• NSA Director Mike Rodgers says he cannot convince Trump that Russia meddled in the election. [Link]

• On July 1st, a new sugary drink tax in Chicago will take effect. The tax will be one percent per ounce. [Link]

• Sycamore Partners will acquire Staples for $6.9 billion. [Link]

• A member of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team was indicted for lying during the investigation into the death of LaVoy Finnicum. [Link]

• A DIA report claims Russia believes the US is going to attempt a regime change in Syria. [Link]

• A West Point study claims that ISIS is turning back into an insurgency in Iraq and Syria. [Link]

• Doug Bandow argues the US military is trying to do too much. [Link] Foreign Policy Fyle

• The current draft of the new NDAA ends support to the Iraqi Kurds if they become independent from Iraq. This year, the US allocated  $480 million in support for the Iraqi Kurds. [Link]

• The UK currently pays about 12% of the funding for the EU. [Link]

• The UK Defense Secretary says the UK can respond to cyber attacks with bombings. [Link]

• North Korea says it feels the US is taking a hostile policy towards North Korea. North Korea said it plans to continue to advance its nuclear weapons program. [Link]

• The UAE ambassador to Russia said that Qatar must meet demands or face sanctions and terminate isolation. [Link]

• IS forces in Afghanistan are gaining power. A pair of Taliban group switched allegiance to the Islamic State. [Link]

• US Special Operations forces have been deployed to Tal Abyad Syria. [Link]

• James Mattis claims the US warning to Assad prevented him from carrying out a chemical weapons attack. [Link]

• In the Deir Ezzor province of Syria, 15 civilians were killed by a cluster bomb. [Link] Other sources put the death toll at 30. [Link]

• The areas worst hit by the cholera outbreak in Yemen are shown in this map.

On Foreign Policy Focus #59, I give my take on the Putin/Stone interviews. The four hours of interviews covered several important subjects. Stone questions Putin on his early life to recent geopolitical events. The interviews shed light on the world from a Russia perspective. LISTEN HERE!!