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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS – NIGER
Ecowas, a bloc of West African nations, agreed to assemble a “standby” military force to intervene in Niger. Ecowas approved armed intervention in Niger “as soon as possible,” but Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu affirmed that using force would only be a “last resort.” Sean Seddon reports for BBC News.
The junta in Niger will be held accountable for the safety of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, his family, and detained government members, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service is aware of “a complex intelligence concern” linked to China in and against New Zealand and the Pacific region, it said in a report today. The most significant foreign interference is China’s targeting of New Zealand’s diverse ethnic Chinese communities. The report also highlighted foreign interference activity from Iran and Russia. Lucy Craymer reports for Reuters.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has defeated a no-confidence vote in the parliament concerning his handling of the deadly ethnic clashes in Manipur state. Over 150 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in Manipur since clashes broke out between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority in May. Modi criticized the vote as an attempt by opposition parties to “defame India.” BBC News reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
“Constant Russian shelling” has led Ukraine to order the mandatory evacuation of all civilians from 37 settlements in the northeast. Russia says its troops have gained ground in the area. Ukraine says Russian attacks have been repelled. Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News.
President Biden requested an additional $24 billion from Congress yesterday to help Ukraine. The request is part of a $40 billion spending package that would also pay for disaster relief and border enforcement. It is the first time Biden requested that lawmakers send more arms to Ukraine since Republicans took over the House in January. The request will test whether Ukraine still enjoys bipartisan support. Peter Baker and Luke Broadwater report for the New York Times.
Ukrainian sea drones, which are small, inexpensive, and challenging to defend against, have altered the military balance of power in the Black Sea in recent months, even though Russia has a more powerful navy. The sea drones have targeted Russian symbols of power in the region, including the headquarters of Russia’s fleet in occupied Crimea and a bridge connecting the peninsula to Russia. Jared Malsin reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Due to a series of delays, the Ukrainian pilots training to use F-16 fighter jets will not be ready before next summer, senior Ukrainian government and military officials said. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Emily Rauhala, and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.
Russia is replicating Iranian-made attack drones in a bid to overcome sanctions imposed to halt the country’s weapons production, according to a report by Conflict Armament Research released yesterday.
One person was killed and 16 injured yesterday following a Russian missile strike on a hotel in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, often used by U.N. personnel. It was the second strike on Zaporizhzhia in two days. Reuters reports.
Alarm grows among U.S. officials over Ukraine’s counter-offensive as progress is deemed “highly unlikely,” especially with winter approaching. “There is a frustration that they have not used more of the combat power that they have,” one U.S. official said. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft said that Ukrainian forces are outmanned and outgunned and need a “Plan B,” such as scaling back to focus on defense. Brad Dress reports for The Hill.
U.S. RELATIONS
The United States and Iran agreed to release five Americans detained in Iran in exchange for several Iranians jailed by the United States. The agreement will also grant Iran access to about $6 billion in oil revenue. The agreement, which has already seen five Iranian American dual citizens released into house arrest, was quietly negotiated for two years. Farnaz Fassihi and Michael D. Shear report for the New York Times.
China’s Ministry of State Security has exposed a Chinese national working for an unidentified Chinese military-industrial group for allegedly providing sensitive military information to the CIA, the Chinese civilian spy agency said today. The worker was allegedly offered “a huge amount” of money and immigration to the United States for his family in exchange for the information. The agency said the worker signed an espionage agreement with the United States and received assessment and training. Nectar Gan and Martha Zhou report for CNN.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS – TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Special counsel Jack Smith has proposed Jan. 2, 2024, as the start date of former President Trump’s election fraud case. The timeline would guarantee an extensive airing of the grave allegations against Trump just before the Republican primary vote. Prosecutors say the short timeline is justified by the extraordinary public interest in seeing this case resolved. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington yesterday allowed a civil lawsuit filed against ten fake electors to proceed. Two Democratic electors and a voter filed the lawsuit. They seek $2.4 million from the fake Republican electors and two of former President Trump’s attorneys, alleging they were part of a conspiracy by Trump to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Scott Bauer reports for AP News.
Former President Trump is ineligible to be president because the Constitution bars people who have engaged in an insurrection from holding government office, conservative professors William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen concluded in an article. “Trump can only hold office if two-thirds of Congress grant him amnesty for his conduct on Jan. 6,” Baude said. Their findings may encourage lawsuits from presidential candidates and ordinary voters arguing that the Constitution makes Trump ineligible for office. Adam Liptak reports for the New York Times.
OTHER DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. intelligence agencies will share more intelligence with U.S. companies, NGOs, and academia under the new National Intelligence Strategy. The strategy suggests that the intelligence community must work with partners to detect and deter supply-chain disruptions, infectious diseases, and other growing transnational threats. This focus on intelligence sharing is part of the broader Biden administration declassification effort. Warren P. Strobel reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The Defense Department launched Task Force Lima yesterday to understand how it might use such generative A.I. safely and explore how adversaries might use such tools to harm the United States. Patrick Tucker reports for Defense One.
U.S. suicides hit an estimated record 49,000 in 2022, a 2.6 percent increase over 2021, government data revealed yesterday. “Nine in 10 Americans believe America is facing a mental health crisis. The new suicide death data reported by CDC illustrates why” U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY), leading the investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, yesterday vowed to subpoena members of the Biden family, including possibly President Biden. Scott Wong reports for NBC News.