US News
- A government watchdog estimates nearly $200 billion in pandemic unemployment insurance payments may have been misspent. The Hill
- Majid Khan, a detainee at the Guantánamo Bay torture prison, was released to Belize. NPR
Russia
- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that Ukrainian forces are using significantly more ammunition than the alliance’s members can produce, putting a strain on Western stockpiles. AWC
- Ukrainian troops are training on German-made Leopard tanks in Poland and put on a demonstration Monday for Polish President Andrzej Duda that was attended by reporters. AWC
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said over the weekend that NATO countries should hold an emergency summit over the sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines after a report from journalist Seymour Hersh said US Navy divers planted explosives on the pipelines. AWC
China
- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday said that the US had sent 10 “high-altitude” balloons over its airspace since last year while refuting allegations that the Chinese balloon the US shot down was a surveillance device. AWC
- Members of the newly formed House committee on China are in talks about sending a delegation to Taiwan, knowing that it will “infuriate” Beijing and likely raise military tensions in the region. AWC
- Explaining why the US military just shot down three unidentified flying objects, the commander of US Northern Command said it was due to a radar adjustment that was made after a Chinese balloon was spotted over the US. AWC
Somalia
- US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said Sunday that it launched an airstrike against al-Shabaab in Somalia on February 10, the first known US airstrike in the country this month. AWC
