- Trump is considering a pardon for former Arizona Sharif Joe Arpaio. Arpaio was convicted of a misdemeanor for contempt of court. When Arpaio was Sharif, he continued to enforce an immigration law after a court ordered him not to. [Link]
- Charges against two Texas police officers have been dropped. The officers conducted a cavity search of a 21-year-old girl on the side of the road. The police officers searched the girl for 11 minutes. The police officers reported smelling marijuana. [Link]
- Russia is holding war games in West Russia and Belarus. These war games occur every four years. Reports say 67,000 to 100,000 troops will attend the war games. Many media outlets are exploiting the war games to portray a Russian aggression narrative. [Link]
- Rex Tillerson and James Mattis wrote an op ed on US North Korea policy. The new policy is called “strategic accountability.” [Link]
- John Schwarz compares several key stats for the US and North Korea. The US military budget is $580 billion, and North Korea is $13 billion. [Link]
- North Korean state media announced that Leader Kim Jung un has backed off plans to launch a missile towards Guam. Un warned he could change his mind. [Link]
- The Taliban are posting on Twitter pictures of US weapons they have seized. [Link]
- Saudi Arabian security forces have surrounded and sealed off a Shia town. The town has been the site of recent protests. Saudi Arabia has destroyed a 400-year old neighborhood in the town. [Link]
- The Pentagon is making little to no effort to avoid civilians casualties in Raqqa. The Kurdish forces have made little progress in the past few weeks. The US Kurdish forces hold about 45% of the city. [Link]
- Max Bloomenthal and Ben Norton have a new podcast titled Moderate Rebels. The first three shows cover the Syrian civil war and the US arming of the Syrian rebels. [Link]
- Over 500,000 Yemeni civilians have been sick with cholera since the outbreak started in April. At least 1,975 people have died from cholera. [Link]
On Foreign Policy Focus #79, I look at the new James Mattis/Rex Tillerson op ed in the Wall Street Journal on North Korea policy. Mattis and Tillerson explain the new policy of “strategic accountability” and the goals of the policy. Tillerson and Mattis explained how China will have to take a leading role in this policy. I examine the op ed and reveal the lies and omissions. I also update Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Kenya. LISTEN HERE!!
