Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | The Libertarian Institute

US Official Says Biden Will Have One-on-One Meeting with Saudi’s ‘Pariah’ Crown Prince

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 19, 2022 | News Roundup

President Joe Biden is set to meet with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), according to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The statement from the cabinet-level official appears to contradict what the president said last week. Biden will make a trip to the Middle East next month, where he will first stop in Israel before attending a meeting of regional leaders hosted by Saudi Arabia. Though the president said last week that he would not meet with the crown prince during the summit in Jeddah, the White House has since reversed course. Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Granholm...

Ukraine Proposed Viable Peace Plan in April Before Cutting Off Negotiations, Russia’s FM Claims

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 17, 2022 | News Roundup

As talks toward a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine have all but collapsed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow received a workable proposal from Ukrainian negotiators soon after the conflict began, but claimed Kiev abruptly broke off all dialogue and has been ‘silent’ ever since.

Turkey & Russia Suggest Path for Grain Ships to Access Ukrainian Ports

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 16, 2022 | News Roundup

Ankara and Moscow have put forward potential solutions to reopen Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, with Russia offering safe passage to grain ships while Turkey said it could help guide vessels around Ukrainian naval mines deployed to stall the Russian advance.

Israeli Spyware Firm Seeking to Sell Hacking Tech to US Defense Contractor

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 15, 2022 | News Roundup

American military contractor L3Harris is planning to purchase controversial hacking technology from the Israeli firm NSO Group. The Tel Aviv-based spyware company was placed on the US sanctions blacklist after several governments used its Pegasus espionage tool to target politicians, diplomats and human rights groups.

Zelensky Vows to ‘Liberate’ Crimea as Ukrainian Officials Voice Alarm Over Russian Gains

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 14, 2022 | News Roundup

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised that his forces will retake the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, despite warnings from other officials that Kiev will soon lose the Donbass region to Moscow without substantial military aid from the West.

US, Chinese Officials Warn of Looming Conflict Over Taiwan

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 14, 2022 | News Roundup

Tensions between China and the US continue to escalate as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned of a Ukraine-like crisis in Taiwan, accusing Beijing of pursuing “aggressive” foreign policies after trading threats over the disputed island with his Chinese counterpart.

Gitmo Detainee Pleads Guilty, Likely to be Transferred Under Agreement

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 13, 2022 | News Roundup

One of the 37 men imprisoned at the Guantánamo Bay detention center has pleaded guilty to four out of five charges brought against him by US authorities, claiming he belonged to al-Qaeda and was responsible for war crimes in Afghanistan.

US Official Admits Russian Energy Sales Outpacing Pre-War Levels

by Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter | Jun 12, 2022 | News Roundup

US energy security envoy Amos Hochstein has acknowledged that Russia might be making more revenue from fossil fuels than before its February invasion of Ukraine. Washington has responded with waves of sanctions aiming to crush the Russian economy. Hochstein made the comments during a hearing for the Senate Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation. In response to a question about whether Moscow was making more money now off its fossil fuel sales, Hochstein said, “I can’t deny that.” In May, the International Energy Agency said that Russia's oil revenue was up 50% this year....