US News
- White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the Biden Administration wants Facebook to remove 12 accounts. The White House believes these accounts are creating a significant amount of what it labels as “vaccine misinformation.” [Link]
Caribbean
- Biden said the US would not be sending troops to Haiti, but announced the deployment of Marines to the embassy in Haiti. [Link]
- The Pentagon reported a small number of Colombian soldiers involved in the assassination of Haiti’s president received training from the US. [Link]
- Miami-based security firm CTU has been named by Haitian authorities for possible involvement in the assassination. [Link]
- Biden says the US is considering if it has the technological ability to restore the internet to Cuba. [Link]
- Biden said the US is open to sending vaccines to Cuba but will not lift restrictions on remittances. [Link]
China
- China says the American proposed law that would ban all imports from China’s Xinjiang region could spark a global trade war. [Link]
- The US plans to announce new sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong. [Link]
Afghanistan
- The US, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan create a platform to create stability in Afghanistan. [Link]
- The governor of Afghanistan’s Badghis province reports he reached a ceasefire agreement with the Taliban. [Link]
- The Taliban offered a three-month ceasefire to the Afghan government in exchange for 7,000 prisoners getting released and the removal of a Taliban leader from the UN blacklist. [Link]
Middle East
- Israel’s military is seeking a major budget increase to target Iran. [Link]
- Early on July 15th, it was reported US Middle East Envoy Brett McGurk told Iraq the US was withdrawing troops. That story was quickly denied by high-ranking US officials. [Link]
- Lebanese Sunni political leader Saad Hariri steps down as prime minister after he was unable to form a cabinet. [Link]
Nigeria
- A Nigerian general was gunned down traveling on a highway. [Link]