Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Challenge to Hamas in Gaza grows as protests enter second day Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Hamas media say New York Post Editorial: Gazan anti-Hamas protests: The beginning of the terror group’s end? Iran unveils another ‘missile city’ as tensions mount with US Iran-backed terror chiefs taunt Israel, remain defiant ahead of Quds Day MEI’s Alex Vatanka: President Pezeshkian: Already a lost cause? Trump says Russia might be ‘dragging its feet’ on cease-fire deal WSJ’s Jillian Kay Melchior: Ukrainians in Kherson resist surrender Turkey’s opposition calls for boycott and mass rally after Istanbul mayor’s arrest North Korea leader Kim Jong Un touts AI suicide drones, early-warning aircraft Bloomberg Editorial: Europe needs more than money to defend itself Sudan’s military says it seized control of capital city from paramilitaryIn The News
Israel
Palestinians took to the streets against Hamas in Gaza again on Wednesday, a day after hundreds protested, in a sign of deepening anger at the militant group as frustration over the destruction of their homes and lives spills into the open. – Wall Street Journal
In the days following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushed to join the fight against Hamas and allied militants in the Gaza Strip. The enlistment rate soared, according to the Israeli military, with the number of soldiers reporting for duty far surpassing those who were formally called up. – Washington Post
A spending plan approved by Israel’s Parliament hands Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a big political victory and devotes a significant chunk to military spending, signaling that Israel expects to stay on a war footing for the longer term. – New York Times
Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said early on Thursday, the latest group figure to be killed since Israel resumed its operations in the enclave. – Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated threats on Wednesday to seize territory in the Gaza strip if Hamas failed to release the remaining hostages it still holds. – Reuters
After Israel launched its war in Gaza, arms suppliers such as the US, the UK and Italy restricted military exports to the country in hopes of pushing the government of Benjamin Netanyahu toward a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. – Bloomberg
In a move bound to further fray Turtle Bay’s relations with its largest financial backer, America, the Palestinian Authority is officially fielding a candidacy to preside over the United Nations General Assembly next year. – New York Sun
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accused the opposition of fueling “anarchy” in Israel, after mass anti-government protests in recent days. – Agence France-Presse
The opposition parties will “act in full cooperation of all its MKs and will fight resolutely against the judicial overhaul legislation led by the coalition,” they said Wednesday in a joint statement. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF on Wednesday afternoon ordered a broad evacuation of Palestinians from northern Gaza, including portions of Zeitoun, Rimal, Tel-al-awa and two other areas. – Jerusalem Post
Three terrorists who carried out a series of attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers over the past two years, including throwing Molotov cocktails and attacking a bus, were arrested in a joint operation by Israel Police, the Shin Bet, and the IDF, the police announced on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post
An Egyptian proposal to end renewed fighting in Gaza would see five living hostages released on the first day of the restored ceasefire, with another five living hostages released every 7-10 days, two foreign diplomats with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel on Wednesday. – Times of Israel
Editorial: Perhaps, as part of Israel’s continued pressure on Hamas, the IDF will wind up deploying to protect the demonstrations. And if residents don’t overthrow Hamas themselves, Israel will finish the job. Nothing is guaranteed in the Middle East, of course. But Israel now has a fully supportive US president in the White House, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains committed to eliminating the terrorist threat. And now Gazans are starting to rise up in what could prove the beginning of Hamas’ end. – New York Post
Dan Diker writes: October 7 has proven beyond a doubt that the UN and its associated agencies are accomplices to terror organizations, defaulting on their mission set in the UN’s founding charter of pursuing peace and defending the sovereignty of nations – among them, Israel, the nation-state of the Jewish people. The UN is beyond repair. It needs to be dismantled, redesigned, and rebuilt, from the ground up. – Jerusalem Post
Ohad Tal writes: For various reasons, 18 months have not been enough to achieve the war goals of defeating Hamas, bringing back all the hostages, and achieving peace and security for Israel’s residents in the North and South. However, as Jews always say, “The eternal people are not afraid of a long road.” With the help of God, we will prevail. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
The US has filed a civil forfeiture complaint for $47 million in proceeds from the sale last year of around 1 million barrels of oil allegedly from Iran, which was stored in Croatia. – Bloomberg
Tehran released new footage of a missile city, claiming it to be “one of the hundreds of missile cities” operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Tuesday, the semi-state official Tasnim news agency unveiled. – Jerusalem Post
The Supreme Court has convicted an Israeli civilian of spying for Iran, after ruling that overall circumstances establish beyond reasonable doubt that ‘Rambod,’ with whom the female defendant had been in contact, was acting on behalf of an enemy state. – Jerusalem Post
Leaders from the Iran-backed axis of resistance sworn to the destruction of Israel struck a defiant tone on Wednesday ahead of an annual Tehran-sponsored pro-Palestinian commemoration later this week, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television reported. – Times of Israel
Alex Vatanka writes: Khamenei’s Nowruz message, therefore, may set the official economic tone for the year, but it lacks any real roadmap. There was no signal that Pezeshkian will be empowered to act, no sign of a shift from rhetoric to realism. Once again, Iran’s supreme leader has opted for lofty declarations over practical solutions — slogans in place of strategy. Pezeshkian should speak up, and more loudly than ever, if he wants Iranian voters not to regret their choice any more than they already do. – Middle East Institute
Michael Makovsk, and David Deptula write: Time is running out to reverse Iran’s nuclear march. It is too late to provide Israel with a complex weapon system new to their military. But it is not too late to communicate that there is no daylight between the United States and Israel on rolling back Iran’s nuclear progress, and for Washington to help ensure Israel’s military campaign will be effective. This is vital for the security interests of both nations. – The National Interest
Michael Rubin writes: During the Cold War, there were Communists, anti-Communists, and anti-anti-Communists who cared more about knocking down critics of the Soviet Union than about defeating the Evil Empire itself. This is the dynamic now at play with the MKO as it obsessively attacks critics of the Islamic Republic. There could be no bigger gift to Khamenei than the MKO’s efforts to delegitimize its critics. – Townhall
Russia & Ukraine
When the White House said this week that it had reached an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to eliminate the use of force in the Black Sea, it looked like a breakthrough. Then Russia listed its conditions, making it unclear what, if anything, would immediately change. – Wall Street Journal
President Trump acknowledged that his rapid drive to end the war in Ukraine had hit a snag, observing that Russia appeared to be slow-walking the U.S.-brokered negotiations as it angles for further concessions from the West. – Wall Street Journal
President Donald Trump’s pivot toward Russia, through a series of concessions and policy changes coupled with threats against Washington’s traditional allies, is ushering in a world order more amenable to Moscow, according to Russian analysts. – Washington Post
A submarine of Russia’s Pacific Fleet conducted drills in the Sea of Japan, launching cruise missiles at sea and coastal targets, the Russian state TASS news agency reported on Wednesday. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that he wanted the United States and Kyiv’s other Western allies to remain strong in countering Russia’s demands and narrative in its three-year war on his country. – Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday Ukraine may sign an economic deal next week and President Donald Trump will not hesitate to raise sanctions on Russia if the need arises. – Reuters
The Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine could come back online within months of a ceasefire, but it would probably take more than a year to restart all six reactors, the U.N. atomic watchdog chief said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Ukraine accused Moscow on Wednesday of being incapable of managing safety at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after what it said were reports of a huge spillage of diesel, reports dismissed by Russia as “fake”. – Reuters
Ukraine and Russia accused one another on Wednesday of flouting a truce on energy strikes brokered by the United States, and the European Union said it would not meet conditions set by Russia for a planned ceasefire in the Black Sea. – Reuters
A Russian state TV journalist was killed and her cameraman was seriously injured by a landmine in Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, state television said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Russia is scheduled to receive deliveries of chemical ingredients critical to the manufacture of explosives, ordered from fertilizer companies that have largely escaped international sanctions, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. – Bloomberg
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has visited Russia so often since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine that it’s raised suspicion among European diplomats. He’s back in Moscow today. – Bloomberg
Jillian Kay Melchior writes: Surrendering Kherson to secure peace in Ukraine is inconceivable, Mr. Lapin says: “This is our land, we were born there, and we live there, and we will stand there to the end.” Mr. Sivak adds that Russian “occupation itself is a prison and a concentration camp.” If Ukraine is forced to surrender these four territories, “what will happen there” is “not to be described in words.” – Wall Street Journal
Alexander Vindman writes: The Trump administration should escalate sanctions on Moscow and step up military aid for Ukraine. Washington must maintain its resolve in the face of Putin’s nuclear saber rattling, push the Russian economy to the precipice, and help Kyiv achieve the battlefield successes necessary to force Moscow to negotiate. The key to achieving a peace settlement is for Ukraine to enter negotiations from a position of strength, Russia from a position of weakness, and the United States in a position of influence over both parties. – Foreign Affairs
Stavros Atlamazoglou writes: That is the main reason why the Russian military is pushing so hard for several months to capture as much territory as possible in eastern Ukraine. […] “This is in direct contradiction with Russia’s own stated recognition of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty following the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as broader international recognition of Ukraine,” the British Ministry of Defence concluded. – The National Interest
Syria
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has a lot to prove to win over Western powers. If the first few weeks of his rule are anything to go by, he may be heading in the wrong direction. – Reuters
The blue-helmeted United Nations peacekeepers are mostly gone, replaced by thousands of Israeli troops in nine new bases with vistas all the way to Damascus. A six-meter-deep (20-foot) trench is being dug out of the volcanic rock to trap anything rolling toward Israel. – Bloomberg
Syrian Arab Republic’s authorities delayed a visit planned for Wednesday by the Lebanese defense minister that aimed to discuss tensions along the border, officials from the two countries told AFP. – Agence France-Presse
Rob Geist Pinfold writes: This runs the risk of allowing other actors to fill the void, who lack any expectations of inclusive governance. At the same time, the West should be clear-eyed as to who al-Sharaa is, where he has come from, and what motivates his actions today. One seasoned Syria watcher noted that al-Sharaa “has gone where the wind has blown.” This illustrates that immediate sanctions relief can shape the direction of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, al-Sharaa, and Syria for the better. Disengagement or incrementalism, though, will only do so for the worse. – War on the Rocks
Turkey
One week after the Turkish government arrested the mayor of Istanbul, who is the top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the political opposition on Wednesday pressed new tactics to fight what it called an assault on the country’s democracy. – New York Times
Istanbul’s opposition-run municipal council on Wednesday elected an interim mayor to run the city, after mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed pending trial over graft charges that he and his supporters deny and call politicised. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not express concerns about arrests and protests in Turkey in the way he stated in a social media post after meeting his Turkish counterpart in Washington, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Turkey’s president on Wednesday accused the political opposition of “sinking the economy” during the country’s largest protests in more than a decade over the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, the biggest challenger to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. – Associated Press
Turkey’s main opposition party accused the central bank of providing cover for the government in helping to manage the financial fallout from last week’s detention of the mayor of Istanbul. – Bloomberg
Marc Champion writes: For most of this ride, Turkey’s leader had a strong support base that believed he could do no wrong. Any suggestion he might be leading Turkey astray was met with accusations of conspiracy or Islamophobia. […] This month, however, he was reduced to Putin-level tactics, arresting his main political rival. Turkey’s story under Erdogan is one that every voter hoping for the magical solutions of populist politicians should absorb. The key takeaway? It’s a lot harder to reinstate democratic constraints that prevent a leader from pursuing illegal or destructive policies than it is to remove them. – Bloomberg
Arman Mahmoudian and Jeff Rogg write: Likewise, the U.S. could revisit proposals to expel Turkey from NATO. These moves would certainly alarm the Turkish military, which has historically protected secularism and Kemalism in Turkey, and must now find the courage to do so again. Thanks to Erdoğan, Turkey is no longer a reliable U.S. ally. There is no future for Turkish-American relations as long as he remains in power. But that could soon change, and both countries would be all the better for it. – The Hill
Yemen
The U.S. military has conducted strikes against Houthi militia targets in Yemen daily since March 15, but the Pentagon has not provided details about the attacks since March 17, when it said more than 30 Houthi targets had been hit on the first day. – New York Times
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted about plans to kill a Houthi militant leader in Yemen two hours before a military operation meant to be shrouded in secrecy, according to screenshots of a chat released by The Atlantic on Wednesday. – Reuters
Houthi media said late Wednesday that new US strikes had hit the militia-held capital Sanaa, after earlier reporting 19 American raids elsewhere in Yemen. – Agence France-Presse
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed Yemen’s Houthi rebels now “want peace” after more than a week of US airstrikes, which he said have “been very, very strong.” – Times of Israel
Middle East & North Africa
Tesla will start sales in Saudi Arabia next month, the electric carmaker said on its website, signalling CEO Elon Musk and the kingdom have healed a rift that dates back to the billionaire’s short-lived bid in 2018 to take the company private. – Reuters
Egypt is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the European Union on previously agreed financing worth 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in the second half of the year, Planning Minister Rania al-Mashat said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Tunisian President Kais Saied has called on the International Organization for Migration to accelerate efforts in conducting voluntary returns for irregular migrants to their home countries. – Agence France-Presse
Korean Peninsula
A South Korea commission said the government should issue an official state apology for violating the rights of children adopted overseas, acknowledging that the country over decades allowed fraudulent practices and abuses in what it called a “mass exportation” of children. – Wall Street Journal
Blazes driven by strong winds and dry weather in southeastern South Korea have killed at least 26 people and ravaged more than 88,000 acres, making it the country’s worst wildfire event, officials said Thursday. – Washington Post
South Korea has set up a “reciprocal” platform in a disputed area of the Yellow Sea, known in Seoul as the West Sea, where China has increasingly built structures, Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung said on Wednesday. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of suicide drones with artificial intelligence (AI) technology and said unmanned control and AI capability must be the top priorities in modern arms development, state media reported on Thursday. – Reuters
North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia in January and February in continued support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, South Korea’s military said Thursday in its latest assessment. – Associated Press
China
Chinese scientist He Jiankui set off global outrage and landed in prison after he skirted ethical guidelines and claimed he had produced genetically modified babies designed to resist HIV infection. – Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration demonstrated that it wants tougher limits on China’s access to American technology than those introduced by the Biden administration, targeting Chinese companies including a server maker that buys Nvidia chips. – Wall Street Journal
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday morning in Beijing, according to a media pool report. – Reuters
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held “candid” talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on trade issues during an introductory meeting, Greer’s office said as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to raise tariffs on Chinese imports further. – Reuters
China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday urged the United States to stop thinking of China through its own “hegemonic mentality,” in response to the U.S. calling China the top military and cyber threat. – Reuters
The editor-in-chief of a Taiwanese publishing house received a three-year prison sentence after a Chinese court convicted him of inciting separatism, a Chinese government spokesperson said Wednesday. – Associated Press
President Xi Jinping is making China’s presence more felt across the Indo-Pacific region by testing US allies on sensitive issues, as Donald Trump’s attention is taken up elsewhere. – Bloomberg
South Asia
In India’s most advanced cities, American companies are racing to set up more and bigger offshore campuses: fully staffed offices with high-skilled Indian professionals, performing functions vital to global business. – New York Times
India and China will have issues in the “foreseeable future” but there are ways to address them without getting into a conflict, India’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Majuna Khatun sat cradling her six-month-old baby at a rehabilitation centre for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, worried her child would be without critical healthcare due to funding cuts from the United States and some European countries. – Reuters
Sri Lanka’s new government will be restricted in how much it can spend for at least the next two years, the prime minister said, as it looks to balance campaign pledges to unwind tax increases and other austerity measures against limits set by its $3 billion bailout program. – Bloomberg
Sadanand Dhume writes: According to the New York Times, in the three years following Floyd’s death, activists succeeded in removing more than 230 purported symbols of white supremacism across the U.S. This hysteria appears to have receded in the U.S. But the lesson from India is clear. If you allow one group of people to wield history as a cudgel in contemporary political battles, don’t be surprised when another group does the same to symbols you want to preserve. – Wall Street Journal
Asia
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Thursday Tokyo will put “all options on the table” in dealing with Washington’s announcement to impose a 25% tariff on automobile imports. – Reuters
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday he planned to call an election “imminently” as his centre-left government rushed through the parliament a bill on fresh tax cuts in a bid to lift support and win back aggrieved voters. – Reuters
Senate candidates backed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr look set to dominate May midterm elections, with a new poll showing them taking three-quarters of available seats, despite attempts to discredit the government over the arrest of former leader Rodrigo Duterte. – Reuters
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te oversaw on Thursday the first civil defence drills under his newly created social resilience committee simulating how to respond to a large-scale disaster like a tsunami or attacks on critical infrastructure. – Reuters
Australia plans to spend a larger share of its foreign aid on its neighbors in Asia and the Pacific islands after the United States announced major cuts to development and humanitarian aid abroad. – Associated Press
Malaysia is moving ahead with legislation that will enable the government to tighten controls over any printed or digital publication, people familiar with the matter said, as prospects for press freedom worsen under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration. – Bloomberg
One hundred Palestinian residents of Gaza are set to leave the strip to work in Indonesia as part of a new pilot scheme, N12 reported on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post
Karishma Vaswani writes: The last eight decades have seen US supremacy in the Indo-Pacific grow from strength to strength. For the most part, that’s kept Asia safe. To mark those ties, Hegseth is scheduled to visit Iwo Jima to attend a Japan-US joint memorial ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Washington needs to decide whether it still wants to maintain its relevance in the region. American credibility and regional security hang in the balance. – Bloomberg
Amrit Singh writes: Their tenacious love and defense of Georgia and its future will not be in vain.” Now it is time to take urgent further action. By leveraging its power on Georgian Dream to stop targeting protesters, withdraw the proposed FARA bill, and repeal repressive laws, the United States can act swiftly to help Georgian citizens take back their democracy. – Foreign Policy
Europe
European leaders had hoped that Vice President JD Vance’s antagonism was a political show to build domestic support. Now, after Vance expressed disdain for Europe in a private text chat about Yemen attack details, officials are coming to terms with a vocal vice president whose antipathy for Europe appears to run deep. – Wall Street Journal
After months of threats, the White House unveiled plans on Wednesday to impose tariffs on automobiles imported to the United States, a plan that is likely to hit car companies across the European Union hard. – New York Times
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned the United States and Europe on Wednesday against any temptation to “go it alone” on security, amid increased tensions over the future of the transatlantic alliance and diverging views on Russia. – Reuters
Thousands of Romanians gathered in the capital Bucharest on Wednesday to protest the December cancellation of a presidential election and the banning of its far-right frontrunner from standing for office again. – Reuters
France will provide some 2 billion euros ($2.15 billion) of extra military aid to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, accusing Russia of reinterpreting and rewriting recent limited ceasefire deals. – Reuters
The withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine would be one of the main conditions to lift or amend EU sanctions, the European Commission said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The commitment of NATO to defend Poland in any situation is crucial, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Warsaw after meeting the head of the pact Mark Rutte. – Reuters
Police were executing raids in six German states Wednesday against a group that authorities say “is part of an international network whose aim is to overthrow the government in Eritrea.” – Associated Press
European leaders are trying to carve out a role for themselves in US-led ceasefire talks over Russia’s war in Ukraine as more than 30 of them gather Thursday for an impromptu defense summit in Paris. – Bloomberg
The European Union is preparing for a massive round of tariffs set to target the bloc as soon as next week and among its retaliatory options are some of the EU’s most powerful trade-policy tools. – Bloomberg
Sweden unveiled plans to spend an extra 300 billion kronor ($30 billion) on its armed forces during the next decade to shore up the defenses of the NATO bloc’s newest member. – Bloomberg
Editorial: While the commission can encourage such changes, only national capitals, combining forces, can see them through. Existing NATO infrastructure offers one ready means of coordination. Having long called on its allies to do more while paradoxically discouraging a European defense identity that would pull orders from American firms, the US should welcome and support the process. It, too, will be stronger if Europe spends more on its defense — and spends better. – Bloomberg
Lionel Laurent and Gearoid Reidy write: Giulio Pugliese, director of the EU-Asia Project at the European University Institute, fears these could be stumbling blocks, especially if Trump plays divide and rule. Still, right now, a united front from like-minded powers is the best answer to a more dangerous world. With Europe now contemplating the possibility of a NATO alliance without the US — which would rob it of about 70% of its capabilities — it’s high time to work out who your friends are. – Bloomberg
Michael John Williams writes: Doing so manages the security dilemma in Europe, will deter aggression, and will put the EU in a stronger position to push for nuclear arms control agreements. In a best-case scenario, a European nuclear deterrent will strengthen NATO, and in the worst-case scenario, if the United States abandons Europe, the continent will not be defenseless. – Foreign Policy
Africa
The Sudanese military recaptured the capital of Khartoum on Wednesday, the military chief announced, a significant victory nearly two years into the civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people and created what international aid groups describe as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. – Washington Post
Suspected Islamist fighters launched a coordinated attack on an army base and a military outpost in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, killing at least 16 people, security sources told Reuters. – Reuters
Niger’s ruling junta said there would be a five-year transition to constitutional rule starting from Wednesday, in an announcement during a signing ceremony for a new transition charter. – Reuters
The party of South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar said on Wednesday it was trying to locate him after the defence minister and chief of national security “forcefully entered” his residence and delivered an arrest warrant. – Reuters
Norway’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was temporarily shutting its embassy in South Sudan’s capital Juba due to the deteriorating security situation in the country. – Reuters
Ethiopia ’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday asked people in the northern Tigray region to nominate a new leader in the latest move by the federal government to defuse political disagreements and prevent a return to war. – Associated Press
The Americas
Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to go on trial for allegedly plotting a coup in the country, dealing a blow to one of President Trump’s closest allies in Latin America. – Wall Street Journal
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that President Trump’s “unjustified” 25% tariff on imported automobiles and some auto parts will damage the country’s economy. – Wall Street Journal
Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente spoke with the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday in a call focused on strengthening bilateral relations, Mexico’s foreign ministry said. – Reuters
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said U.S. President Donald Trump risked damaging the U.S. economy with additional tariffs and vowed to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over a trade levy on Brazilian steel. – Reuters
Bolivian President Luis Arce declared a national emergency on Wednesday after torrential rains and severe floods left more than 50 dead and displaced more than 100,000 across the country. – Reuters
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed the importance of free trade and multilateralism and decried threats against democracy as he and Japan ‘s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed Wednesday to step up ties across the board. – Associated Press
Martin Gurri writes: That’s how this system, so admired by intellectuals, so often praised as a superior alternative to our way of life, comes to an end: with rank corruption at the top and wild desperation at the bottom. When I recall the lovely garden of my childhood, I feel unutterably sad. But every day, really every instant, I feel an immense gratitude for my American existence, because I consider the fate of the poor Cubans and I think: there, but for the grace of God and the wisdom of my parents, go I. – New York Post
United States
Kristi L. Noem, the U.S. homeland security secretary, threatened Wednesday to send more immigrants from the United States to a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador that has become a black hole for Venezuelans spirited out of the United States with no judicial hearing. – Washington Post
The United States will evaluate demands made by Russia after Moscow had agreed “in principle” to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine in the Black Sea to allow safe navigation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday. – Reuters
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s temporary block on the Trump administration’s deportation of some Venezuelan immigrants under a little-used 18th century law. – Reuters
The U.S. government said on Wednesday it may seek the death penalty for alleged Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, following his surprise expulsion from Mexico last month to face sweeping drug charges. – Reuters
A court order blocking President Donald Trump’s freeze on trillions of dollars in spending for grants, loans and other financial assistance will remain in place while the government challenges the ruling, an appeals court said. – Bloomberg
Editorial: The White House is allowing its mistake to dominate the news for days and devolve into a larger question of competence. The Administration seems to think it can bully its way through anything by shouting Fake News and attacking the press. Sometimes it needs to admit a mistake, take the loss and move on, which we are happy to do. – Wall Street Journal
Cybersecurity
Italy has handed tax demands to Meta (META.O), X and LinkedIn in an unprecedented VAT claim against the U.S. tech giants that could have repercussions across the European Union, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would be willing to reduce tariffs on China to get a deal done with TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the short video app used by 170 million Americans. – Reuters
Advanced, a business that provides IT services to numerous healthcare providers in the United Kingdom, has been fined £3.1 million (about $4 million) by the country’s privacy regulator over a ransomware attack in 2022. – The Record
A Chinese government hacking group thought to be dormant since 2022 has allegedly been targeting organizations in the U.S., Mexico and Honduras. – The Record
Austrian authorities have uncovered a Russian disinformation campaign designed to spread lies about Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency (DSN) said this week. – The Record
Defense
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told news agencies on Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers who went missing during military exercises in Lithuania had died. – Washington Post
Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, acknowledged Wednesday that details of a planned attack on Houthi forces in Yemen were shared in a chat among US officials that inadvertently included a journalist. – Bloomberg
While the U.S. Army has exquisite firepower with its expensive long-range precision fire systems, it also wants to amass cheap rockets to target drones or overwhelm an enemy. – Defense News
The Marine Corps’ answer to mobile, long-range fires now features a multirocket launch system and autonomous tech. – Defense News
W.J. Hennigan writes: In previous administrations, this matter would be investigated by the Defense Department’s inspector general, but Trump fired him during the first week of his second term. Regardless, haphazardly disclosing sensitive information about a planned and ongoing military operation cannot be permissible. The fact that no one has admitted real wrongdoing or acknowledged a lesson was learned makes it even more unbearable. – New York Times