Pakistan’s prime minister said Friday the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the U.S. and Iran have reached a “final, agreed upon text.” He said Pakistan, which has taken the lead in mediation efforts, was working with the warring countries on next steps.
“Peace has never been this close as it is now,” Sharif said in a post on X.
The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to full-scale war.
—The Associated Press
Judge denies Justice Department request to pause removal of Trump’s name from Kennedy Center
A federal judge denied the Justice Department’s request Friday to pause a ruling forcing the Trump administration to remove the president’s name from the Kennedy Center and blocking the planned closure of the institution for renovations.
The DOJ had sought the stay as the federal government appeals U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s judgment. It was not immediately clear if government attorneys would next ask a federal appeals court to freeze his order.
On Friday, crews erected scaffolding outside the Kennedy Center in front of the building’s main signage. Trump’s name remained on the building as of that afternoon, while the logo on the center’s website and Instagram account had been updated to refer to the institution as The Kennedy Center.
—Spectrum News’ Christina Santucci
The arena for the UFC Freedom 250 fights is pictured on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Judge rules Trump can stage UFC fights on White House’s South Lawn this weekend
A federal judge ruled on Friday that the White House is allowed to stage a UFC show this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected a legal advocacy group’s request to block organizers from using the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday’s planned UFC mixed martial arts event.
Mehta concluded that the plaintiffs likely don’t have legal standing to challenge the event and have failed to prove that they would suffer irreparable harm by the event going forward as planned. The judge also cited the plaintiffs’ “unreasonable delay” in suing to challenge an event that’s been in the works for months.
—The Associated Press
Key U.S. government surveillance program is set to expire
A key surveillance tool seen as vital in preventing terror attacks and catching foreign spies is set to expire Friday after congressional efforts to temporarily extend it failed in bipartisan fashion.
It’s a significant lapse for the program known as Section 702, and even as President Donald Trump nominates a new national intelligence director more palatable to both Republicans and Democrats than his initial pick, it’s unclear how soon lawmakers — set for recess — would be able to revive the spy program.
Still, there may not be an immediate drop-off given that a court order from March authorized these government surveillance powers to remain in effect for another year.
—The Associated Press
More Friday reads
• Judge extends block on Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’
• Trump, allies working on plan to pass resolution to scrub impeachments, reports say
• Supreme Court nixes Alabama request for nitrogen execution, which lower court ruled unconstitutional
• ‘Probably a political decision’: Concerns raised over FDA’s vaping shift