US News

• St. Louis public defenders release an app to combat an abusive bail system. [Link]
• Customs and Border Patrol plan to ramp up facial recognition and biometric scanning to all people entering the country. [Link]
• ICE agents regularly make mistakes on immigration forums. The mistakes often downplay the danger that an asylum seeker is in. The false reports are difficult for asylum seekers to contest and often get deported. [Link]

Germany

• Merkel says Germany will raise defense spending to 1.5% of GDP by 2024. Merkel framed her statement as working towards the NATO target of 2%. [Link]

Hong Kong

• China denies permission for two US warships to dock at Hong Kong ports. [Link]

Afghanistan

• The US and Taliban talks end without reaching an agreement. [Link]
• Liz Chaney leads a group of Republican Representatives who are pushing Trump for a stricter deal with the Taliban. [Link]
• US infantry is now using pocket-sized drones in Afghanistan. [Link]
• The UN reports the Afghan government killed 11 civilians during a raid near Pakistan. [Link]

Middle East 

• Iran’s Ayatollah meets with a Houthi official for the first time and expresses his support for the Houthi war in Yemen. [Link]
• Turkey says US officials have arrived in Turkey to establish a safe zone in Syria. [Link]
• Pentagon officials warn against the growing ties between African nations and Russia or China. [Link]

Africa

• The US supported al-Qaeda’s war in Libya. [Link]
• The French operation to stabilize Mali has turned into a quagmire. The French forces typically battle the weather and have made little progress against the jihadists. [Link]
• The use of child soldiers and the killing of children is on the rise in Mali. [Link]