Today’s Top Stories from NBC News

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2026

In today’s newsletter: Peace talks between U.S. and Iranian leaders have been postponed amid Israeli strikes in Lebanon. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer braces for a leadership battle. More than 2 million celebrate the Knicks' NBA title win on the streets of New York.

Here’s what to know today.

▼ The Lead

U.S.-Iran talks postponed as Vance cancels trip to Switzerland

(Nathan Laine / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The first peace talks between the U.S. and Iran were postponed today after Vice President JD Vance cancelled a planned trip to Switzerland, while intense new Israeli strikes in Lebanon cast further doubt over efforts to end the war.

The escalation in Lebanon came days after the interim U.S.-Iran agreement was signed and as the two sides were preparing for their first negotiations on a lasting resolution to the conflict.

The talks, set to take place in the Swiss Alps with Vance in attendance, were intended to begin a 60-day negotiating period focused on resolving key long-term issues and securing a permanent end to the fighting.

Switzerland’s foreign ministry confirmed that the meeting would not go ahead at the mountaintop resort of Bürgenstock.

There was no immediate explanation for the postponement, but Iran has warned that it would not abide by the agreement should Israel continue its campaign in Lebanon.

President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, after Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signed the same agreement on Sunday.

Iran has hailed the interim agreement as a victory, while critics and some independent experts say its terms heavily favor Tehran. Even Trump appeared to concede that he signed the agreement to prevent “economic catastrophe.” He has also acknowledged that the deal did not achieve some of his initial war goals, including ending Iran’s ballistic missile program, and even defended their right to possess such weapons.

The other details that will need to be hammered out.

More Iran war news:

For subscribers: From destroying Iran’s missile arsenal to uniting countries under the Abraham Accords, here’s what Trump said he wanted in a deal and what he actually got in the end.

Senior U.S. military officials are in the final stages of reviewing an internal investigation into a deadly airstrike on an Iranian school. But there is growing concern that the Trump administration could shield the results from the public.

More politics news:

In a new NBC News poll, Americans said U.S. race relations have improved significantly since 2020 but deep differences in opinion remain.

City Council member Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C.

The Supreme Court barred the government from restricting the gun rights of casual drug users in a case involving the same statute used to convict Hunter Biden.

Rep. Tom Kean plans to return to Capitol Hill after a nearly four-month absence.

Colombian-born Sen. Bernie Moreno has denied endorsing a presidential candidate in the country's election. His X account says otherwise.

✱ FOR SUBSCRIBERS

Obama unveils his presidential center in Chicago

He arrived as a wiry 23-year-old without much of a plan. Yesterday, Barack Obama stood in the nearly same spot, now as a former president, staring up at a monument in his name.

With three former presidents looking on, the Obama Presidential Center’s opening on Chicago’s South Side was a celebration of equal parts legacy and anthem. Thousands of supporters from across the country poured in to witness its unveiling. There were larger-than-life musical acts including Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson and John Legend. And the star of the show: Chicago’s own Michelle Obama.

Politics reporter Natasha Korecki was on the ground to witness the event.

Read the full story here.

Andy Burnham took his first step to potentially becoming the next British prime minister Friday, winning a special election in a small area of northwest England.

Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has openly discussed mounting an effort to replace Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader of the ruling center-left Labour Party. Starmer is historically unpopular in Britain after a series of scandals and policy missteps.

Burnham’s victory in Makerfield secures his return to Parliament. This normally sleepy by-election was closely watched around the world after MP Josh Simons resigned with the deliberate intent of allowing Burnham to win his seat and challenge for the leadership of the country. The area was a key target for the hard-right party Reform UK, but Burnham managed to win over voters by drawing on his popularity as the region’s mayor.

More on what Burnham’s win means for Starmer.

FDA panel recommends world’s first mRNA flu shot

An FDA advisory panel recommended the approval of Moderna’s mRNA-based flu shot for older adults. If approved, it would be the world’s first flu shot of its kind and provide public health officials with a nimbler tool to fight influenza. In a late-stage trial, the vaccine was found to be about 27% more effective than a standard shot.

Despite the panel’s unanimous endorsement, questions remain about whether Americans will get the vaccine this fall. It must still be approved by the FDA and formally recommended by the CDC’s advisory committee — all while the Department of Health and Human Services has been hostile to mRNA technology under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

How the mRNA vaccine differs from traditional flu shots.

U.S. to battle for a spot in the knockout round

A week after its best performance at the World Cup in nearly a century, the U.S. will search for a second win in this year’s tournament when it faces Australia this afternoon. This time, a coveted spot in the knockout round is on the line.

The teams last faced each other only seven months ago for what was technically a friendly match, but that didn’t lower the intensity of what became a physical contest. The U.S. walked away from the match with a 2-1 victory and a lesson from coach Mauricio Pochettino to fight harder for victories. That mindset, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said, is something Pochettino “really drills into us.”

More on the mood ahead of the match.

💥 What you missed: Mexico secured a spot in the knockout round after a 1-0 win against South Korea. Canada won 6-0 against Qatar for its first-ever World Cup victory. South Africa and the Czech Republic tied 1-1.

🗓 What to watch today: The U.S. and Australia kick off the action at 3 p.m. ET. Scotland and Morocco play at 6 p.m., Brazil and Haiti at 8:30 p.m., and Turkey and Paraguay at 11 p.m. See the full schedule.

📩 Join the excitement: Sign up for The Sports Desk newsletter for more in-depth World Cup coverage.

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Alleged killer Luigi Mangione’s attorneys withdrew his psychiatric defense in his state murder trial just one day after a judge said they would use it.

Grammy-nominated producer Tay Keith, who worked with Travis Scott and Drake, was found dead at 29 years old in his Nashville home.

ICE said this week that its officers conducted a “targeted vehicle stop” to detain a Peruvian immigrant — but the man they were looking for had already self-deported.

A second Stonehenge? Archeologists uncovered a version of the iconic landmark that predates the famous stones by 500 years.

▼ Staff Pick

New Yorkers' once-in-a-lifetime moment

New Yorkers came out in droves to support the Knicks after their NBA title victory. More than 2 million people lined the streets of the famed Canyon of Heroes. A family wore matching Jalen Brunson jerseys. Another group spanned three generations. Some honored their deceased loved ones.

This championship meant a lot to the city.

The parade capped a legendary season which saw the Knicks clinch their first title in 53-years. Lower Manhattan was a sea of orange and blue, and it was clear that many fans did not want to miss the moment.

While thousands were unable to cheer from the sidelines, jubilation reverberated beyond the parade route, igniting a sense of togetherness in the city. I spoke with more than a dozen New Yorkers about what this moment in history meant to them.

— Amina Kilpatrick, platforms editor

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