- A 75-year-old disabled veteran has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for growing marijuana plants for medical use. [Link]
- The US is using bombs faster than they can be replaced. [Link]
- Russia claims the US will be breaking the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty if the US moves forward with its plan to put missile defense systems in Poland and Romania. [Link]
- North Korea says it is speeding up its nuclear weapons program in response to US actions. [Link]
- India attacks a Pakistani position near the Pakistan/India border. Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in the attack. India says the attack is a response to Pakistan mutilating the bodies of two Indian soldiers. [Link]
- Civilian casualties rose to 11,418 in Afghanistan last year. 2016 was the highest recorded number since the UN started tracking the number in 2009. [Link]
- The Pentagon is considering sending between 3,000 and 5,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. [Link]
- At least 1,438 civilians were killed in Iraq in April. [Link]
- Four people have been killed by a US airstrike in Yemen. The US claims the dead were members of al-Qaeda. [Link]
- Yemen’s health care system is failing. 14 million Yemeni lack access to health care. An outbreak of cholera is adding to the burden on the remaining health care system. [Link]
On Foreign Policy Focus #34 I discuss the clash between Turkey and Kurdish forces. I break down who the US-backed Kurdish forces are and why Turkey bombs them. In a very reckless move by Trump, he is using US troops as a buffer between the enemies. I cover several other important foreign policy stories. LISTEN HERE!!
