Thursday, June 18, 2026 • 3 min read

President Trump has defended his Iran deal as more details of what’s in the memorandum of understanding were made public. Here’s the latest.

The World Cup has found itself an unlikely (and very unofficial) mascot. Merlin, a two-year-old duck, was pictured amid fans in Mexico City dressed in the team’s jersey, and quickly went viral. “We never imagined he’d become such a sensation,” his human said. [Independent]

Severe weather hit the Midwest as several tornadoes tore through five states, bringing widespread wind gusts and (in some areas) baseball-sized hail. The storms uprooted trees and damaged buildings, and a severe thunderstorm threat remains. [CNN]

An 18-year-old has died after being thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in New York’s Central Park. At least two passengers were tossed from the carriage when the horse bolted after its driver left to take a photo, the Transport Workers Union said. [AP]

Bad news for tech fans: outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook said product prices will be going up. Cook told the Wall Street Journal that the increases were due to the rising costs of memory chips and storage, but did not confirm which products would be affected. [Yahoo Tech]

Daveigh Chase, who starred in The Ring and voiced Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, has died aged 35. Chase’s boyfriend, who described the actress as “a light in my life,” told TMZ that she had been battling meningitis and a blood infection. [The Hollywood Reporter] 

The new miniseries adapted from Harlan Coben’s bestselling novel I Will Find You premieres on Netflix. Sam Worthington stars as David, a man serving a life sentence for murdering his son. But is his son still alive? Expect twists. Watch the trailer. [Variety]

The second round of group stage matches gets underway with Czech Republic vs. South Africa (12:00 p.m. ET), Switzerland vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina (3:00 p.m. ET), Canada vs. Qatar (6:00 p.m. ET) and Mexico vs. South Korea (9:00 p.m. ET). [Yahoo Sports]

The Phillies, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Mets at 6:40 p.m. ET on MLB Network, hoping to solidify their playoff positioning. [AP]

The Dream take on the Fever at 7:30 p.m. ET, with Indiana hoping to keep their six-game home win streak alive. [AP]

The 126th U.S. Open, the third major of the year, is underway. Here’s the tee times and how to watch. [Yahoo Sports]

Read your daily horoscope. Play the crossword (or the mini). Check the forecast in your area.

In 1983, Sally Ride made history as the first American woman in space, launching into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on NASA’s STS-7 mission. But this was only one of many historic firsts for Ride, whose sexual orientation, and partner of 27 years, was revealed in her obituary. [Space]

Rita Taylor’s husband was stunned when he recognized a blanket her mother had purchased at a garage sale years earlier — the very same one his mother made him when he was a little boy. "It was one of those moments that you don't forget,” Rita said. The journey didn’t end there: The blanket now belongs to the couple's son, who sleeps with it every night. [People]

Grilling this weekend? This genius trick guarantees the juiciest corn on the cob every time. [Simply Recipes]