US News

• The White House introduces a $37 billion law enforcement spending plan. VOA

Italy

• Italian Premier Mario Draghi resigned Thursday after his ruling coalition fell apart. AP

Ukraine War

• The wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Olena Zelenska, addressed Congress in the US Capitol Building on Wednesday and asked for the US to send more weapons to Ukraine. AWC
• Ukraine may get Western fighter jets and pilot training to aid in its conflict with Russia, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., said, but he doesn’t know precisely what kind of fighter jets they would be. Defense One
• The US Air Force’s chief of staff told Reuters on Wednesday that the US and its allies are starting to examine the possibility of training Ukrainian pilots to fly Western aircraft as part of a long-term plan to support Kiev’s armed forces. AWC
• Russia has so far failed to destroy any of the rocket launching systems that the U.S. has sent to Ukraine to aid it in the ongoing war, according to General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Newsweek
• A group of Democratic and Republican senators introduced a resolution recognizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide. The Hill
• There is no evidence that Vladimir Putin’s health is deteriorating, according to the head of the CIA. Fortune
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia’s goals in Ukraine are now expanded beyond the Donbas region, citing the failed peace talks and Western military aid to Ukraine. AWC
• The bipartisan consensus for expanding NATO remains strong as the House approved a resolution endorsing Sweden and Finland’s memberships in a vote of 394-18, with only Republicans voting in opposition. AWC
• The IMF warned that if Russia cuts off its natural gas supplies to the European Union, it could cause deep recessions in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Italy. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent firing of two senior officials has brought the corruption issue back into the spotlight. AWC
• The State Department has approved a sale to the Netherlands of PATRIOT MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical Ballistic Missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.219 billion. Press Release 
• Turkey announces grain export agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Negotiators will meet on Friday to sign the deal, paving way for freeing of 22 million tonnes of wheat, corn and other grains. MEE

China

• President Biden told reporters that the US military thinks it’s “not a good idea” for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan. AWC
• The Chinese military denounced the US as the “creator of security risks” after a US warship transited the Taiwan Strait. AWC
• Henry Kissinger tells Biden not to let domestic policy dominate the US relationship with China. MSN
• US firms paid over US$32 billion in tariffs to import Chinese technology products from the start of the trade war in July 2018 until the end of 2021. MSN
• The State Department approved a sale to Australia of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles – Extended Range (JASSM ER) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $235 million.  Press Release

Middle East

• Cybersecurity company Avast has linked Candiru, a Tel Aviv-based hacking-for-hire company also known as Saito Tech, to spyware used on journalists in the Middle East. Tech Crunch
• Iran reiterated that its nuclear weapon policy hasn’t changed and that it still has a religious edict, known as a fatwa, against developing weapons of mass destruction. AWC
• The State Department has made a determination approving selling Kuwait of Advanced Weapons in Support of Eurofighter Typhoon Aircraft Program and related equipment for an estimated cost of $397 million. Press Release
• At least six Iraqi police were killed and seven wounded Wednesday in an ISIS attack against a forward position near the village of al-Jillam, north of Baghdad. AWC
• Turkey strike targeted a tourist resort in Iraq, killing at least eight civilians and wounding dozens of others. AWC
• Turkey’s attack on a Kurdish resort in northern Iraq is leading to a quick diplomatic backlash, with the Iraqi government demanding an immediate apology and a complete withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraqi soil. AWC