- The Department of Health and Human Services rolled back an Obama era directive that weakened work requirements for welfare recipients. [Link]
- Trump is sharply cutting the funding to promote Obamacare enrollment. [Link]
- A Utah nurse was placed under arrest for refusing to perform an illegal blood draw. [Link] The officers who arrested the nurse have been placed on paid leave. [Link]
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions claims that Hurricane Harvey justifies the arming of police with military weapons. [Link]
- Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has resigned. [Link]
- Russia’s Foreign Minister warned that Russia would respond harshly to the US closing of Russian diplomatic sites. [Link] Russia also called the US action a blunt act of hostility. [Link]
- Putin warned that the US and North Korea were moving closer to war. Putin faulted both sides but mostly the US. [Link]
- The US will send more Navy ships in waters claimed by China in the South China Sea. The US sails the ships in the waters to show China that China’s claims to the waters are invalid. [Link]
- North Korea conducted a nuclear weapons test. North Korea claims the country tested a stage-two hydrogen bomb. Seismic measurements suggested this bomb was several times bigger than North Korea’s last nuclear weapons test. This is North Korea’s sixth nuclear weapons test. [Link]
- In response to North Korea’s nuclear weapons test, Trump said the US is looking at cutting off all countries from trading with North Korea. Treasury Secretary Steve Munchin said the US is looking at adding new sanctions on North Korea. [Link]
- 73,000 people have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh. Fighting between a Muslim minority militia and Buddhist majority government started a few weeks ago. [Link] 26 women and children fleeing the fighting drowned when their boat capsized. [Link] Some survivors are reporting government soldiers are committing war crimes. [Link]
- The Iraqi Army opened a corridor in Tel Afar to allow Islamic State fighters to flee the city. The Islamic State fighters leaving the city resulted in less destruction of the city. [Link]
- The US admits to killing 61 civilians in Syria and Iraq in July. Airwars reports the number to be hundreds more. [Link]
- The US continues to prevent some Islamic State fighters and their families from leaving an IS enclave on the Lebanon/Syrian border. Syria and the Islamic State fighters reached an agreement for the IS fighters to move to another area held by the Islamic State. At least part of the Islamic State convoy was able to leave the IS enclave and now stranded in the Syrian desert. [Link]
- Airwars estimates that at least 1,700 civilians have likely been killed by US airstrikes and artillery in Raqqa since March. The US munitions have also killed at least 150 children. [Link]
- There is heavy fighting in central Syria as the Syrian Arab Army attempts to take the last Islamic State held town in the Hama Province. [Link]
- The Syrian opposition is facing pressure to accept a conclusion to the Syrian Civil War that allows Assad to remain in power. [Link]
- The photos the US and Saudi Arabia do not want you to see. [Link]
On Foreign Policy Focus #88, I discuss several recent foreign policy stories. I cover several stories about wars coming to the homeland. I break down US/Russian relations. I explain what going on with North Korea’s latest nuclear weapons test. I also update Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. LISTEN HERE!!
