Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Netanyahu orders ‘forceful’ strikes on Gaza Israel says it resumes enforcement of Gaza ceasefire Hamas armed wing will postpone Tuesday's handover of dead hostage's body, cites Israeli violations WSJ Editorial: Will Hamas sink Trump’s Gaza deal? Iran demands Israel’s richest man pay $170m fine after it seized cargo ship linked to him NYT former bureau chief Robert F. Worth: Iran’s last ally in the Middle East Washington’s oil dilemma returns: How to hurt Moscow without raising gas prices Hudson Institute’s Thomas Duesterberg: The U.S. is poised to rock Russia and China — if it holds firm How U.A.E. arms bolstered a Sudanese militia accused of genocide Just before Trump’s visit to South Korea, North test-fires missiles China says it 'absolutely will not' rule out use of force over Taiwan AEI’s Michael Rubin: For India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor to succeed, Delhi must invest more in Greece and CyprusIn The News
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “forceful” strikes in the Gaza Strip after Israel alleged that Hamas violated the cease-fire. – Wall Street Journal
The Israeli military is digging in along the cease-fire line inside Gaza, strengthening fortifications and establishing infrastructure that further divides the territory into two. – Wall Street Journal
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza was not at risk after local authorities reported that 26 people had been killed in Israeli strikes, as Israel and Hamas traded accusations of blame for the violence. – Reuters
Hamas’s armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades said it would postpone the planned handover on Tuesday of the body of a missing hostage it had recovered, citing what it said were Israel’s violations of the ceasefire in Gaza. – Reuters
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the video of Hamas staging the discovery of a hostage’s body in front of Red Cross volunteers was “unacceptable” in a Tuesday statement. – Jerusalem Post
Hamas terrorists attempted to reach a weapons cache hidden within a mosque in an IDF-controlled part of the Gaza Strip on the same day as Hamas released the final living hostages from captivity, according to an Army Radio report on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
The Hamas terror group is systematically violating the terms of the current ceasefire and exploiting permission to search Israeli-controlled areas for hostages bodies’ for the purpose of locating weapons caches. – Arutz Sheva
Minister Amichai Eliyahu urged that Hamas’s ceasefire violations be treated far more seriously and that the goal be the destruction of the murderous terrorist group. – Arutz Sheva
Editorial: Economic development alone won’t defeat Palestinian terrorism. That was the “New Middle East” idea of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in the 1990s. It exploded in the suicide bombings of the Second Intifada (2000-05). Mr. Trump seemed to recognize the risk on Saturday, when he gave Hamas 48 hours to comply with its obligations. Hamas blew past the deadline without consequence and now, in shooting again at Israelis, it flaunts its disregard for Mr. Trump’s deal. The President can let Israel enforce it or watch it sink. – Wall Street Journal
Zaki Shalom writes: However, under these circumstances, words are not enough. Israel must demonstrate its independence through deeds, even vis-à-vis the US administration. If it fails to do so, it will gradually lose the powerful standing it has achieved through an unprecedented combination of political and military daring. Should that happen, the vision of regional peace, in which Israel plays a central role, will lose its meaning as well. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
A plot to assassinate Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad at her Brooklyn home came “chillingly near success,” prosecutors told a judge who will sentence two purported Russian mobsters. – Associated Press
Iran has demanded a $170 million fine from what it says is the Israeli owner of a cargo ship that it seized in Gulf waters last year and accused of having ties to Israel, a judicial official in Tehran said Tuesday. – Agence France-Presse
Robert F. Worth writes: The U.S. president has taken little notice of Iraq since he returned to office in January. But the recent decision of his Treasury Department to sanction the Muhandis General Company and two prominent Iraqi oligarchs has set off nervous whispers among Baghdad’s kleptocrats. “These guys are afraid,” one former government official told me. “As long as the U.S. doesn’t have a deal with Iran, the maximum-pressure campaign will continue. And that could mean going after them in Iraq.” – The Atlantic
Russia and Ukraine
The Trump administration’s recent oil sanctions have revived a dilemma for the West: how to hurt Moscow’s war chest without inflicting economic self-harm. – Wall Street Journal
In August of last year, Russia appeared to be on the verge of capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. Moscow’s troops advanced to about eight miles from the city limits, and inhabitants hurriedly evacuated. Estimates varied of how long Pokrovsk could hold out — from a few weeks to a few months — but the city’s fate appeared to be sealed. – Washington Post
Ukraine targeted Russian energy infrastructure with drones, disrupting air traffic across the country and sending several drones towards Moscow for the third straight night, Russian authorities said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russian troops were constantly hearing foreign languages spoken by those fighting for Ukraine on the front line, and promised that such fighters would be “destroyed”. – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukrainian and European officials would meet at the end of the week to discuss the details of a ceasefire plan. – Reuters
Ukraine’s long-range strikes on refineries inside Russia have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by 20%, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, citing intelligence from Western governments. – Associated Press
Thomas J. Duesterberg writes: Trump has sent the strongest message yet to Xi about the costs of supporting his Russian friend for life — a message that could have a big impact on China’s ability to maintain its own growth model. Forget the superficial deals. There are real concessions to be won. They hinge on rigorous sanctions enforcement against both Russia and the buyers of its energy exports. – Washington Post
Alexander Kolyandr writes: If the US administration were determined to apply more damaging measures, it would make a greater effort to enforce existing sanctions against oil producers, join the EU’s price cap mechanism, and further target the shadow fleet. The sanctions alone are unlikely to force Putin to negotiate or collapse the economy. However, they will create long-term consequences, add to the slowing of the economy, and put more pressure on the budgetary spending in the future. – Center for European Policy Analysis
Yemen
An American airstrike in April on a prison run by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that killed over 60 detained African migrants should be investigated as a possible war crime, activists said Wednesday. – Associated Press
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have paused their missile and drone attacks on Israel and are now redirecting their efforts toward consolidating internal control, conducting mass arrests and launching boycott campaigns against American and Israeli goods. – Ynet
Alana Schetzer writes: On Sept. 15, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, updated the UN Security Council. He not only made no mention of the fact that the UN had suspended aid nine months ago, but failed to speak up about the consequences of that suspension. He didn’t mention the humanitarian situation the Yemeni people continue to face at all. There was no word of when aid might resume, and no glimmer of hope for the tens of millions who have gone without adequate food and other supplies for so long. This is the UN not only being hypocritical but deceptive. – Australia/ Israel & Jewish Affairs Council
Middle East & North Africa
U.S. intelligence agencies say the United Arab Emirates sent increasing supplies of weapons including sophisticated Chinese drones to a major Sudanese militia this year, bolstering a group that has been accused of genocide and pouring fuel on a conflict that has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. – Wall Street Journal
Saudi Arabia opened a major investment conference featuring heads of state and members of the global business elite on Tuesday, as it seeks support for sprawling so-called “gigaprojects” and sky-high AI ambitions. – Agence France-Presse
Rodney Glassman writes: Whether or not the Nobel Committee yet recognizes it, his achievements already surpass the prize itself. Awards are temporary; legacies endure. President Trump’s vision anchored in principle, backed by resolve, and guided by faith has made the world more peaceful. The Nobel Committee may one day honor him, but the world already has. His name will stand among history’s true peacemakers, and the Middle East will forever bear the imprint of his courage and leadership. – Jerusalem Post
Steven Burg writes: America deserves better than an ambassador who embodies this double standard. Kuwait deserves better. And yes, President Trump deserves better representation abroad than Mr. Ghalib would provide. The question isn’t complicated: If dozens of Muslim states are acceptable, if Christian state churches are traditional, then why is one Jewish state too many for Mr. Ghalib to acknowledge? His dodging and silence speak volumes. – Jerusalem Post
Korean Peninsula
President Donald Trump called South Korea “a cherished American friend” in a speech here Wednesday, following months of trade tensions that have strained the U.S.-South Korean alliance as neighboring China flexes its leverage over the U.S. economy. – Washington Post
North Korea has yet to respond to President Trump’s repeated offers to meet with its leader, Kim Jong-un. Instead, it fired missiles off its west coast, the country’s state media reported on Wednesday. – New York Times
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday he hoped U.S. President Donald Trump would allow South Korea to have fuel for nuclear-propelled submarines. – Reuters
Anchal Vohra writes: “For NATO and the EU, the way to keep Seoul engaged is through practical, low-visibility cooperation,” explained Leveau, listing cybersecurity, resilience, and industrial partnerships and discreet intelligence dialogues on maritime Southeast Asia as possible areas for collaboration. “These concrete areas matter more than big political slogans,” he said. And they may be the key to keeping one of Europe’s most crucial partners in Asia on-side. – Politico
China
President Trump blew up America’s decadeslong engagement with China during his first term. Now, he is poised to relaunch the kind of engagement with Beijing embraced by predecessors from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama—but on Trump’s terms. – Wall Street Journal
Climbing the ranks of the Communist Party while working in a coastal province, Xi Jinping — the man now leading China’s push to overtake the United States — kept a poem on his desk that helps explain why he has fought back fiercely against President Trump in their trade war. – New York Times
China’s state-owned COFCO bought three U.S. soybean cargoes this week, two trade sources said, the country’s first purchases from this year’s U.S. harvest ahead of this week’s summit of leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. – Reuters
China “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media this week that pledged benign rule if the island comes over to Beijing. – Reuters
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday talked up “high-level exchanges” in a call with Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, hinting at a potential meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japan’s new premier, Sanae Takaichi. – Reuters
China signed an expanded version of a free trade agreement Tuesday with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Premier Li Qiang pitching expanded economic ties with Beijing as an alternative to the protectionist policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. – Associated Press
The United States continues to enhance its defenses with allies amid China’s growing naval power, as U.S. and Indian aircraft conducted a submarine-hunting training exercise. – Newsweek
Erica Frantz, Andrea Kendall-Taylor, and Joseph Wright write: Only in the last century or so did governance become more collegial, especially in the postwar period, when solid institutions, alliances and rules led to an unprecedented era of global peace and prosperity. That era is fading. And rather than provide reassurance about the relationship between the United States and China, this week’s meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi might represent something else: confirmation that the unpredictability and volatility of strongman rule is back. – New York Times
Brandon P. Yoder and Todd D. Robinson write: President Trump often touts his close ties with President Xi. That rapport could now be used to broker a deal that saves tens of thousands of American lives. It would require the same transactional instinct he brings to trade negotiations, but applied to a far higher purpose. The fentanyl crisis is not an abstract geopolitical challenge. It is a daily American tragedy, claiming lives in every county and community. Addressing it through sustained engagement with China is not just smart diplomacy; it is an act of moral leadership. – Newsweek
Mira Rapp-Hooper writes: The United States and China have singular leaders who each see reasons to negotiate. But the laws of international relations are ruthless. No matter what happens at their meeting, China’s ambitions will still pose the same long-term risks to American interests, American allies, and American power. The question is whether the bipartisan architects of Washington’s China consensus will act swiftly enough to protect the system they helped create. – Foreign Affairs
South Asia
Millions of supporters of Bangladesh’s Awami League will boycott next year’s national election, after the party was barred from contesting the polls, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Reuters on Wednesday from her exile in New Delhi. – Reuters
Myanmar’s military government will hold the second phase of its multi-stage election on January 11, state media said on Wednesday, a vote dismissed as a sham by Western countries, the United Nations and human rights groups. – Reuters
Talks aimed at securing a long-term truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan concluded in Istanbul without a “workable solution”, Pakistan’s information minister said on Wednesday, in a blow for peace in the region after deadly clashes this month. – Reuters
US President Donald Trump said he threatened India and Pakistan with 250% tariffs to help spur the resolution of their conflict earlier this year, describing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the nicest-looking guy” who is also a “killer” eager to fight. – Bloomberg
Pakistan is considering sending troops to Gaza as part of a proposed peacekeeping force under a truce brokered earlier this month by US President Donald Trump, Pakistan’s defense minister said. – Bloomberg
Michael Rubin writes: Trump’s turn toward Pakistan has antagonised India, but Trump’s tenure is limited; the logic behind IMEEC is generational. Whatever Delhi’s feelings toward Washington at present, IMEEC is crucial for trade and to limit China’s influence and leverage over supply chains. While attention spans are always short in Washington and IMEEC risks falling by the wayside, not only Delhi but also Athens and Nicosia have the focus to drive IMEEC forward. All that is needed is concerted and sustained outreach by Delhi to signal it is open for business and that IMEEC is the way it will drive that commerce forward. – Firstpost
Asia
Japanese corporate leaders seized on President Trump’s visit to Tokyo on Tuesday to announce a basket of initiatives aimed at currying favor with the U.S. administration and mitigating potential trade frictions. – New York Times
The man accused of assassinating former prime minister Shinzo Abe of Japan in 2022 pleaded guilty to the killing on Tuesday, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. – New York Times
Malaysia will maintain a ban on the export of raw rare earths to protect its domestic resources, despite signing a critical minerals deal with the United States this week, the trade minister said on Wednesday. – Reuters
A court in Kyrgyzstan has banned three of the country’s top independent media outlets as “extremist organisations”, the first such ruling in the country’s history, weeks ahead of a snap parliamentary election. – Reuters
Israel is a model for Taiwan to learn from in strengthening its defences, President Lai Ching-te said in remarks released on Tuesday, citing the Biblical story of David versus Goliath on the need to stand up to authoritarianism. – Reuters
Thailand’s finance minister said on Wednesday that the country has not engaged in currency manipulation, and said the central bank has the tools to manage the currency without resorting to intervention. – Reuters
The first deportation of a person from Australia to the Pacific Island nation of Nauru under a billion-dollar deal to resettle non-citizens with criminal records raises “serious human rights concerns”, Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The number of people fleeing from Myanmar to Thailand after Myanmar’s military shut down a major online scam center has slowed to a trickle, a Thai regional army commander said Tuesday, after more than 1,500 had left in the past week. – Associated Press
Malaysia’s improved bilateral relationship with the US has strengthened the Southeast Asian country’s position in its negotiation on potential semiconductor tariffs, according to a minister. – Bloomberg
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Japan’s new resolve to bolster its military a day after President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed to deepen US-Japan defense ties. – Bloomberg
Europe
Britain will house up to 900 asylum seekers at two military bases, the government said on Tuesday, as public anger rises over the use of hotels as temporary accommodation for migrants. – New York Times
The Netherlands holds parliamentary elections on Wednesday, after the far-right party of Geert Wilders forced the collapse of the nation’s governing coalition earlier this year. – New York Times
Belarus will deploy Russia’s new Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile system in December, Russian state-run TASS news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Natalya Eismont, spokesperson for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. – Reuters
Georgia’s ruling party will ask the Constitutional Court to ban the three largest opposition parties, the speaker of parliament said on Tuesday, in what would mark a sharp escalation in the drift towards authoritarian rule in the EU candidate nation. – Reuters
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Lithuania’s closure of the border with Belarus was a “crazy scam” and accused Vilnius of waging a hybrid war that threatened the Chinese economy. – Reuters
Bulgaria and European defence giant Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE), opens new tab on Tuesday sealed a deal worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to build a plant that will produce gunpowder and 155-mm artillery shells. – Reuters
Poland will be ready to reopen two more border crossings with Belarus in November, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday. – Reuters
The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis said Wednesday that Germany has agreed to extend another $1.076 billion (923.9 million euros) for Holocaust survivors ‘ home care around the globe for the coming year. – Associated Press
Politicians in Germany and Poland — home to the biggest Ukrainian refugee populations within the European Union — are threatening to yank back the welcome mat amid a sharp increase in the number of young Ukrainian men entering their countries in recent weeks after Kyiv loosened exit rules. – Politico
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met Tuesday morning with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan at the Prime Minister’s Office in Bucharest for an extended discussion on bilateral relations and recent developments in Gaza. – Arutz Sheva
France introduced a modernized version of its M51 submarine-launched strategic ballistic missile, a “major milestone” in the modernization of the country’s ocean-based nuclear deterrent, the Armed Forces Ministry said on Tuesday. – Defense News
The German military has received a demonstrator for a high-energy laser weapon developed by Rheinmetall and MBDA, marking a milestone toward fielding an operational directed-energy system for naval use by 2029. – Defense News
The U.K. and Germany will dispatch P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) in the coming months for a joint surveillance mission to track Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, officials announced last week. – USNI News
Joseph Epstein writes: Half a century after division, it is not politicians but ordinary Turkish Cypriots who are leading the call for reunification, inspired by the possibility of a better future. Yet Ankara, acutely aware of the TRNC’s strategic value in the Eastern Mediterranean and its leverage over regional energy and security dynamics, is unlikely to give up control without securing its interests. – Newsweek
Avi Nachmani writes: Britain must choose whether it will continue to be liberal and tolerant toward Jews, in line with its attitude toward other immigrants, or whether it will surrender to the antisemitic mob that is demonstrating on the streets. If a Jew is forced to hide his Star of David in London, it is a sign that something is wrong in the United Kingdom. The arrest of the Jewish lawyer is not just another passing headline on the news channels. This arrest is a wake-up call for the British government in the fight against antisemitism, in the fight for the soul of England. – Jerusalem Post
Florence Gaub and Roderick Parkes write: Ukrainians using commercial drones, improvising battlefield repairs with 3D-printed parts, and turning ordinary vehicles into communication hubs show the importance of making systems that people can master and adapt under pressure. Finally, stop reinforcing adversary narratives. Authoritarian states do not own societal cohesion. But when our leaders praise their resolve and cohesion while questioning our own, they legitimize the idea that democracy equals weakness. The traits that define open societies — autonomy, plurality, dissent — can be assets in war, if harnessed rather than feared. – War on the Rocks
Africa
Fighters from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary have gone on a killing rampage after capturing El Fashir, according to videos, satellite imagery and testimonies from the ground, a grim fulfillment of months of warnings from international human rights groups and activists trapped inside the city. – Washington Post
Nigeria’s Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said on Tuesday the United States had revoked his non-immigrant visa issued last year and he was told to re-apply if he wished to try again to visit the U.S. – Reuters
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Tuesday that five of its volunteers were killed in Sudan and three others are missing. – Reuters
Cameroon’s opposition leaders rejected presidential election results that extended President Paul Biya’s rule for another seven years, saying the outcome did not reflect the will of the people in a country already battling a separatist conflict. – Reuters
The United States warned Americans in Mali on Tuesday to leave the country immediately using commercial flights, as its government comes under increasing pressure from al Qaeda-linked insurgents, who are imposing a fuel blockade. – Reuters
Tanzanians went to the polls on Wednesday in an election that President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to win after candidates from the two leading opposition parties were barred from standing. – Reuters
The International Monetary Fund will visit Mozambique in November to continue discussions on the Southern African country’s macroeconomic challenges and possible financial support, its mission chief said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Editorial: True democracy is a safety valve to let a youthful populace register their desire for change. The alternative is that they gravitate toward violence or even terrorism. Biya has found a way to stay on, but actuarial tables, and the continent’s demographics, mean change is inevitable. Fortunately, elections — legitimate ones — are now more numerous than coups in Africa. There are more and more examples of ruling parties losing their majorities in parliament and defeated presidents stepping aside when the votes are counted. The Big Men are making their final stands. – Washington Post
The Americas
At least 64 people were killed Tuesday in a massive police operation against one of Brazil’s most powerful criminal organizations. – Washington Post
As Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada left for a weeklong swing through Asia, he faced a worsening economic picture at home. Plants were closing and jobs were being lost. Inflation was edging up, and there were signs that the country was sliding toward a recession. – New York Times
Over the decades, the U.S. government has sent billions of dollars in aid to Colombia to help the country stamp out its cocaine industry, which feeds American demand. – New York Times
Venezuela is seeking location and other details from Trinidad and Tobago about the first field tests to be conducted by Exxon Mobil in an ultra-deepwater area it was recently awarded in the Caribbean country, according to two sources and a document seen by Reuters. – Reuters
President Donald Trump’s decision to shift the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier to South America in his campaign against drug cartels is pulling the ship out of the Mediterranean Sea at a time when a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been threatened by new strikes in Gaza. – Associated Press
A Russian transport aircraft of a type linked to the country’s military and former Wagner mercenary group has landed in the Venezuelan capital over the weekend, signaling heightened Russian interest in the Latin American country. – Defense News
Editorial: If Congress authorized the use of military force against drug traffickers, the way it authorized the use of force against al-Qaeda and its accomplices in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, that would be a different story. Trump hasn’t bothered seeking Congress’s approval for these attacks, probably because a majority wouldn’t approve of the intentional killing of noncombatants. The made-for-social-media boat explosions will likely continue, but they should be called what they are. – Washington Post
Tunku Varadarajan writes: A free Venezuela’s foreign policy will rest on four pillars: “respect for international law, the defense of popular sovereignty, the promotion of freedom and democracy worldwide, and joint action against transnational organized crime.” All of which makes clear that forcing an end to the Maduro regime isn’t only a moral imperative, but also a strategic no-brainer. – Wall Street Journal
Jerry Haar writes: The midterm elections in Argentina dealt a body blow to the old Peronist kleptocracy. But many Argentines may have voted for Milei and his party as the lesser of two evils. It is now up to the president and his allies to ignite enthusiasm among those voters in future elections. Achieving solid, sustainable accomplishments that foster economic democracy in Argentina is definitely the winning formula. – The Hill
United States
President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to Kuwait has failed to secure a majority of votes in the Republican-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said three people familiar with the matter, paving the way for the panel to stymie yet another top State Department nominee. – Washington Post
A federal appeals court on Tuesday said it would take a second look at whether President Donald Trump can send National Guard troops to Portland, tossing out a ruling last week from a three-judge panel that had authorized the deployment. – Washington Post
The Senate voted 52-48 with bipartisan support Tuesday to end the national emergency underpinning President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Brazil — an indicator of growing GOP frustration with the president’s trade policy. – Washington Post
In a post on the social media site Truth Social on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he didn’t come to South Korea to see Canada, amid a trade spat with the United States’ northern neighbour. – Reuters
Westinghouse Electric, Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management have entered a partnership with the U.S. government to build at least $80 billion worth of new nuclear reactors across the country, the companies said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Cybersecurity
Jensen Huang said Nvidia has helped reinvigorate U.S. manufacturing less than a year into President Trump’s second term and praised his policies days before a key trade meeting that could determine Nvidia’s access to the Chinese market. – Wall Street Journal
A daughter of French first lady Brigitte Macron testified Tuesday in the second and final day of a cyberbullying trial in which 10 defendants face prison terms of up to two years for propagating false claims online, including the conspiracy theory that she was born a man. – Washington Post
Qatar’s finance minister said on Tuesday that artificial intelligence would be a big part of planned Qatari investments in the United States. – Reuters
Nvidia will pay $1 billion for a stake of 2.9% in Nokia as part of a deal focused on AI and data centers, the Finnish telecom equipment maker said on Tuesday as its shares hit their highest level in nearly a decade. – Reuters
Amazon Web Services will invest at least $5 billion in South Korea by 2031 to build new artificial intelligence data centres, South Korea’s presidential office said on Wednesday, leveraging Seoul’s ambition to become an AI hub in Asia. – Reuters
The Qilin ransomware gang has emerged as one of the most active cybercriminal operations in 2025, listing hundreds of victims throughout the year that include large companies, local governments and hospitals. – The Record
Defense
The U.S. military struck four vessels suspected of carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific, officials said Tuesday, a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against traffickers in the Western Hemisphere. – Washington Post
In a sprawling building atop a mesa in New Mexico, workers labor around the clock to fulfill a vital mission: producing America’s nuclear bomb cores. – New York Times
U.S. military officials involved with President Donald Trump’s expanding operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, three U.S. officials say, a development that raises new questions about a military buildup that Venezuela fears may lead to an invasion. – Reuters
The federal government is supercharging its use of local cops to hunt down immigrants suspected of being in the US illegally as part of an unprecedented effort to fulfill President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to deport millions of people. – Bloomberg
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he expects U.S. military service members will receive paychecks by the end of the week, though he did not detail how the Trump administration plans to reallocate funds amid the nation’s second-longest government shutdown. – Newsweek
Hunter Stires writes: It would, instead, mortgage America’s maritime future for the short-term sugar high of a brace of foreign-built ships. A wiser course would be to stand firm on the sound logic, established law, and trusty leverage of the negotiating position that America only builds her warships in America, while holding the door open wide for world-class shipbuilders wishing to join that noble endeavor to bring their talents here. Only sustained long-term investment in the United States by preeminent allied shipbuilding players can restore the health of American seapower. – Defense One