- Trump met with Putin for the first time. The meeting was scheduled for 30 minutes but lasted over two hours. Trump and Putin spoke about allegations that Russia hacked the US election, Syria, Ukraine, and North Korea. [Link] Tillerson and Russia’s Foreign Minister gave somewhat different statements on the conversation on Russian hacking. Tillerson suggested that the sides agreed they needed to move past the issue, while Russia’s Foreign Minister said Trump accepted Putin’s assurances that Russia did not hack the US election. [Link] The talks between Trump and Putin led a to a cease-fire agreement for Southwest Syria. [Link] After the talks, Trump said he had very, very good talks with Putin. [Link] Trump Fyle
- Trump did not allow HR McMaster or Fiona Hill attend the meeting with Putin out of fears they would leak information. [Link]
- The New York Times issued a retraction after publishing a tweet from a parody North Korea news Twitter account. The New York Times published the Tweet in its article claiming the parody account was the official North Korean account. [Link]
- Joe Lauria looks into the missing US journalism into a report that showed Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lied about the Libyan war in 2011. [Link]
- Glenn Greenwald explains how Rachel Maddow misrepresented her claim that a forged document she received may have come from someone within The Intercept. [Link]
- The Department of Justice is pursuing charges against former Arizona Shariff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio is facing six months in prison if convicted. [Link]
- The new NDAA will have a vote on forming a new Space Corps military branch. [Link]
- An amendment to the NDAA that will be voted on would end US support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. [Link]
- South Dakota has a policy of forcible catheterization of drug suspects who refuse a drug test. The forcible catheterization policy resulted in a three-year-old having an adult sized catheter forcibly inserted into his penis. [Link]
- Canada has awarded an ex-Gitmo detainee Omar Khadr $8 million for wrongful imprisonment. While at Gitmo, Khadr was subject to sleep deprivation and admitted to killing a US soldier during a battle in Afghanistan. Khadr was sentenced to eight years plus the time he had already served. Khadr was suing Canada for wrongful imprisonment. Khadr denies killing the US soldier. [Link]
- The US flew two B-1 bombers over the South China Sea. [Link]
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been released from jail. Navalny was recently arrested and sentenced to 30 days in jail during protests. [Link]
- In Benghazi, fighting continues between the forces of General Haftar and Islamist Militants. [Link]
- 23 Egyptian soldiers were killed when Islamists launched a blitz attack a security post in the Sinai. [Link]
- When Trump empowered the Pentagon to set troop levels in Afghanistan, he only empowered the Pentagon to send an additional 3,900 troops to Afghanistan. [Link]
- UNESCO made the Cave of the Patriarchs or al-Ibrahimi mosque a Palestinian heritage site. The decision by UNESCO enraged some the in Israeli government who called UNESCO anti-Semitic and called on the US to end funding to UNESCO. [Link]
- Patrick Cockburn reports on the destruction inside of Mosul. [Link]
- ISIS Fighters in Mosul launched a counterattack against the Iraqi army. In the counterattack, ISIS was able to take back 80 yards of Mosul from the Iraqi army and kill five Iraqi soldiers. [Link]
- The US-led coalition fighting ISIS admits to killing 119 civilians in May. [Link]
- Syrian rebel groups say they plan to join the coming Turkish military operation against the Kurdish YPG. The rebels groups that plan to join Turkey are groups supported by Turkey or the CIA. Turkey has moved tanks, troops, and artillery into a Syrian town near the Kurdish Afrin Enclave. [Link]
- The recent cholera outbreak has not infected 270,000 Yemenis. The war in Yemen has destroyed medical facilities, roads, and jobs making it very difficult for people in some parts of the country to receive treatment for cholera. [Link]
On Foreign Policy Focus #63, I talk about the first meeting between Trump and Putin. Trump and Putin met for 30 minutes and discussed several topics. Trump and Putin talked about Syria, Ukraine, cyber security, and ambassadors. I also update Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UK. LISTEN HERE!!
