US News

• California’s Coastal Commission fined a homeowner $4.2 million over a failure to remove a gate and stairs for an easement project. The homeowners said they were waiting to remove the structures once the CCC was ready to break ground. However, the CCC decided to levy the massive fine with minimal due process. [Link]
• Colorado’s Equal Pay law is causing companies to seek remote workers outside of Colorado to fill positions. [Link]
• Colorado is again fining a banker for refusing to bake a cake. The state previously attempted to fine the baker for refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding. This time the baker refused to bake a cake for a gender transition. [Link]
• The Biden Administration is pushing “Red Flag Laws” that violate due process. [Link]
• The US detonated a 40,000 bomb in the water off the coast of Florida. The detonation was a test for the USS Ford aircraft carrier. The explosion registered a 3.9 earthquake. [Link]

Foreign Policy

• Senate Republicans delayed the vote to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. [Link]
• The US expects the National Guard to be used more often in the coming years. [Link]
• National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the US is preparing new sanctions against Russia. [Link]
• The US Envoy to North Korea says the US is prepared for talks “anytime, anywhere.” NSA Sullivan recently said that North Korea must agree to denuclearization as a precondition to talks. [Link]

Afghanistan

• The US reports the withdrawal from Afghanistan is over 50% complete. However, there are several unanswered questions about what the US military presence in Afghanistan and the region will look like once the withdrawal is complete. [Link]
• Dozens of Afghan commandos were killed after promised reinforcements failed to arrive. [Link]

Middle East

• Iran’s new president-elect says he is still looking to get the US to return to the JCPOA. [Link]
• An Israeli military official warned the US against returning to the JCPOA. [Link]
• Russian forces blocked a US patrol in northeast Syria. [Link]
• ISIS killed 12 Syrian soldiers. [Link]
• Reports say the Oman-led peace talks between the Houthi and Saudis are making some progress. [Link]