US News
- Florida Governor Ron Desantis said on Wednesday night that he would send the military into Mexico to fight drug cartels on “day one” of his presidency if he wins the 2024 presidential election. AWC
Russia
- The Pentagon will begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets inside the US and could start as early as September, a US official told The New York Times on Thursday. AWC
- The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that US and Ukrainian officials have clashed over the strategy for Ukraine’s counteroffensive during behind-the-scenes conversations in recent weeks. AWC
- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin “a man of complicated destiny” a day after a plane believed to be carrying the mercenary leader crashed in Russia’s Tver Oblast, killing everyone onboard. AWC
- Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed on Thursday that Ukrainian troops landed on the western shore of Crimea overnight and inflicted casualties on Russian forces, an operation that has not been confirmed by Russia. AWC
- Most senior US officials want to keep supporting the proxy war against Russia and are not looking for diplomatic off-ramps despite Ukraine’s faltering counteroffensive, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius reported on Sunday. AWC
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Ukrainian elections could happen in wartime if Kyiv receives funding from its Western backers and Ukraine’s legislators are willing to hold a vote. AWC
- On Sunday, Russian authorities said that genetic testing confirmed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in an August 23 plane crash in Russia’s Tver Oblast. AWC
China
- The commander of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said Sunday that the US must “challenge” China’s “aggressive behavior” in the South China Sea, an area that has become a potential flashpoint for a conflict between Washington and Beijing. AWC
- Australian and Philippine troops backed by a group of US Marines simulated retaking an island in the South China Sea amid heightened tensions in the region between Manila and Beijing. AWC
World News
- BRICS has invited six new members to join in the most dramatic expansion of the bloc since it was formed, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Thursday at the conclusion of the three-day BRICS summit in Johannesburg. AWC
Middle East
- America’s top general said that Washington plans to maintain its force posture in the Middle East. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley stressed the region’s “significant” importance to America’s foreign policy. The Institute
Africa
- The US launched an airstrike in Somalia early in the morning on Saturday, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release. AWC
- Niger has placed its military on “maximum alert” over fears that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will invade to reinstate Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in a July 26 coup. AWC
