US News

• Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial will begin this week. [Link]
• Actor Jussie Smollett’s trial for faking a hate crime against himself will begin this week. [Link]
• South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem successfully wins a court challenge to overturn marijuana legalization approved by a voter referendum. [Link]
• After spending 43 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, Kevin Strickland will not receive any compensation from the state of Missouri. [Link]

Pentagon

• Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is suing the Pentagon because the agency is blocking parts of his upcoming book. The Department of Defense claims Esper’s book exposes classified information. [Link]
• The US is refusing to engage with the Marshall Islands over damages done by US nuclear tests in the 40s and 50s. [Link]
• US Special Forces train soldiers in Greece. The US donated four Mark V patrol boats to the NATO ally. [Link]

Russia

• Germany is pushing Congress not to sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. [Link]
• Over 500 migrants were flown from Belarus – where they were attempting to enter the UK through Poland – to their home country, Iraq. [Link]
• NATO head Jens Stoltenberg says there will be consequences for Russia if it invades Ukraine and that the Russian military buildup was unprovoked. [Link]
• Biden affirms America’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty. [Link]
• The US says all options are on the table for dealing with Russia’s military buildup. [Link]
• Russia says the US has not renewed visas for 27 Russian diplomats. The diplomats will be expelled at the end of January. [Link]

China

• China flies 27 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. [Link]

Afghanistan

• Biden is deciding what to do with the billions of dollars that are held by the Afghan government. Victims of 9/11 – and other terror attacks – believe they should be awarded the money. [Link]
• Afghan refugees seeking to come to the US could wait years in third countries before receiving their visas. [Link]
• The Taliban spent years embedding operatives in the Afghan government. These undercover Taliban were key to the group quickly seizing cities. [Link]

Iran

• Israel and the UK agree to work together to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. [Link]
• Israel is concerned that Iran will get sanctions relief without enough restrictions on its nuclear program. [Link]
• The UK, France, and Germany issue a letter condemning Iran for overly invasive searches of IAEA employees. [Link]
• At the IAEA, the US threatens to ramp up pressure on Iran. [Link]
• Indirect talks between the US and Iran resume in Vienna. [Link]
• US Envoy to Iran Robert Malley warns Iran not to accelerate its nuclear program. [Link]

Middle East

• The Israeli military reports settler attacks on Palestinians are up 150% over the past two years. [Link]
• Israeli forces kidnapped two preteen Palestinian boys from their homes and left them outside for hours. The boys were held 16 hours before being released without charges. [Link]

Africa

• Australia will label Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The US backs the decision. [Link]
• 150 soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard will deploy to East Africa. In early 2022, 200 members of the KY National Guard will deploy to Kosovo. [Link]
• Leaked documents reveal France provided intelligence to Egypt that France knew Egypt was using to kill civilians. [Link]
• Sudan said several of its troops were killed by Ethiopian forces. [Link]
• The French military encountered a protest in Niger as it was redeploying to Mali. Two protesters were left dead by the clash with French soldiers. [Link]
• Turkey announces a sale of light aircraft, drones, and armored vehicles to Niger. [Link]