- Congress has put several spending increases in the budget for departments Trump wanted a budget cut. [Link]
- National Security Advisor H R McMaster says Trump has already made some important decision on Afghanistan policy. One of these decisions is trying to prevent Pakistani support to the Taliban. [Link]
- Jeff Sessions says the US will be reviewing its policy for subpoenaing journalists who receive leaked information. [Link]
- A US District Court Judge threw out the lawsuit of several veterans and their families seeking damages for injuries caused by burn pits. During the Iraq War, the military contracted to have large burning pits of weapons and waste near where troops were stationed. [Link]
- Trump is supporting a plan to reduce legal immigration to the US by 50% over the next decade. [Link]
- The Justice Department sent letters to Baltimore, Albuquerque, San Bernardino, and Stockton telling them they would lose federal funding for law enforcement if they did not enforce federal immigration laws. [Link]
- The Governor of New Hampshire signed a bill decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. [Link]
- Police raided a family home because the family used a hydroponic garden. The family used the garden to grow tomatoes. A court ruled the police raid was unconstitutional. [Link]
- Mike Pence made a trip to Georgia. [Link]
- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with the Russia Foreign Minister for talks. [Link]
- McMaster says the US is ready for preemptive war with North Korea. [Link]
- The UN has sanctioned North Korean exports. [Link]
- At least 50 Shi’ite civilians in Afghanistan were massacred and 30 homes burned. The attackers remain unknown and carried out the attack at night. The Taliban have denied being responsible for the attack. [Link]
- Turkey opened the country’s largest military base outside of Turkish borders. The base will hold 1,500 troops and is located in Somalia. [Link]
- On Saturday, US airstrikes killed 43 civilians in Raqqa. A US airstrike also damaged the Raqqa hospital last week. [Link]
- The Syrian Arab Army has recaptured the last town in the Homs Province controlled by ISIS. This will allow the Syrian government to attack ISIS held Deir Ezzor. [Link]
- Turkey has accused the US of providing of providing tanks and helicopters to the YPG. The US denies the claims by Turkey. The YPG claims they took the tanks from ISIS. [Link]
- Rex Tillerson said, “it continues to be our view that the Assad regime has no role in the future governing of Syria.” [Link]
- An airstrike on an ISIS prison killed over 160 civilians. The strike occurred in May and was likely a US coalition strike. The US has not officially admitted to the strike, but did admit to having a strike in the area that day. [Link]
- The US troops are part of a UAE lead mission against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The US and UAE troops are supporting 2,000 UAE paid mercenaries. [Link]
On Foreign Policy Focus #75, I discuss wars across the Middle East and the roles Saudi Arabia and Iran play. The split between Iran and Saudi Arabia has prolonged conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Israel, Afghanistan, and Qatar. I break down the role each side plays in the different conflicts. I also update Trump, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. LISTEN HERE
