US News

• The Senate on Wednesday voted down an amendment introduced by Sen. Rand Paul to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that was passed in the wake of the September 11 attacks to invade Afghanistan and is still used to justify wars today. AWC

Russia

• Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow will deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus at the request of Minsk. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine’s counteroffensive can’t begin until the US and other Western countries send more weapons and ammunition. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday demanded that European countries provide more military aid and add more sanctions on Russia, warning that not doing so would prolong the war. AWC
• The World Bank said in a new report that Ukraine’s reconstruction will cost at least $411 billion over the next ten years, a number that will rise as the war drags on. AWC
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres is attempting to persuade the European Union to lift sanctions on the Belarusian fertilizer industry but is making little progress, according to Politico. The UN believes removing the export restrictions will help get more agricultural products to Africa. However, the EU claims the sanctions are key to applying pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Institute 
• French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic adviser has told China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, that Paris is willing to work with Beijing to find a “peaceful solution” to the war in Ukraine. AWC
• The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee has approved a bill that would ratify Finland’s NATO membership after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would approve bringing Helsinki into the alliance without Sweden. AWC

China

• Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told Congress at a Thursday hearing that the Pentagon’s 2024 budget request will help the country prepare for a future war with China. AWC
• US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) is seeking $3.5 billion more than what President Biden has requested for his 2024 military budget, Defense News reported on Friday. AWC
• On Thursday, the US sailed a warship near the Chinese-controlled Paracel Islands in the South China Sea amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing in the region. AWC

Middle East

• Three American bases in Eastern Syria were targeted with rockets and drones on Friday. One American soldier was injured in the attack. The American bases came under fire after the US carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria. AWC
• White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that President Biden is committed to staying in Syria following a series of attacks on US bases and US airstrikes in the country. AWC
• Saudi Arabia and Syria have agreed to establish ties and reopen their embassies after over a decade of not having formal diplomatic relations, Reuters reported on Thursday. AWC
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has acknowledged that US sanctions on Iran have created a “real economic crisis” in Iran but haven’t changed the behavior of the government. AWC

Africa

• Gen. Michael Langley, the head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), was grilled by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Thursday about African soldiers who received US military training and went on to carry out coups. AWC