US News

• SCOTUS’s decision in Vega v. Tekoh “strips individuals of the ability to seek a remedy for violations of the right recognized in Miranda,” Justice Elena Kagan warned in a dissent. As a result, the Supreme Court has effectively created a new legal immunity for cops accused of infringing on the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination. Forbes
• The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit on Wednesday to block Booz Allen Hamilton’s planned acquisition of signals intelligence vendor EverWatch because of competition concerns. Defense One
• The Army on Friday announced members of its National Guard and Reserve components must be in compliance with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate to participate in drills. The Hill
• Two national guard drones were involved in the Valiant Shield 22 war games in Guam. Press Release
• A retired general says the USS Bonhomme Richard could have been saved, but command and control issues prevented the Navy from taking the necessary actions. Defense News

Ukraine

• President Alexander Lukashenko said Ukraine attacked Belarus, but its air defenses foiled Kiev’s missile strike. He did not provide evidence for his assertion and indicated Belarus would not have a military response. AWC
• John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communication, said the US will continue to support Ukraine, but will not pressure the country to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. HuffPo AWC
• The New York Times reports small teams of US special operations veterans are near the front lines training Ukrainian forces and helping to plan operations. NYT, The Institute 
• Ukraine’s military announced all people eligible to serve in the armed forces must seek approval from a local recruitment authority before leaving their area. Zelensky said he was upset the military command made the decision without him. Newsweek 
• A Russian politician called for moving Russia’s hypersonic weapons within striking distance of US territory to force President Joe Biden to come to the negotiating table with Russia and stop supplying Ukraine with weapons for the conflict. Newsweek
• A new report from JPMorgan Chase said that oil could shoot up to a “stratospheric” $380 per barrel if Russia responds to the proposed Western price cap by reducing oil output. AWC
• Turkish customs authorities have detained a Russian cargo ship carrying grain that Ukraine alleges has been stolen. Newsweek
• Ukraine has asked Turkey to probe three additional Russian ships it claims are carrying stolen grain. Reuters
• Turkey has reiterated that it will still block Sweden and Finland’s NATO memberships if they don’t fulfill obligations agreed to in a ten-point memorandum signed between the three nations. AWC
• The speaker of Russia’s Duma called for his country to scrap an agreement with Norway on the status of an island claimed by both countries. Moscow claims Oslo is blocking Russian shipments to Svalbard. Norway claims it is enforcing sanctions on Russia. Reuters
• Finland has seized nearly a thousand Russian freight cars as a result of EU sanctions. AWC
• An official from the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said Thursday that US military leaders should consider sending weapons inspectors to Ukraine to monitor the billions of dollars in arms the US is pouring into the country. AWC
• Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in the Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, a day after Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city of Lysychansk. AWC
• A two-day conference on Ukraine’s future reconstruction efforts kicked off in Switzerland, and Ukrainian officials put the price tag for their “recovery plan” at $750 billion. AWC

China

• According to Japan, Russian and Chinese naval ships were spotted near the Senkaki Islands. Newsweek AWC
• The U.S. ambassador to China called on the Foreign Ministry in Beijing to stop spreading Russia’s “lies.” Miami Herald
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi alongside the G20 meeting of foreign ministers in Bali this week. Reuters

Korea

• North Korea on Sunday blamed the US, Japan and South Korea for the “rapid aggravation of the security environment of the Korean peninsula,” and said it will quickly build up its defensive capabilities in response. Washington Times
• The US and South Korea carried out joint F-35 drills for the first time. Stars and Stripes

Afghanistan 

• US and Taliban officials held talks in Doha on Thursday to discuss the billions in Afghanistan’s Central Bank’s reserve that the US has frozen since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021 and agreed to hold further meetings. AWC

Israel

• Israel said it would test a bullet that killed a Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to determine whether one of its soldiers shot her and said a US observer would be present. The Palestinians, who gave the bullet to the US, said they had been assured that Israel would not take part in the ballistics. Reuters
• An American-led analysis of forensic and ballistic evidence, as well as the separate Israeli & Palestinian investigations, found that the bullet that killed Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was likely fired by an Israeli soldier, but added that there was “no reason to believe this was intentional,” the State Department. WashPo
• Ben & Jerry’s sued its parent company, Unilever to block the sale of the ice cream maker’s business interests in Israel to an Israeli company. Unilever sold its Israeli business to bypass a decision by Ben& Jerry’s board to not sell ice cream in the Israel West Bank settlements. Haaretz

Saudi Arabia

• A US judge has asked the Biden administration for its view on whether Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince MBS should be granted sovereign immunity in a civil case brought against him in the US by Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi. MEE

Iran

• Israel’s new Prime Minister called on French President Emmanual Macron to abandon the JCPOA and seek a new agreement with Iran. Macron did not respond to Lapid’s statement and called for a return to the JCPOA. Reuters, AWC
• Iran has repeatedly introduced, over the recent weeks and months, extraneous demands that go beyond the confines of the nuclear deal struck in 2015, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. Adding that the new demands suggest a lack of seriousness on Tehran’s behalf. Reuters 
• EU diplomat Josep Borrell warned decisions are needed now and this may be the last chance to save the Iran nuclear deal. AWC

Syria

• Israel attacked Syrian territory, this time with an airstrike against a poultry farm near Tartus, along the coast. Two civilians were wounded in the attack. AWC
• Russia issued a statement Monday, warning such attacks are “categorically unacceptable.” AWC
• France has repatriated 35 children and 16 mothers from detention camps in Syria for prisoners with links to jihadi groups. FT

Yemen

• Negotiations resumed over Yemen’s third city of Taiz, with the goal of a ceasefire that would open main roads out of the city, allowing people to finally flee. AWC

Africa

• Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday lifted economic and financial sanctions imposed on Mali, after its military rulers proposed a 24-month transition to democracy and published a new electoral law. Reuters
• Armed attackers have killed at least 22 civilians in northwest Burkina Faso. AJ