US News
- On Tuesday, the Arizona State Senate passed the Defend the Guard Act, legislation that would prohibit the deployment of Arizona’s National Guard to combat zones without a declaration of war from Congress, as required by the Constitution. AWC
Russia
- Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published an article on Substack on Wednesday that said the CIA was instructed to come up with a cover story for the Nord Stream bombings that was fed to The New York Times and the German newspaper Die Zeit. AWC
- Ukrainian officials have said the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant that was issued last week for Russian President Vladimir Putin has made negotiations with the Russian leader impossible. AWC
- Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones were downed over northern Crimea on Monday night, while Ukraine’s Military Intelligence claimed the attacks destroyed Russian Kalibr cruise missiles. AWC
- The US plans to keep its aircraft further away from Russian territory in the Black Sea, CNN reported on Tuesday. The Institute
- The US has offered Slovakia attack helicopters and Hellfire missiles as a reward for sending Ukraine Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets. AWC
China
- China on Wednesday hit back at US criticism of Beijing’s efforts to push for peace talks to end the fighting in Ukraine as Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his three-day visit to Moscow. AWC
Korea
- South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the US and South Korea will hold their “largest-ever” live-fire drills this June, a move that will anger Pyongyang and ensure tensions on the Korean Peninsula will remain high. AWC
Israel
- Israeli airstrikes hit Syria’s Aleppo airport early Wednesday for the second time this month as the region is still recovering from a devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey on February 6. AWC
