took effect, only about 40% of Air Force trainees have chosen to get the vaccine.
Now, the Air Force has made an exception. Officials have reinstated a flu shot requirement for all new recruits at Lackland while medical teams work to contain the outbreak.
The Air Force said sick trainees have been isolated and treated with antiviral medication.
The Pentagon defended the policy change, saying, “The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments and are designed to maximize operational readiness, lethality, and force generation, while safeguarding at-risk populations.”
Burnham win stirs leadership talk, posing new challenge for Starmer
A political figure many in Britain see as a potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer just got a lot closer to power. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and a longtime Labour Party heavyweight, won a special election in northwest England Thursday, claiming a seat in parliament with about 55% of the vote.
On its face, it’s just one parliamentary seat. But the result immediately fuels speculation about Starmer’s future. The prime minister has been fighting falling poll numbers, a string of political setbacks and growing discontent inside his own party.
Now Burnham, who has never hidden his national ambitions, will have a seat in Westminster and a much bigger platform. That matters because the Labour Party could replace its leader without holding a general election. If the party chooses a new leader while maintaining its parliamentary majority, that person could become prime minister.
“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working,” Burnham said. “Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could — just could — be the turning point.”
Starmer congratulated Burnham after the victory, saying voters backed the Labour Party’s message of “hope and optimism.”
Burnham is expected to take his seat in parliament as early as next week.
New damage spotted at newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool faces a new problem just days after crews finished cleaning up a major algae bloom. Visitors have spotted a tear in the new protective coating applied to the bottom of the pool as part of its recent $14 million renovation.
The discovery comes just days after the pool turned bright green from an algae outbreak, prompting crews to remove the growth and treat the water with large amounts of hydrogen peroxide.
Trump ordered the pool’s floor to be coated in what he described as “American flag blue” as part of a broader effort to refresh monuments and public spaces ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Now, some visitors question whether the project has delivered the promised results.
“I want my money back after seeing this. I think that it was a huge waste of money to begin with. And I think our resources could be used a lot better elsewhere,” Robert Dale of Colorado said during his visit to the monument.
“The Trump administration operates at the sweet spot of malice and incompetence, and this is just the incompetence on display,” Aaron Weiss of Colorado said. “This is now getting close to $15 million going to this pool. This very fancy vinyl coating in American flag blue. It didn’t last a week before it came up here.”
The cleanup of the reflecting pool began in April as part of Trump’s efforts to improve the architecture in and around Washington to mark the nation’s 250th birthday.
More from Straight Arrow:
When Trump serves up ‘Just the News,’ it comes with a side of bias
Around lunchtime on Tuesday, President Donald Trump did the same thing he does just about every other day: He shared a stream of social media posts with his nearly 13 million followers.
All of them linked to the same website.
At 12:06 p.m., Trump shared two posts on Truth Social that linked to online articles favorable to his agenda, one amplifying claims of voter fraud in California and a second touting the president’s negotiations with Iran. Six minutes later, Trump uploaded a third post, this one applauding the FBI for thwarting an alleged terror attack with “drones and snipers” during last weekend’s Ultimate Fighting Championship cage fights on the White House lawn.
All three posts directed his audience to articles from Just the News, an online media outlet launched by a Trump ally who has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories, biased news and misinformation. Journalist John Solomon, who founded the outlet six years ago and serves as its editor-in-chief, is more than a source of information for Trump.
He could soon land a job at the White House.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
