US News

• Trump says there may be a very dramatic response by the US government into the economy because of the Coronavirus. [Link]
• Virginia is expected to enact a new law that will decriminalize under an ounce of marijuana. The law makes possession of under an ounce only a $25 fine. It also espouses the records of people who had minor marijuana possession convictions on their record. [Link]
• The House introduces a bill that will allow mass data collection programs on Americans to continue. Senator Rand Paul condemned the bill for failing to reform the FISA court. Paul wants any reauthorization of the data collection program to include a provision that prevents the FISA courts from issuing warrants for Americans. [Link]

Afghanistan

• CENTCOM chief Gen. McKenzie says over the last several months the US provided very limited assistance to Taliban forces that were fighting ISIS. [Link]
• The State Department says the completing presidencies of Ghani and Abdullah was harming the chances of talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. [Link] 
• The US warns the Taliban that the current level of violence by the Taliban is harming the peace agreement. [Link]
• Afghanistan’s President Ghani will make a decree public in the next day or two that will release 1,500 Taliban prisoners. The prisoner release will come within four days of the agreement being signed. The move is an effort to start negotiations with the Taliban. In the agreement the Taliban signed with the US, the US committed the Afghan government to release close to 5,000 prisoners. [Link]
• The Taliban reject the decree saying it falls short of the 5,000 prisoners that were agreed with the US to be released. [Link]
• Parts of the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban remain classified and unknown to the American people. [Link]
• The UN votes to back the US and Taliban agreement. [Link]

Syria

• US Envoy to Syria, James Jeffery, says the US is in talks with NATO allies about providing military support to Turkey in Syria. [Link]
• The US is willing to sell the Patriot missiles defense system to Turkey if Turkey does not operate the S-400 air defense systems it already purchased from Russia. [Link]
• The head of CENTCOM says the US is in the process of deploying missile defense to Iraq. Gen. McKenzie said the threat from Iran requires the US to deploy the weapons. [Link]

Mali

• Militants in Mali say they will only negotiate with the government once international, French and UN, forces leave the country. Protesters in Mali have also demanded the foreign forces withdraw. [Link]