Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Hamas has information about location of four remaining deceased hostages' remains Trump asks Israel’s president to pardon Netanyahu from corruption charges Checking Iran's enriched uranium stock is 'long overdue', IAEA report says Iran's dual reality: As veil restrictions ease, political crackdown deepens Two senior Ukrainian ministers resign amid widening corruption probe Coalition led by Iraqi PM Sudani comes first in Iraq’s election, commission says WSJ Editorial: Erdogan’s multi-millennia revenge in Turkey US issues sanctions against Myanmar armed group over scams AEI’s Michael Rubin: Delhi blast underscores India’s escalating terror threat despite security gains Chinese outlet lashes out at Japanese prime minister, escalating row Fifth Hamas terror network suspect arrested in Germany over Europe plot Former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States Arturo McFields: Venezuela is ready for its own liberation dayIn The News
Israel
President Trump sent Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, an official request to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption. In the letter, Trump says Netanyahu’s trial is unjust and praises Netanyahu’s wartime leadership over the past two years. – Wall Street Journal
Israel’s defense minister said on Wednesday he planned to close publicly funded Army Radio in what he described as an attempt to preserve the military’s nonpartisan character, but the decision was denounced by the station’s chief as a blow to press freedom. – Reuters
Israel’s president and high-ranking military officials on Wednesday condemned attacks a day earlier by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave of settler violence in the occupied territory. – Associated Press
Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel despite criticism over its war in Gaza because Israel has shown support for Taiwan unmatched by other countries in the Middle East, the island democracy’s foreign minister told reporters on Wednesday. – Associated Press
The IDF shot at four terrorists across the Yellow Line as Israeli troops were working to dismantle terror tunnels in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post
The Olympic Committee of Israel announced this week that it will not select its annual Athletes and Coaches of the Year for 2025, citing the exceptional circumstances faced by Israeli sport amid the ongoing security situation and the wave of global antisemitism that has disrupted international competition. – Jerusalem Post
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the police announced on Wednesday that they had uncovered and thwarted a security plot involving a young resident of the Sharon area. The suspect, 18 years old, was arrested about a month ago on suspicion of planning to carry out a terror attack inspired by ISIS. – Jerusalem Post
Loaded Kalashnikov rifles and communication devices used by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre were discovered by local rehabilitation teams inside a kindergarten in Kibbutz Be’eri, the Israel Police announced on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post
Hamas has information about each of the four deceased hostages whose remains are still being held in the Gaza Strip, sources familiar with the issue told Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News on Wednesday evening. – Jerusalem Post
Former Gaza hostages Aviva and Keith Siegel testified before the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) in Geneva on Wednesday, recounting how they were denied their human rights, sexually abused, starved, and physically threatened during their captivity in Gaza. – Jerusalem Post
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington is “optimistic” about the chances of establishing the International Stabilization Force in Gaza and is working on advancing a new draft through the UN Security Council to create the unit. – Times of Israel
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said “there’s some concern” about events in the West Bank undermining efforts to maintain the ceasefire in Gaza, in his first remarks on the latest spate of settler violence. – Times of Israel
Dan Perry writes: If Israel does not move fast to document its actions and open its evidence, to show how targets were chosen, what Hamas infrastructure was struck, and how civilians were warned, the term “Gaza genocide” will harden into the global lexicon, taught in universities and referenced in law. History will have made up its mind. The word genocide is a verdict. And unless Israel reclaims its own story, transparently, persuasively, and soon, that verdict will stand. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
Iran still has not let inspectors into the nuclear sites Israel and the United States bombed in June, the U.N. atomic watchdog said in a confidential report on Wednesday, adding that accounting for Iran’s enriched uranium stock is “long overdue”. – Reuters
Iran is grappling with its worst water crisis in decades, with officials warning that Tehran — a city of more than 10 million — may soon be uninhabitable if the drought gripping the country continues. – Reuters
On Tehran’s bustling streets, signs of change are unmistakable. Women walk unveiled in jeans and sneakers, men and women linger together in cafés where Western music hums softly, and couples stroll hand-in-hand — subtle acts that chip away at the rigid social codes that have long defined the Islamic Republic. – Reuters
The US sanctioned dozens of firms and people supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and drone manufacturing industry across countries in Asia and the Middle East as part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. – Bloomberg
A confidential survey has found that more than nine in ten Iranians are unhappy with the country’s direction, the Tehran-based news site Rouydad24 reported on Wednesday citing an unnamed polling organization. – Iran International
Russia and Ukraine
Two of Ukraine’s top ministers resigned on Wednesday amid allegations of corruption in the country’s energy sector, the fallout from which is becoming a challenge for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. – Wall Street Journal
Bundled in layers of clothing and clutching her cane inside an evacuation van, 84-year-old Polina Plyushchii said the threat of drones and other weapons had made it too dangerous to step outside her home near southeastern Ukraine’s front line. – Reuters
Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that it had pulled back troops from near a settlement on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia front, but that it has stopped Russian advances in the area. – Reuters
The Kremlin said on Wednesday there had been contact between Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov but that the dialogue did not work out. – Reuters
Russia is ready to resume peace negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, Russian state news agency TASS cited a foreign ministry official as saying on Wednesday. – Reuters
President Donald Trump will only agree to another meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin if there is a significant opportunity to help end the war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. – Bloomberg
“Ukraine and Israel are two fortresses of democracy in our area, but the cooperation between the two countries should be much more close than it is today,” Ukrainian MP Oleksii Goncharenko told The Jerusalem Post in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post
Russian telecom operators have begun cutting mobile internet access for 24 hours for citizens returning to the country from abroad, in what officials say is an effort to prevent Ukrainian drones from using domestic SIM cards for navigation. – The Record
Marc Champion writes: Zelenskiy was unable to stop Nabu because the checks and balances of Ukrainian democracy don’t lie in its core institutions. […] This is not an ideal model that any society would willingly create as a constitutional order, or should imitate. It’s an expression of deep distrust in the state, and is chaotic, explosive and inefficient. But it is Ukraine’s reality, it prevents tyranny and, at least for now, it’s working. – Bloomberg
Marion Foster writes: As the regional countries seek more autonomy in their foreign policies, Western influence can no longer be taken for granted. Sustaining it will require credibility, consistency, and attention to values. And if the West fails, the dangers are clear. The combination of a weakened Russia and a values-light Western approach could produce a security vacuum in a vital region that is marked by internal volatility and proximity to conflict flashpoints in the Middle East and the Black Sea. – Center for European Policy Analysis
Syria
Syria was once a stronghold for the Islamic State. Now, its government has pledged to cooperate with international efforts to fight the group. – New York Times
Finally, on Wednesday, a 12-year manhunt and investigation reached a climax. Brig. Gen. Khaled al-Halabi, 62, the most senior Syrian official to be accused in Europe of war crimes, was indicted and charged with torture. – New York Times
UAE-based Dana Gas (DANA.AD), said on Wednesday it had signed a preliminary deal with Syria’s state oil company to assess redeveloping natural gas fields crippled in the 13-year civil war that made Syria reliant on imports from Iran. – Reuters
Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said Wednesday. – Associated Press
Middle East & North Africa
Algeria’s president said on Wednesday that he had pardoned an Algerian-French writer who was arrested during a visit to his homeland a year ago and later sentenced to five years in prison on accusations of undermining national security. – New York Times
A coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani came first in Iraq’s parliamentary election, the Independent High Electoral Commission said on Wednesday. His coalition received 1.317 million votes in Tuesday’s election, the commission said. – Reuters
The family and lawyers of jailed Tunisian opposition leader Jawhar Ben Mbarek accused prison authorities on Wednesday of brutally assaulting him to try to force an end to his two-week-old hunger strike. – Reuters
The United Arab Emirates is concerned about Qatar and Turkey playing a central role in the proposed plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip. – Jerusalem Post
Editorial: That voter rebuke rankled Mr. Erdoğan, who rose to political prominence in that same Istanbul office. As Prime Minister and then as President, he’s spent the past 22 years concentrating power in his own hands. He’s not about to let Mr. Imamoğlu stand between him and a fourth, or fifth, or 2,000th, term as President. Mr. Erdoğan’s dictatorial ambition and political insecurity explain the prosecutorial overkill. – Wall Street Journal
Noam Raydan writes: In the long run, efforts to resolve the Red Sea shipping threat—and meet the wider U.S. commitment to Middle East security—cannot succeed until Washington and its partners invest in fully mapping and understanding how Houthi procurement networks operate. This includes tracing activities that extend to Iran, China, and other locales, while also demonstrating a willingness to disrupt them effectively—beyond individual sanctions that the Houthis have already proven they can circumvent. – Washington Institute
James F. Jeffrey and Elizabeth Dent write: Absent U.S. follow-through, the window to put the region on a better, more stable course may close and leave behind frustrated partners, emboldened adversaries, and lasting damage to American credibility. The United States has invested vast resources into stabilizing the Middle East, and it finally is confronted with a regional alignment that makes lasting security achievable. It would be a shame to let that go to waste. – Foreign Affairs
Korean Peninsula
A light truck crashed into a market in South Korea on Thursday and sped for 150 metres (164.04 yards) before coming to a halt, injuring 20 people including two who were unconscious after suffering cardiac arrest, emergency officials said. – Reuters
South Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), are worried about Vietnam’s plan to reform incentives for the high-tech sector, warning it could lead to higher costs for foreign investors and potentially undermine new investment, Korean officials have said. – Reuters
The South Korean won is approaching its weakest level since the global financial crisis struck more than 16 years ago, adding pressure on the central bank to protect the currency. – Bloomberg
Jeff Kucik writes: To bring U.S. industry on board, the Navy must clearly articulate that this arrangement is an effort to triage the current backlog — and invest in future security — rather than a fundamental shift away from American vendors. Those investments in the U.S. industrial base, some of which are being made by South Korea, are still critical to modernizing infrastructure and building productivity capacity in the United States. If strictly necessary, repair contracts for Korean firms can include sunset clauses tied to appreciable increases in U.S. capacity. – War on the Rocks
China
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday offered Spain’s King Felipe VI a vision of cooperation with “great global influence” as Beijing seeks Spanish support within the EU in exchange for greater economic security for its European partner. – Reuters
China for decades has sought to manipulate global critical minerals prices, using its control as an economic weapon to expand its manufacturing sector and its geopolitical influence, a U.S. House of Representatives committee said on Wednesday. – Reuters
China agreed on a plan to stop fentanyl-related chemicals as part of its deal with the Trump administration to crack down on the lethal opioid, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Emmanuel Macron is thinking about inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to the 2026 Group of Seven summit in France and the idea has been discussed with some allies, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
Karishma Vaswani writes: America still pulls ahead of China in global innovation rankings, but the gap is closing. Democracies must work harder to compete. […] Monitoring nations that blend free market principles with centralized political control to shape the next wave of global growth, like Vietnam and China, would also be wise. The debate over whether autocracies can innovate or not is moot. They already have. The real question now is how soon they’ll surpass open societies in the future. – Bloomberg
Imran Khalid writes: History rarely announces its turning points with trumpets. Sometimes they arrive in the form of a handshake in a hotel ballroom in Busan, followed by two defense ministers using the word “balance” instead of “dominate.” If Trump and Xi can pull this off, they will have done something no multilateral body has managed in three years: give Ukraine a livable future and the world a breather from great-power rivalry. That is worth more than any tariff cut. – The Hill
South Asia
In 20 years of grinding war in Afghanistan, the United States dropped a multitude of weapons from the skies: Millions of tons of ordnance. Hellfire missiles launched from Predator drones. – Washington Post
In 2020, after Indian and Chinese soldiers brawled with stones and spiked rods in the thin Himalayan air along their countries’ contested border, nationalist fury gripped India. – Washington Post
Pakistan’s powerful army chief secured expanded powers and lifelong legal immunity on Wednesday when lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment that gives him sweeping authority over all military branches and limits the independence of the country’s highest court. – New York Times
The bombings in the capital cities of India and Pakistan were just a day apart and nearly identical in damage and impact — about a dozen people killed in each blast, the deadliest for either city in more than a decade. – New York Times
India’s government confirmed on Wednesday that it was treating a car blast that killed eight people and wounded at least 20 others in Delhi as a “terror incident” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice as swiftly as possible. – Reuters
The United States on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on a Myanmar militia group for supporting a cyber scam operation that targeted Americans from territory it controls. – Reuters
Afghanistan’s economic recovery is buckling as nine in 10 households are forced to skip meals, sell belongings or take on debt to survive, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning that mass returns are exacerbating the country’s worst crisis since the Taliban returned to power. – Reuters
Myanmar says it has commissioned Russian helicopters and Chinese airplanes into its air force as the two nations continue to supply the military-run government with equipment despite international pressure to end its bloody civil war. – Associated Press
Classes and transportation in Bangladesh were seriously disrupted Thursday as ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her former ruling Awami League party called for a nationwide “lockdown” in protest against her trial over last year’s protests that left hundreds dead. – Associated Press
Michael Rubin writes: Pakistan may bluster about its nuclear capability, but it knows that it is the aggressor, and the way for it to save face is simply to stop supporting terror in the first place. Terrorism is a tactic driven by a cost-benefit analysis. Delhi must now show Islamabad that its continued sponsorship of terror will bring with it a cost which it cannot bear. The alternative—more grass mowing—is neither diplomatically responsible nor will it bring peace; rather, like Israel and Hamas, it will only allow terror groups to continue increasing their capabilities until they can stage an attack that will kill thousands if not more. – FirstPost
Asia
The diplomatic spat between China and Japan’s new prime minister took a turn for the worse on Wednesday when an influential Chinese state media outlet said Sanae Takaichi may have to “pay a price” for her comments on Taiwan. – Washington Post
Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is known as an inveterate workhorse. She often skips social gatherings and has openly rejected the idea of work-life balance. – New York Times
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week hinted at a possible shift in the country’s decades-old non-nuclear principles, raising speculation that she might seek to revise a ban on the entry of such weapons into its territory. – Reuters
New Zealand said on Thursday it would strengthen economic and diplomatic ties with Niue, a self-governing island nation in “free association” with it, after their leaders met in Auckland. – Reuters
Thailand’s second largest lender Kasikornbank is leaning on artificial intelligence and prudent lending to navigate economic headwinds and fraud risks, its chief executive Kattiya Indaravijaya told Reuters on Thursday. – Reuters
The Australian state of Victoria on Thursday signed into law the country’s first treaty with Indigenous people, hailed by advocates as a major step towards reconciliation by giving first inhabitants more oversight on decisions that concern them. – Reuters
At least one person was killed in Cambodia amid a flare-up of conflict with Thailand on Wednesday as the neighbours accused each other of opening fire along a disputed part of their border, threatening a U.S.-brokered truce. – Reuters
Australia signaled lingering unease Thursday over whether Russia may seek access to an air base in eastern Indonesia, stressing that Jakarta has an obligation to consult Canberra on matters affecting regional security. – Bloomberg
An Australian organization dedicated to establishing a caliphate across the Muslim world is set to hold a conference in late November on encouraging Islam as an alternative global governance system, with Australian officials warning that the group presents a threat and should be banned. – Jerusalem Post
Mukhtar Mammadov writes: There were a few close friends and partners who stood by our side during those difficult years; Israel was one of them, and Azerbaijan will never forget it. Thanks to the recognition it receives from its international partners, Azerbaijan is becoming an important player on the regional and global stage, and a bridge for cooperation, peace, and regional development. Today, as the country looks ahead, Azerbaijan strives not only to preserve its achievements but also to make responsible use of its unique regional position to contribute to peace and prosperity on the international stage, including in the Middle East. – Jerusalem Post
Europe
Barely 24 hours had passed since thieves had broken into the Louvre Museum and stolen France’s crown jewels when the mayor of Langres, a walled medieval town in Eastern France, received a troubling phone call. – Wall Street Journal
European leaders have promised to unite and build up their militaries as never before, to take charge of their defenses and curb dependence on the United States. It’s a tricky task. – Washington Post
Britain will back a modular nuclear power station for Anglesey Island in northern Wales, ending years of uncertainty over the fate of what is considered the country’s best nuclear site. – New York Times
For months, the Belgian authorities have been trying to come up with a plan to rescue $9.7 million worth of contraceptives that were stranded in a warehouse outside Antwerp when the Trump administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development earlier this year. – New York Times
Europe’s top processor of rare earths materials said Wednesday that it had forged new partnerships to strengthen supply chains in the United States, deals that come as Europe lags in the race to break China’s chokehold on rare earths. – New York Times
A Palestinian NGO was on Wednesday refused permission to appeal a court ruling that Britain lawfully allowed F-35 fighter jet parts to be indirectly exported to Israel, despite accepting they could be used to breach international humanitarian law. – Reuters
Georgian prosecutors on Wednesday charged Giorgi Gakharia, an exiled opposition leader and former prime minister, with offences related to his time in office, amid an escalating crackdown against opponents of the ruling Georgian Dream party. – Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to say Wednesday whether he would urge U.S. President Donald Trump to drop his threat to sue the BBC for $1 billion over the broadcaster’s edit of a speech he made after losing the 2020 presidential election. – Associated Press
The European Union is set to propose a plan to the US that would implement the next phase of the trade agreement the two sides reached this summer, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
French lawmakers voted to freeze President Emmanuel Macron’s flagship pension reform, allowing the government to keep the Socialists on board in budget talks that threaten to trigger snap elections. – Bloomberg
U.K. MPs are urging the government to step up efforts toward a breakthrough in Sudan, warning that “global attention has drifted away” from the deadly civil war that has been raging since 2023. – Politico
Center-right lawmaker Jörgen Warborn’s subtle handshake with center-left René Repasi on the way out of the European Parliament hemicycle on Wednesday afternoon marked a nail in the coffin of Ursula von der Leyen’s coalition. – Politico
Two Swedish men who have been accused of shooting at the Israeli consulate in Sweden and throwing grenades at the Israeli embassy in Denmark are set to face terrorism charges at their trial, which began on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post
A fifth alleged member of a European Hamas terrorist network was arrested upon entering Germany on Tuesday, the German Federal Public Prosecutor General’s office (GBA announced on Wednesday, allegedly part of a plot that spanned Denmark, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom. – Jerusalem Post
Africa
South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Wednesday dismissed Benjamin Bol Mel as vice president and deputy leader of the ruling party, according to a decree read on state television, cutting ties with a man widely rumoured to be Kiir’s own preferred successor. – Reuters
There is no genocide in northern Nigeria, the African Union Commission chairperson said on Wednesday, rejecting accusations by U.S. President Donald Trump that “very large numbers” of Christians were being killed in Africa’s most populous country. – Reuters
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has named new environment and deputy trade ministers, appointing people from his party’s main coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA). – Reuters
Senegal’s president and the political party he belongs to have issued conflicting statements over the leadership of the ruling coalition, a clear sign of dissension among top leaders amid drawn-out talks with the International Monetary Fund. – Reuters
Kenya said on Wednesday over 200 of its citizens are fighting for Russia in Moscow’s war in Ukraine, and that recruiting agencies are still actively working to lure more Kenyans into the conflict. – Reuters
Nigeria’s Dangote Group will invest at least $1 billion in a pipeline, power generation and cement plant in Zimbabwe, its founder and CEO Aliko Dangote said on Wednesday. – Reuters
China’s Vice Premier Liu Guozhong attended the commissioning ceremony of the Simandou iron ore mine project in Guinea this week, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. – Reuters
An Ivory Coast national who tried to recruit people to carry out jihadist militant attacks in Europe was jailed for 10 years by a Maltese court on Wednesday. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision that the United States government boycott the Group of 20 summit next weekend in South Africa is “their loss,” South Africa’s leader said Wednesday. – Associated Press
A constitutional court in the Central African Republic on Wednesday began hearings on a petition seeking to disqualify the country’s leader from running in the upcoming December presidential election. – Associated Press
The Americas
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday in Niagara Falls on the sidelines of the G7 meeting to discuss progress in ongoing tariff talks, a diplomatic source with direct knowledge of the conversation said. – Reuters
At least 37 people were killed and dozens injured after a bus plunged into a ravine in the mountainous Arequipa region of southern Peru, local authorities said on Wednesday. The fatalities included 36 people who died on site, and another person who succumbed in hospital, said Walther Oporto, Arequipa’s regional health chief, citing firefighters at the scene of the accident. – Reuters
Martha Lucía López released the boat into the river alongside hundreds of others with the faces of missing children, in one last attempt to find her son, or rather, to pray that he would find her. – Associated Press
Mexican authorities suspended operations at 13 casinos that allegedly were used to launder millions of dollars overseas, officials said Wednesday. – Associated Press
The popularity of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva barely changed after deadly police raids last month in Rio de Janeiro stirred public debate over how to confront drug gangs. – Bloomberg
John R. Bolton writes: A successful effort now is about eyes-open, sustained planning and implementation, not theater. Having previously tried and failed to oust Maduro, we owe it to ourselves and Venezuela’s people not to fail again. If Trump had a record of coherent strategic thinking rather than personal aggrandizement, we might have grounds for optimism. But his propensity to act precipitously, to change his mind and to give inadequate attention to the consequences of his actions all augur poorly. The opportunity still exists to make corrections and depose Maduro. We should not fritter it away. – Washington Post
Juan Pablo Spinetto writes: With such dismal odds, it’s no surprise that criminal activities continue to rise. Above all, it requires understanding that the state must fight back against criminals while avoiding the temptation to use repression as a tool of political authoritarianism — as Nayib Bukele has done in El Salvador. Whether Latin America’s governments can walk that fine line will determine their success in the fight against insecurity. – Bloomberg
Arturo McFields writes: According to Russian legislative sources, Putin has delivered a new air defense system to Maduro that marks a significant upgrade from Venezuela’s old-fashioned Soviet-era system. Although Venezuela keeps trying to garner support for its cause, time is running out, and the fight against drug trafficking won’t stop. […] Nobel Prize Winner, Maria Corina Machado said it this way: “The strategy of President Trump toward this criminal narco-terrorist structure is absolutely correct because Nicolás Maduro is not a legitimate head of state … Maduro started this war, and President Trump is ending that war.” – The Hill
Michael Albertus writes: That could reignite protests like the ones from 2019 and 2020. Poor and middle-class urban residents and socially liberal younger Chileans may bridle under a Kast presidency. The same is true of the Indigenous Mapuche community, which has been locked in an increasingly violent conflict against the Chilean state. The resulting tension could only embolden a Kast administration, setting Chile on a path uncharted since its return to democracy. – Foreign Policy
United States
The GOP-led House passed a spending package reopening the government and President Trump signed it into law late Wednesday, drawing to a close a record-long 43-day shutdown driven by Democrats’ demands to extend expiring healthcare subsides. – Wall Street Journal
Key U.S. allies overtly distanced themselves this week from the Trump administration’s military campaign in Latin America, with some casting doubt on the legality of America’s deadly unilateral actions. – Washington Post
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pushed back against criticism from some U.S. allies over the legality of the U.S. strikes in the Caribbean, saying Europeans don’t get to dictate how Washington defends its national security. – Reuters
Katie Wilson, a community organizer who campaigned on raising taxes on the wealthy to expand social services, is poised to become Seattle’s next mayor as the latest returns expanded her lead over incumbent Bruce Harrell. – Bloomberg
Cybersecurity
Europe is looking to online platforms and influencers to help fight disinformation and promote democracy according to a European Commission strategy presented on Wednesday amid concerns over interference by foreign governments in national elections. – Reuters
Brazil’s central bank is preparing to advance tighter regulation of the financial system to curb a rise in cyberattacks, the bank’s supervision director, Ailton Aquino, said on Wednesday. This year, 68 incidents have been reported through October, including 37 cases of fraud, he said at a press conference in Sao Paulo. – Reuters
The Trump administration’s top cyber officials have emphasized the urgent need to take aggressive action to deter increasingly brazen foreign cyberattacks. Trump himself, however, has repeatedly brushed aside the notion that foreign cyber activity is anything even really noteworthy. – Cyber Scoop
Federal civilian agencies are not patching vulnerable Cisco devices sufficiently to protect themselves from an exploitation campaign that began in September, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned Wednesday. – The Record
A senior U.S. military officer with no digital warfare experience has emerged as a top contender to lead U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, Recorded Future News has learned. – The Record
Google filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in the Southern District of New York to disrupt a Chinese cybercriminal organization behind a pervasive phishing-as-a-service operation that has targeted millions of people around the world. – The Record
Defense
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) stated in a classified opinion drawn up over the summer that personnel taking part in military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin America would not be exposed to future prosecution, according to four people familiar with the matter. – Washington Post
The United States has lifted a four-year arms embargo on Cambodia after announcing a resumption of the annual Angkor Sentinel military exercises in a sign that relations between Washington and China’s tiny but key regional ally are on the mend. – Defense News
French, Dutch, and other NATO allies spent the week carrying out a game of underwater hide-and-seek in the Baltic Sea, hunting German and Swedish submarines with the help of a U.S. P-8 Poseidon aircraft and other detection systems. – Defense News
David Richards and Harlan Ullman write: While we did not believe Putin would make the strategic blunder of invading Ukraine a second time, given the weaknesses Russia faces and will continue to face, NATO can achieve its deterrence goals by counterintuitively becoming more aggressive, taking the offensive using brains, innovation and maskirovka to derail Putin’s calculations. But will it? And will NATO begin thinking about what a post-war Russia looks like to forestall another 1917 or 1991 and collapse? – Defense News