US News

• Biden has elected Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Budget Management. Tanden is a former adviser to Hillary Clinton and is unconcerned about the US budget deficit. [Link]
• Congress is looking to include reforms to Section 230 – a law that works to ensure free speech online – in the coming defense spending bill. Reports say Trump will sign the law if the reforms are included. Trump has threatened to veto the bill because of a provision that will require the US to rename bases that memorialize confederal generals. [Link]
• A woman attempting to get her right to self-defense back loses her case to the US Court of Appeals. Lisa Folajtar cannot own a gun because she pled guilty to felony tax charges. [Link]
• The operating costs of US warplanes are on the rise. [Link]
• Covid and the lockdown have caused a 40% increase in people in need of humanitarian aid. [Link]

Iraq

• An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander was killed near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Israel frequently bombs the area. [Link]
• Followers of Iraqi cleric Sadr raided an anti-government protest camp. Three people were killed in the clashes. [Link]
• An Iraqi militia leader under US sanctions is being trained with the Iraqi military in Egypt. [Link]
• The Islamic State claims it was behind an attack on an Iraqi oil facility. The facility had to shut down after the attack caused fires. [Link]

Africa

• The WHO predicts that the effect of the lockdowns will cause between an additional 20,000 – 100,000 malaria deaths among young children in sub-Sahara Africa. [Link]
• The acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller visits Somalia. Reports have claimed Trump is pushing to drawdown troops in Somalia. [Link]
• A suicide bomber killed six people at an ice cream parlor in Mogadishu. [Link]
• Ethiopia’s Prime Minister claims victory against rebels in Tigray. The leader of the Tigray militia indicated his forces would now fight a guerrilla war. [Link]
• Militants linked to al-Qaeda fired rockets at three French bases in Mali. [Link]
• At least 40 farmers were massacred in Nigeria. Jihadist groups operate in the area of the attack, although it is unclear who the attackers are. [Link]