US News

• Maria Butina has been released from a Florida prison and deported to Russia. [Link]
• In a speech, Pence voices support for the Hong Kong protesters. He also condemned China for being too interventionist. Pence targeted Nike and the NBA for being too supportive of China’s censorship policies. [Link]
• Ukraine arrested a foreign hacker wanted by the US. [Link]

Afghanistan

• The Pentagon is drawing up plans to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. [Link]
• The Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan says 2,000 troops have left Afghanistan this year. [Link]
• The US claims to kill 80 Taliban fighters in airstrikes. [Link]

Syria 

• The US killed ISIS leader al-Baghdadi in Syria. [Link]
• The Pentagon says that the US is sending mechanized forces into Syria to defend oil fields. [Link]
• The US sent troops from western Iraq into Deir Ezzor Syria to defend oil fields. [Link]
• One Turkish soldier was killed in northeast Syria by Kurdish forces. [Link]
• The Syrian Kurds agree to move their forces 30 km from the Turkish border. [Link]
• The Dutch arrested the former commander of Ahrar al-Sham for alleged war crimes. [Link]

Middle East

• The US says it supports Lebonese protesters’ calls for action. [Link]
• Recent moves by the Treasury Department impose serious impediments to facilitate humanitarian trade into Iran. [Link]
• US B1-B bombers arrive in Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon has not provided details on the deployment. [Link]
• Rick Perry is working on a deal to provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear energy. [Link]
• On Friday and Saturday, 69 people were killed during protests in Iraq. Iraqi counter-terrorism forces have been deployed to Baghdad to protect government buildings. [Link] Additional protests were killed Sunday, bringing the weekend death toll to at least 74. [Link]
• Warring parties in Yemen set up a joint ceasefire observation post in Hodeida. [Link]