TVG Daily Brief 27 MAY 2025

27 MAY 2025

Stay informed and ahead of the curve with today’s top headlines, breaking stories, and the latest updates shaping our world. Get the BLUF (bottom line up front!) on defense, national security, economy, business development, technology, American manufacturing, school safety, 2A issues - and more. Prep for the whiplash and stay engaged. Know better - do better. Be the somebody!

DEFENSE

-Pentagon rolls out epic new ad touting end of wokeness under Trump, Hegseth: ‘No more gender confusion’: The Pentagon rolled out a pulse-pounding new ad for Memorial Day weekend at the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday, narrated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump, that touted efforts to root out wokeness in the military. Declaring that America’s fighting men and women are “laser-focused on our mission,” the spot shows service members taking part in intense training drills and battlefield combat while dramatic music swells and excerpts from speeches delivered by Trump and Hegseth play in the background. (NYP)

· “No more distraction, no more electric tanks, no more gender confusion, no more climate change worship. We are laser-focused on our mission of warfighting,” the defense secretary proclaims. Trump then declares that the US will measure military success “not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end.”

· The ad, titled “Peace through Strength,” was blasted out on the Pentagon’s social media platforms Sunday. A Pentagon spokesperson told The Post that the ad had been produced using old footage. In the spot, Hegseth also hails the “incredible” young men and women who are “giving up the best years of their lives” to serve their country.

· “Through our power and might, we will lead the world to peace,” Trump crows. “Our friends will respect us. Our enemies will fear us, and the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States military. “We will replenish the pride of our armed forces, end the recruitment crisis.”

-Hegseth to attend Asia defense summit, with no China meeting planned: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to the Shangri-La Dialogue, the largest defense conference in Asia, where he will deliver a speech on the Pentagon’s approach to the region under the second Trump administration. (Defense News)

· While in Singapore, though, Hegseth is not expected to meet with his counterpart from China, as his predecessor Lloyd Austin did last year. Beijing normally sends its defense minister to the summit but is unlikely to this year, downgrading its participation to a lower-level official.

· The gap would make it a year since an American defense secretary has met in person with his Chinese counterpart, even as the two militaries continue speaking at lower levels. “It is a signal that they are concerned about the level of engagement,” a U.S. defense official said of the Chinese choosing not to send their defense minister.

· Incoming defense secretaries usually take the Shangri-La Dialogue to project the new administration’s policy toward the region, which America’s military has considered the most important in the world for the last decade. Austin visited Singapore all four of his years in office and used his speeches to discuss the value America put on working with like-minded countries.

-Within Pete Hegseth's divided inner circle, a 'cold war' endures: An enduring rift among Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's cadre of senior advisers has divided the Pentagon's front office and fueled internal speculation about his long-term viability in the Cabinet post after several episodes that attracted White House scrutiny, according to numerous people familiar with the matter. (WP)

· The conflict within Hegseth's inner circle persists even after he purged several political appointees in April and attempts to portray a sense of unity among his remaining brain trust. His claims, however, are belied by continued behind-the-scenes dysfunction, brought on by unresolved personality conflicts, inexperience, vacancies in key leadership roles and a steady-state paranoia over what political crisis could emerge next, current and former officials said. They described the situation on the condition of anonymity because of its sensitivity and fear of retaliation. “There’s a cold war that exists in between flash points,” said one person, recounting numerous instances when tempers have flared among key figures on the secretary’s team. “It’s unsettling at times.”

· Perhaps the most combustible relationship among Hegseth’s aides is that of Eric Geressy and Ricky Buria, said several people familiar with the matter. Geressy, a retired soldier whom Hegseth has credited with mentoring him when they served together in Iraq, has voiced repeated concerns that Buria — until recently a military assistant to the defense secretary — has sought to marginalize colleagues to boost his own standing within the Trump administration, these people said.

· Friction between the two senior advisers remains palpable, those familiar with the situation say, and is emblematic of the instability that reigns at the Pentagon as Hegseth attempts to regain his footing after several scandals that irked the White House, alarmed Congress and left the former Fox News personality on the defensive.

· At the outset of his Memorial Day address Monday, the president said the defense secretary has “devoted his life to service members and veterans” and “is doing really well,” while acknowledging that he has “went through a lot.” “He’s a tough cookie,” Trump said. “That’s what we want, is a tough cookie.” But current and former defense officials who have witnessed the upheaval say it is unclear how long the polarizing defense secretary can survive in his role without imposing order on his own staff.

· This account of Hegseth’s attempt to reset his team is based on interviews with seven current and former U.S. officials with knowledge of the fraught dynamic that has taken hold at the Defense Department under his stewardship.

· Sean Parnell, a senior adviser and chief spokesman for Hegseth, minimized the tension, saying in a statement to The Washington Post that “workforce adjustments are a natural and necessary feature of any highly effective organization.” The defense secretary, Parnell said, is “committed to ensuring the Department of Defense has the right people in the right positions to execute President Trump’s agenda.”

· Parnell dismissed the significance of disagreements on Hegseth’s staff, saying that Americans outside Washington “don’t care about ‘palace intrigue’ or sensationalized, mainstream media gossip — they care about action.” Hegseth’s team, he said, is "working in unison" to focus the Defense Department on "its core mission of warfighting and to deliver results."

-Hegseth Restricts Press Access at Pentagon, Says Journalists Will Be Required to Sign Pledge: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken yet another step to curtail the work of the press inside the Pentagon by imposing harsh restrictions on where reporters can go without official escort in a memo released late Friday. (Military.com)

· The new rules forbid reporters from going into the hallway where Hegseth’s office is located “without an official approval and escort from the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs”—a job held by top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

· If reporters wish to visit the public affairs offices of any of the other services, “they are required to be formally escorted to and from those respective offices,” the memo adds. The Pentagon will also require reporters to sign a document pledging to protect “sensitive information,” likely setting up situations where unfavorable reporting involving documents could be used as pretense to strip journalists of access to the building.

· The move is just the latest in a series of restrictions on press access inside the Defense Department that began with booting legacy press outlets from their workspaces inside the Pentagon and then escalated to closing the press briefing room to reporters.

· While none of the actions outright prohibit the press from covering the largest federal agency, they are an escalating trend of ever increasing restrictions on how much access reporters can have to officials who run each of the military services and the Defense Department.

-Trump’s speech to West Point graduates mixes praise, politics and grievances: President Donald Trump used the first service academy commencement address of his second term Saturday to laud graduating West Point cadets for their accomplishments and career choice while also veering sharply into a campaign-style recitation of political boasts and long-held grievances. (AP)

· “In a few moments, you’ll become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history,” Trump said at the ceremony at Michie Stadium. “And you will become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term.”

· Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, the Republican president told the 1,002 members of the class of 2025 at the U.S. Military Academy that the United States is the “hottest country in the world” and underscored an “America First” ethos for the military.

· “We’re getting rid of distractions and we’re focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before,” Trump said. He later said that “the job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows or transform foreign cultures,” a reference to drag shows on military bases that Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration halted after Republican criticism.

· Trump said the cadets were graduating at a “defining moment” in Army history as he accused political leaders in the past of sending soldiers into “nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us.” He said he was clearing the military of transgender ideas, “critical race theory” and types of training he called divisive and political. Past administrations, he said, “subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects and political causes while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries’ wars.”

-Vance says Trump will use US military decisively rather than in ‘open-ended conflicts’ of the past: Vice President JD Vance told military academy graduates Friday that President Donald Trump is working to ensure that U.S. armed forces are only sent into harm’s way with clear goals rather than the “undefined missions” and “open-ended conflicts” of the past. (AP)

· Vance, in a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy, said Trump’s approach “doesn’t mean that we ignore threats but means that we approach them with discipline and if we send you to war, we do it with a very specific set of goals in mind.”

· Vance said the alternative under Trump will be quicker-hit military actions, pointing to the bombing that Trump recently ordered—then paused to uncertain effect—against Houthis rebels in Yemen. “That’s how miliary power should be used,” he said. “Decisively with a clear objective.”

· Vance, in his first remarks as vice president to one of the military service academies, also spoke briefly about his own military service as he addressed the 1,049 graduates in Annapolis’ class of 2025, most of them newly commissioned ensigns and second lieutenants.

-Trump Downsizes National Security Council: Trump moved to dramatically downsize the National Security Council, part of a restructuring that could see the group responsible for coordinating and implementing foreign policy at the White House cut in half. The restructuring effort was described Friday by a White House official on the condition of anonymity. Some NSC officials were placed on administrative leave and given less than two hours to clean out their desks, CNN reported. (Bloomberg)

· Trump has eyed reducing the footprint of the NSC at the White House since he sidelined Michael Waltz as the National Security Adviser after Waltz’s inadvertent addition of a journalist to a Signal group chat that discussed sensitive military plans, and installed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the interim head of the NSC.

· The deep cuts to the NSC are likely to intensify questions about Trump’s policymaking process at a time when the president is attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, and set tariff rates with dozens of nations.

-Tuberville’s military promotion hold disrupted family lives but did not hurt readiness, according to watchdog: A 10-month blockade on 447 military promotions initiated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., in 2023 disrupted the flow of leadership and upended some military families’ lives but did not harm readiness, according to a government watchdog. The Government Accountability Office found the effect of the hold varied based on individual circumstances, with some families experiencing a limited impact while others were unable to move to planned duty stations, enroll children in schools on time and start new spousal jobs. (Stars and Stripes)

· But the warnings by former defense secretaries and others that the hold risked national security were unsubstantiated, the GAO wrote in a recent report. Data and an interview with a Defense Department official involved in readiness oversight showed the blockade did not stop military units from completing missions.

-‘That’s the Way Militaries Work in Russia and China and North Korea’: Seth Moulton, the Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, knows a few things about generals. As a Marine officer in Iraq in the early years of the war, he served as one of three aides on Gen. David Petraeus’ elite counterinsurgency task force. Later, when he ran for Congress in 2014, he was endorsed by retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Moulton has also been an outspoken critic of the strategic failures by military leadership in Iraq and of military careerism more broadly, which has too often rewarded leaders who did not make hard decisions and were promoted anyway. (Politico)

· But he has nothing but scorn for what he says is the crude and overtly political way that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has chosen to revamp the highest echelons of the military. Hegseth, also an Iraq veteran, recently announced he would slash 20 percent of 4-star officers and 10 percent of all other generals and admirals to “drive innovation and operational excellence unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers.”

· In a conversation with POLITICO Magazine, Moulton, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, explains why he agrees with Hegseth that the military is top-heavy — but why Hegseth’s purge appears completely political and ultimately undermines military readiness.

· “That’s a recipe not just for a politicized military, but an authoritarian military,” Moulton said. “That’s the way militaries work in Russia and China and North Korea. And by the way, it’s a big part of why those militaries are not as strong and capable as our own.”

-Bill aims to lock in DIU’s dual-use reservist corps: Two veterans now serving in Congress took a step Friday to institutionalize one of the Defense Department’s most effective—but lesser-known—bridges between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon: the Joint Reserve Detachment of the Defense Innovation Unit. (Defense One)

· Formalizing the jobs of the roughly 50 members of the JRD would “increase their ability to consult and advise on critical national security ideas and solutions” according to a one-page explainer from the office of Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, viewed exclusively by Defense One. Nunn is currently an Air Force colonel in the reserves.

· “By leveraging our greatest asset—talented, patriotic Americans willing to bring their technical expertise to bear to serve our nation’s defense—we’re actively driving and enabling DOD to adopt new tech and capabilities and rapidly put them in the hands of our troops,” said Rep. Pat Ryan, D-NY, an Army veteran.

· The Joint Reserve Detachment (JRD) Formalization Act would amend Title 10 of the U.S. Code to mandate what has until now been voluntary. The bill changes a single phrase in Section 1766(a) from “may establish” to “shall establish and maintain,” making it a legal requirement for the Secretary of Defense to sustain the JRD as a permanent component of DIU, according to the bill’s text.

· This linguistic pivot could have larger implications. The current legal framing allows DIU—an organization tasked with accelerating the adoption of commercial technology across the Department of Defense—to build a part-time force of tech-savvy reservists if it chooses. The proposed change would require it to do so, requiring what has been, until now, a discretionary experiment.

-US spent $6 billion in the past 3 years to recruit and retain troops: The U.S. military spent more than $6 billion over the past three years to recruit and retain service members, in what has been a growing campaign to counter enlistment shortfalls. (AP)

· The financial incentives to reenlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines increased dramatically from 2022 through last year, with the Navy vastly outspending the others, according to funding totals provided by the services. The overall amount of recruiting bonuses also rose steadily, fueled by significant jumps in spending by the Army and Marine Corps.

· The military services have routinely poured money into recruiting and retention bonuses over the years. But the totals spiked as Pentagon leaders tried to reverse falling enlistment numbers, particularly as COVID-19 restrictions locked down public events, fairs and school visits that recruiters relied on to meet with young people.

· Coupled with an array of new programs, an increased number of recruiters and adjustments to enlistment requirements, the additional incentives have helped the services bounce back from the shortfalls. All but the Navy met their recruiting targets last year and all are expected to do so this year.

· President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trump’s election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But the enlistment increases began long before last November, and officials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done, including the increased financial incentives.

-Report: No clear strategy for maintaining Guam missile defense: Despite being a central part of the U.S. military’s strategy in the Pacific, there still isn’t a clear strategy for maintaining the missile defense systems on Guam. That’s according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, which found that different military services have not fully determined when they will take over sustainment for missile defense equipment. The report, “DOD Faces Support Challenges for Defense of Guam,” also found specific requirements for sustainment and operations means other aspects including training and the exact number of personnel needed still are undetermined. (Task & Purpose)

· “DOD does not have a strategy that includes a timeline and a plan for determining when and how the lead organization — the military services or [Missile Defense Agency] — will assume responsibility for operating and sustaining those elements,” the GAO wrote. “MDA officials noted that they will fund sustainment of the systems they are developing for Guam until they fully transfer operations and sustainment to the military services.”

· In addition, the Army reported to the GAO that it is waiting on the Defense Department to designate who will lead both missile defense operations and sustainment before it can finalize its own personnel plans for Guam.

-Military Parade Concerns Dissolve With a More Acquiescent Pentagon: There will be 28 Abrams tanks, 6,700 soldiers, 50 helicopters, 34 horses, two mules and a dog, according to the Army’s plans for the June 14 event. In President Trump’s first term, the Pentagon opposed his desire for a military parade in Washington, wanting to keep the armed forces out of politics. But in Mr. Trump’s second term, that guardrail has vanished. There will be a parade this year, and on the president’s 79th birthday, no less. (NYT)

· The current plan involves a tremendous scene in the center of Washington: 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks (at 70 tons each for the heaviest in service); 28 Stryker armored personnel carriers; more than 100 other vehicles; a World War II-era B-25 bomber; 6,700 soldiers; 50 helicopters; 34 horses; two mules; and a dog. But critics say it is another example of how Mr. Trump has politicized the military.

· The Army estimates the cost at $25 million to $45 million. But it could be higher because the Army has promised to fix any city streets that the parade damages, plus the cost of cleanup and police are not yet part of the estimate. While $45 million is a tiny fraction of Mr. Trump’s proposed Pentagon budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, it comes as the administration seeks to slash funding for education, health and public assistance. “It’s a lot of money,” the Army spokesman Steve Warren acknowledged. “But I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America’s Army.”

· The Army is not calling the event a birthday parade for Mr. Trump. It is the Army’s birthday parade. The Continental Army was officially formed on June 14, 1775, so June 14 will mark 250 years. That also happens to be Mr. Trump’s birthday.

-Some Army Paratroopers Receive Pay Raise -- Funded by Cuts to Training Jumps: The Pentagon on Tuesday announced that it will increase hazardous duty incentive pay for paratroopers, commonly known as jump pay. The monthly stipend will rise from $150 to $200, marking the first increase since 1998. (Military.com)

· Additionally, jumpmasters—the paratroopers responsible for training and overseeing airborne operations—will receive an extra $150 monthly bonus on top of their existing jump pay. The new jumpmaster pay and jump pay boost go into effect Oct. 1.

· Paratroopers, whose jobs include parachuting out of airplanes and helicopters, have among the most physically demanding jobs in the Pentagon’s portfolio, something jump pay is generally meant to compensate for.

· “Here’s to our paratroopers, our jumpmasters, who do the difficult things in difficult places that most Americans can never imagine,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Thursday during a visit to Fort Bragg, North Carolina—the Army’s highest-profile installation and home of the 82nd Airborne Division and Special Forces.

· The move was paid for by cutting jump pay from some 20,000 troops. Paratroopers have to jump once a quarter to qualify for the extra pay, but many support roles in airborne units are now exempt from that training amid constrained training resources and difficulty scheduling soldiers to jump. That cut saved the Army some $36 million annually.

-Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldier's mother searches for answers: Just days before Sgt. Quandarius Stanley died in his Veterans Affairs hospital bed, his mother saw a glimmer of recovery. The 23-year old soldier was struck by a forklift last May, resulting in devastating head injuries, while on the ill-fated U.S. mission to build a pier off Gaza for humanitarian aid delivery. He was left fighting for his life in an Israeli hospital, then transferred to Texas for months of intensive care — unable to move or speak. (WP)

· In late October, a dental hygienist asked him to open his mouth for a quick look. He opened wide — the first time in five months he had responded to anyone, his mother Anna Stanley recalled. The room erupted in applause. Anna was deep into planning for his discharge, and this small miracle filled her with hope. He would need lifelong care, but he would be home.

· In the predawn morning of Oct. 31, VA hospital staff found Quandarius unresponsive. His mother rushed to the lobby, still in her pajamas, and banged on the glass doors at the entrance, desperate to see her son. He was already dead. “They dropped the ball,” Anna said in an interview, with reams of VA records stacked on her coffee table detailing the death of her only child. “Everybody was shocked.”

· The private autopsy she requested would raise alarming questions about Quandarius’s final moments. His blood showed “markedly elevated levels” of a medication used to treat his involuntary movements, and he probably died as a result of the toxicity, the report found. The autopsy also detected the presence of alcohol, a bewildering conclusion given his only way to ingest nutrients was through a feeding tube in his stomach.

· His family has been left to confront these mysteries on the first anniversary of his injury off the Gaza coast, and the first Memorial Day at home without him. Army and VA officials, they said, have been unable to fully answer two essential questions: What or whom was at fault for the forklift injury at sea? And why, when Quandarius showed promise of getting better, did he die unexpectedly under close medical supervision?

· This story is based on interviews with the Stanley family, the findings of an Army investigation into the incident off Gaza and a review of dozens of pages of Quandarius’s medical information, including VA records and his private autopsy report.

· VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz declined to answer questions about Stanley’s care and death at the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina. VA officials also declined requests to make Quandarius’s doctors available for an interview, or say whether his death was investigated. “VA extends its deepest condolences to the family of Sgt. Stanley,” Kasperowicz said. “VA remains committed to providing high-quality care to all Veterans.”

· Army Central, which oversees operations throughout the Middle East and led the accident investigation, found numerous leadership shortfalls and safety gaps in Quandarius’s brigade but said it did not recommend any punishment over the forklift accident. It also did not identify any commander or unit responsible for the outcome. “Multiple factors contributed to this incident,” said Lt. Col. Christina Wright, an Army Central spokesperson, who said the findings helped implement safer methods to work on temporary piers. More than 60 personnel were injured on last year's Gaza mission.

-The Army's ultimate memorial honor: Horse: At 6:30 a.m., the scrape of manure shovels and the shuffling of horse hooves echoed through the red-brick stable at Ft. Myer. Soldiers from the caisson detachment in blue jeans, black shirts and white cowboy hats mucked out stalls. Kennedy, Lance and Truman – statuesque, dark horses – poked their heads between steel bars, eyes wide. (USA Today)

· The unit is in its final days of practice, preparing for the return June 2 of carrying deceased troops by horse-drawn caisson wagon to their graves, a tradition that dates to the 19th century. USA TODAY had access to the soldiers and horses of the caisson detachment, part of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” during one of their final rehearsals.

· “It’s been two years since we’ve taken part in a funeral,” said Lt. Col. Jason Crawford, a veterinarian and former rodeo rider who commands the unit. “We’re getting that muscle memory back.”

· For decades, soldiers had been providing funeral services at the cemetery with caissons, wagons that once hauled supplies to the front and brought fallen troops home. That stopped in May 2023 after two of the unit’s horses, Mickey and Tony, died after gravel they’d eaten fouled their guts. An Army investigation found four horses had died in a year, the Army’s herd had grown old and their training and facilities were outdated.

· Since then, the Army has spent more than $28 million to upgrade stables, rehabilitate horses, buy new and younger ones and hire experts to advise on their care and training. Their equipment, from rubber mats to cushion their hooves to custom-made saddles for their backs, has been improved, too.

-What a historic absence of its top officer means for the Navy: Walking in the Pentagon’s river entrance, a visitor is greeted by a series of photographs on the walls featuring the top uniformed member of the military services. But for the last 91 days, in the spot where a photo of the chief of naval operations should be, has been a black piece of paper — marking the absence of a Senate-confirmed senior Navy officer. (Breaking Defense)

· Earlier this month, the Navy hit an ignominious milestone: The longest stretch in the service’s history it has been without a confirmed chief of naval operations. And with the Trump administration yet to name a nominee, former Navy officials, lawmakers and experts are sounding the alarm.

· “We do need a presidential nominated and Senate-confirmed CNO in place,” said Steven Wills, a naval historian and associate at the Center for Maritime Strategy. “CNO provides the course that all other Navy flags follow … They set force design priorities, make key budget decisions and set the tone for the entire service.”

-The body of a missing airman is recovered from a lake in New Mexico: The body of a U.S. Air Force member was recovered from a lake in southern New Mexico on Monday, two days after the airman assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base went missing at the popular recreation spot, military authorities said. The member of the 351st Special Warfare Training Squadron went missing at Elephant Butte Lake on Saturday and hasn't been identified publicly under procedures for notifying next of kin, said Lt. Daniel Fernandez, a spokesperson for Kirtland. (AP)

· An investigation into the death was underway by state authorities overseeing Elephant Butte Lake State Park, a popular getaway between Albuquerque and El Paso, Texas. State Parks spokesperson Sidney Hill said there are no indications of foul play. The body was transferred to the state Office of the Medical Investigator to determine the cause of death.

-The U.S. Reinforces Europe's Northern Front, Fearing War With Russia: At the crack of dawn, a dozen U.S. Marines recently took position in a field on this sleepy Swedish island about 200 miles from the Russian city of Kaliningrad and fired their mobile rocket system. The dummy munitions splashed into the Baltic Sea, yet they sent a message to Russia: Even as President Trump has thrown NATO into a historic crisis by questioning its efficacy, in Northern Europe, the U.S. military is doubling down. The Trump administration wants the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to get more "lethal." A testing ground is Europe's north, where NATO faces Russia on two sides. (WSJ)

· Some European officials worry that America’s commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance is waning, given Trump’s criticism of it and his stated desire to reduce military engagement abroad, but U.S. military commanders say their posture remains firm.

· “From a U.S. Army perspective, my orders haven’t changed,” said Brig. Gen. Andrew Saslav, deputy chief of staff for operations for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. While the question of future U.S. engagement is “on my mind,” he said, “I have been doing this too long to get hyperfocused on political winds and messaging that isn’t orders.”

· The high north and the Baltics have been thrust into the center of U.S. war planning, as their access to shipping routes, territory and energy reserves will be crucial to the West in a new era of geopolitical conflict. The region is hawkish on Russia and is driving European efforts to rearm and boost defense budgets, including support for Ukraine’s armed forces.

-US Denies Report of Possible Troop Withdrawal From South Korea: The US denied a media report that Washington is reviewing a proposal to withdraw some of its forces stationed in South Korea. The US remains firmly committed to the defense of South Korea, and “we look forward to working with the incoming government officials to maintain and strengthen our iron clad alliance,” Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell, said in a statement. South Korea will elect a new president on June 3. Reports of a reduction of US troops in South Korea are “not true,” the statement added. (Bloomberg)

· Earlier, South Korea’s defense ministry also said there have been no discussions with the US over a possible pullback of American troops stationed in the country. The comments come after The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that the proposal could result in the removal of about 4,500 American troops based in South Korea. Such a move risks stirring security concerns in the divided Korean peninsula.

· South Korea’s defense ministry said there has been “absolutely no discussion” with the US regarding a potential US troop withdrawal. US troops stationed in South Korea are a core part of the two countries’ alliance, helping to deter North Korea from invading or making provocations while contributing to peace and stability in the region, the ministry said in a text message to reporters.

· One of the options under discussion includes relocating some of the 28,500 US troops in South Korea to other locations in the Indo-Pacific region, including Guam, the report said. The proposal has not reached US President Donald Trump’s desk yet and is one of several ideas being discussed by senior officials conducting the review, the report said.

-‘It needs to be a thousand’: US has 500 military trainers on Taiwan, retired admiral says: About 500 U.S. defense trainers are operating on Taiwan, more than 10 times the number previously disclosed, according to recent congressional testimony by a retired U.S. Navy admiral. Mark Montgomery, speaking May 15 before the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist party, said the U.S. should double that number to help Taiwan build “a true counter-intervention force.” “We absolutely have to grow the joint training team in Taiwan,” he told the lawmakers, according to a transcript of his remarks posted on the committee’s website. (Stars and Stripes)

· Montgomery did not specify whether the personnel are active-duty troops, reservists or civilian contractors. “It needs to be a thousand,” he said. “If we are going to give them billions of dollars in assistance, sell them tens of billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. gear, it makes sense that we would be over there training and working.”

-U.S. tells Africa allies to manage own security: The U.S. military is backing off its traditional talk of good governance and countering insurgencies' underlying causes, instead leaning into a message that its vulnerable allies in Africa must be ready to stand more on their own. At African Lion, its largest joint training exercise on the continent, that shift was clear: "We need to be able to get our partners to the level of independent operations," Marine Gen. Michael Langley said in an interview with the Associated Press. "There needs to be some burden-sharing," Langley, the U.S. military's top official in Africa, said Friday, the final day of the exercise. (AP)

· For four weeks, troops from more than 40 countries rehearsed how to confront threats by air, land and sea. They flew drones, simulated close-quarters combat and launched satellite-guided rockets in the desert. Maneuvers mirrored previous editions of African Lion, now in its 21st year. But mostly gone now is language that emphasizes ideas the U.S. once argued set it apart from Russia and China.

· Messaging about the interwoven work of defense, diplomacy and development once formed the core of Washington’s security pitch. In its place now are calls for helping allies build capacity to manage their own security, which Langley said was a priority for President Trump’s Defense Department. “We have our set priorities now—protecting the homeland. And we’re also looking for other countries to contribute to some of these global instability areas,” he said, referencing U.S. support for Sudan.

· The shift comes as the U.S. military makes moves to “build a leaner, more lethal force,” including potentially cutting military leadership positions in places such as Africa, where America’s rivals continue to deepen their influence. China has launched its own expansive training program for African militaries. Russian mercenaries are recalibrating and cementing their role as the security partner of choice throughout North, West and Central Africa.

-How U.S. cuts in Somalia could imperil the fight against al-Shabab: As President Donald Trump overhauls U.S. policy in Africa — slashing foreign aid programs and paring back assistance for allied forces in the region — al-Shabab militants are on the march in Somalia. One of al-Qaeda's best-funded and most lethal global affiliates, al-Shabab has retaken important towns from Somali forces over the past three months. Its fighters previously launched an assault on a U.S. airfield in Kenya and plotted attacks on the U.S. mainland. (WP)

· Under the second Trump administration, it's unclear whether Washington believes that the battle against the group should still be a priority — or if the Somali government, long racked by corruption, is capable of leading the fight. "The Trump administration is apparently not convinced that al-Shabab represents a direct threat to U.S. interests," said Matt Bryden, founder of Sahan, a Nairobi-based think tank. But further gains by the group "would have far-reaching implications for U.S. policy in Africa and much of the Middle East," he said.

VETERANS

-At Veterans Affairs, plan for sweeping cuts tanks morale: Morale is plummeting inside the Department of Veterans Affairs as tens of thousands of employees prepare for deep staffing cuts, raising alarms among employees, veterans and advocates who fear the reductions would severely damage care and benefits for millions of the nation's former service members. (WP)

· VA Secretary Douglas A. Collins has signaled plans to shrink the agency’s workforce by 15 percent — or about 83,000 employees. Although agency officials insist front-line health-care workers and claims processors will be spared, the vague and shifting details of the Trump administration’s downsizing plan have only fueled anxiety and speculation within VA’s massive workforce.

· The uncertainty is already taking a toll. Thousands of employees across VA’s health and benefits systems have opted for early retirement in two waves, which would pay them through Sept. 30 to get them to leave, according to internal data reviewed by The Washington Post. Many of these employees said they are opting to leave out of fear that they would be laid off anyway.

· Many Democrats have already seized on President Donald Trump’s VA cuts as damaging to veterans, and some Republicans worry about the political risks of firings and other reductions at the agency. “The veterans now check in and ask us how we are doing,” one social worker at a hospital in the Great Lakes region told The Post. “They see the news and are very aware of the circumstances and fearful of losing VA support that they depend on.” A contractor at the VA medical center in Palo Alto, California, described employees as “fearful, paranoid, demoralized.” “There’s some cracks starting to show,” said an ICU doctor at a Florida facility.

· This account of turmoil within Veterans Affairs is based on interviews with more than two dozen current and former employees, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations. The Post also reviewed more than two dozen pages of internal agency records and communications.

· In response to questions from The Post, VA spokesman Peter Kasperowicz pointed to problems in the agency that have existed for years. “During the Biden Administration, VA failed to address nearly all of its most serious problems, such as benefits backlogs, rising health-care wait times and major issues with survivor benefits,” Kasperowicz said in a statement. "The far-left Washington Post refused to cover these failures because it would have made the Biden Administration look bad." Specifically responding to the concerns employees shared about morale, Kasperowicz said The Post is to blame. "The people you spoke with are probably being misled by The Washington Post's dishonest, far-left fearmongering," he said.

-Vets groups torch Dems for holding up key VA picks, including memorials chief, on Memorial Day: A slew of veterans’ groups, along with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, are criticizing Senate Democrats for delaying key agency nominations over what some have called unserious or "DOGE-type" concerns. One top nominee currently facing the collective procedural roadblock ahead of Memorial Day is wounded warrior Sam Brown, a former Nevada senatorial candidate and Army captain who was burned over more than one-third of his body when the Humvee he was riding in in Helmand, Afghanistan, hit a roadside IED that incinerated its fuel tank. (Fox News)

· He was nominated by President Donald Trump as undersecretary for memorial affairs, which maintains cemeteries and facilitates veterans’ burial ceremonies – about 100,000 per year. A letter from about two dozen veterans’ groups addressed to Senate VA Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., ranking member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and caucus leaders was obtained Friday by Fox News Digital.

· The groups note that they respect the Senate’s advise-and-consent role, but object to the current situation. They note that the VA has the fewest presidentially nominated positions and that other agency nominees receive overnight and weekend considerations at times. “We will be happy to bring the senators coffee and donuts during such late night and weekend sessions, of course in compliance with the Senate’s gift and ethics rules,” the groups wrote.

· Brown and all other nominees since April have been held up by Blumenthal and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. – but the lawmakers say their move is not personal and instead aimed to halt mass firings and other Trump-era actions. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, indicated that he would join the two Democrats, after a confirmation hearing for Brown, Marine Lt. Col. James Baehr for general counsel and Army veteran Richard Topping for VA CFO, was mooted in April by the procedural hold. “We’ve had 2,400 firings so far,” King said, according to Stars & Stripes.

· Vietnam Veterans of America, in a separate letter obtained by Fox News Digital, demanded Brown, Baehr and Topping be confirmed summarily. “All three of these veterans received favorable reports following the April 9th nominations process from the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee,” wrote VVA President Jack McManus. McManus said that many Vietnam Vets are concerned about the hold-up and agree that Brown and the others are eminently qualified, blaming “two members of the US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee” for “affecting services to our veterans.”

· Another letter from the Independence Fund, which provides resources, including trackchairs, to severely wounded veterans, said a fully staffed VA central office is crucial to its mission.

-A double amputee who served in Iraq is pushing lawmakers to end the 'wounded veterans tax': When Army veteran Dan Nevins was forced to medically retire from the military after losing both his legs in combat, he thought he’d be financially taken care of by the country that he served. But Nevins soon discovered the so-called “wounded veterans tax” — an unofficial term for a federal policy that prohibits certain injured veterans from receiving both their full retirement pay and disability compensation. “I was told I could not receive both,” Nevins told NBC News in an interview. “And I was like, ‘Wait a minute. That’s not what I thought was going to happen.’” (NBC News)

· It’s an issue that affects around 50,000 veterans, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, costing them each about $1,900 per month. Under current federal policy, veterans who have less than 20 years of service and a disability rating under 50% get a dollar taken out of their retirement for every dollar they receive in disability compensation. The disability rating is assigned by the Veterans Affairs Department and assesses how much an injury or disability may impact a veteran’s health and ability to function. And now, Nevins is pushing lawmakers in Washington to change that.

· In 2004, when Nevins was deployed to Iraq as a squad leader, an improvised explosive device detonated beneath his vehicle. The blast killed his platoon sergeant, and eventually both of Nevins legs would be amputated below the knee because of the injuries he sustained.

· After a painful and lengthy recovery process, which included 36 surgeries and an 18-month stay at Walter Reed Hospital, Nevins started to live his life again. That included learning some new skills, such as becoming a certified yoga instructor. But because of his injuries, Nevins left the military earlier than anticipated. That is when, to his surprise, Nevins learned that he would not be receiving his full retirement pay. “It’s a tragedy really,” Nevins said. “So many people are cutting what we would all take for granted out of their lives, just so they can survive. And I mean, it’s not a ton of money, but it will help and really change lives and families for the better.”

· Congress is making a renewed push to eliminate the offset with a bipartisan bill, dubbed the Major Richard Star Act, that would give wounded veterans their full retirement benefits and disability pay. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is spearheading the effort in the Senate, where it has 71 co-sponsors, while Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., is leading the bill in the House, where it has 274 co-sponsors.

· “Veterans are retired early because of the wounds and the injuries they receive, and they’re entitled to disability compensation for them, but then their retirement pay is reduced dollar for dollar because of that disability compensation,” Blumenthal told NBC News. “They’re being penalized for being wounded. ... It’s about simple justice and fairness.”

· But the bill is costly: The CBO estimated in 2022 that the legislation would have cost $9.75 billion from 2024 to 2033. And at a time when the Trump administration is looking to trim government spending — including at the Veterans Affairs Department — cost concerns could stand in the way of passage.

· A spokesman for the VA said it does not typically comment on pending legislation, but vowed that no health care or benefits for veterans will be cut. The Department of Defense did not return a request for comment.

· Blumenthal said he sees “a number of paths” for the bill. He plans to offer it as an amendment to an annual defense policy bill later this year. And in the coming weeks, Blumenthal is going to try to bring it up under unanimous consent and “see who has the nerve to come forward and say we should deny our veterans basic fairness.”

-From battlefield injury to suicide prevention: How a wounded soldier is helping save fellow veterans' lives: Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Gade, a wounded soldier who refused to let the enemy win and built a career helping other soldiers in the classroom, is now assisting veterans as they cope with returning to normal life while facing dark times and possibly suicide. (Fox News)

· The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) National Veteran Suicide Prevention annual report, released in December 2024, revealed there were 47,891 suicides among all U.S. adults in 2022, averaging just over 131 per day. The numbers included 17.6 veteran suicides per day.

· Gade, a two-time Purple Heart recipient, serves as a senior advisor for America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP), which has a mission to partner with communities to prevent veteran suicide, while also helping communities figure out how to provide for their veterans.

· Through academic research with Duke University and other institutions, along with state and local agencies, AWP found that the veteran suicide rate is much higher than what is reported.

· In fact, the research conducted by AWP and its partners shows the veteran suicide rate is actually higher, Gade said, because many deaths go unreported. The organization, he added, is conducting rigorous research that is getting to some of the root causes of veteran dislocation, a term Gade used because dislocation, or disconnectedness, is “kind of a precondition for suicide.”

· “What they’re looking at is the disconnectedness in order to better prevent suicide,” he said. “So, it’s not about dumping money into crisis lines, because by the time somebody calls a crisis line, it’s way too late. And for a lot of people, they never call a crisis line; they just go to the gun safe. And that’s not good enough.”

· Instead, the process is about building veterans back up and helping them find their place in society, a process Gade said he personally experienced.

-America's story, as told by a rock star and a 100-year-old veteran: Harold "Hal" Urban, in the same dress wool Eisenhower jacket he wore after helping liberate a concentration camp 80 years ago, gave the man standing next to him a head-to-toe inspection Monday morning. "He's the one who sticks his tongue out?" Urban asked, before he met Gene Simmons on Memorial Day. "Not really my music. I like Bing Crosby and Lawrence Welk." Simmons, in leather pants, white snakeskin boots and dark glasses - no Kiss makeup - did not show his tongue when he met Urban. (WP)

· He stuck his hand out and held Urban's for a long, long beat, thanking the 100-year-old World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient for his part in the iconic rocker's history. Simmons's mother, as a teen, was held in that concentration camp. The men rode together on a sparkling, red-white-and-blue float through the nation's capital in the 20th annual Memorial Day parade that afternoon, bonded by a war story.

-WWII bomber crash left 11 dead and 'non-recoverable.' 4 are finally coming home: As the World War II bomber Heaven Can Wait was hit by enemy fire off the Pacific island of New Guinea on March 11, 1944, the co-pilot managed a final salute to flyers in an adjacent plane before crashing into the water. All 11 men aboard were killed. Their remains, deep below the vast sea, were designated as non-recoverable. Yet four crew members' remains are beginning to return to their hometowns after a remarkable investigation by family members and a recovery mission involving elite Navy divers who descended 200 feet (61 meters) in a pressurized bell to reach the sea floor. (AP)

· Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan, the radio operator, was buried with military honors and community support on Saturday in his hometown of Wappingers Falls, New York, more than eight decades after leaving behind his wife and baby son. The bombardier, 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly, was to be buried Monday in Livermore, California, where he grew up in a ranching family. The remains of the pilot, 1st Lt. Herbert Tennyson, and navigator, 2nd Lt. Donald Sheppick, will be interred in the coming months.

· The ceremonies are happening 12 years after one of Kelly's relatives, Scott Althaus, set out to solve the mystery of where exactly the plane went down. “I’m just so grateful,” he told The Associated Press. “It’s been an impossible journey — just should never have been able to get to this day. And here we are, 81 years later.”

GLOBAL

-Allies of Israel Raise Pressure To Cease War: For months, Israel's strongest allies had been reluctant to join a wave of global censure against the war. Now, even the Trump administration appears to be growing impatient. Through more than 18 months of war in Gaza, Israel has faced intense criticism from foreign leaders and aid groups but has rarely experienced sustained public censure, let alone concrete repercussions, from its close allies. Until now. (NYT)

· In recent weeks, partners such as the United States, Britain and France have become more willing to place Israel under overt pressure, culminating in President Trump’s call on Sunday for the war to wind down. “Israel, we’ve been talking to them, and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible,” Mr. Trump told reporters in New Jersey shortly before boarding Air Force One.

· Those comments contrast with the public position Mr. Trump held entering office in January, when he blamed Hamas rather than Israel for the war’s continuation. He was also careful to present a united front with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

· Mr. Trump’s latest intervention came hours before the German government, normally a steadfast supporter of Israel, expressed unusually strong criticism of Israel’s expanded attacks in Gaza. “What the Israeli Army is doing in the Gaza Strip right now—I honestly don’t understand what the goal is in causing such suffering to the civilian population,” said Friedrich Merz, Germany’s new chancellor, during an interview broadcast on television on Monday.

· The German shift came days after a similarly worded intervention from the right-wing Italian government, another ally of Israel that has previously avoided such strong condemnation of Israel. “Netanyahu must halt the raids on Gaza,” said Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister, in an interview posted on his ministry website. “We need an immediate cease-fire and the release of hostages by Hamas, which must leave Gaza.”

· In turn, those comments followed a coordinated effort by Britain, Canada and France to criticize Israel's decision to expand its operations in Gaza. In a joint statement last week, the three countries -- which had broadly supported Israel's right to respond to the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023 -- said the expansion was ''wholly disproportionate.'' All three countries warned of concrete repercussions if Israel did not change course.

-US-backed aid group begins Gaza operations as airstrikes kill dozens: A U.S.-backed foundation tasked with supplying aid to Gaza said it began operations on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to designated distribution sites following uncertainty about whether any assistance had reached civilians. The aid plan, which has been endorsed by Israel but rejected by the U.N., appeared to be unfolding amid fierce Israeli attacks on the enclave, including on a school building where dozens of Palestinians sheltering inside were killed. (Reuters)

-Head of New Gaza Aid Program Resigns, Citing Lack of Autonomy: The head of a group overseeing a contentious new aid program in the Gaza Strip resigned on Sunday, hours before the program was set to start operating, saying that he had found it impossible to perform the job independently. Jake Wood, the executive director of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, stepped down after reports in several news outlets, including The New York Times, raised questions about the group's independence and its connections with Israel. In a statement distributed by the foundation, Mr. Wood said: ''It is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.'' (NYT)

· Mr. Wood's departure followed growing acrimony within the traditional aid sector about efforts by Israel to replace the current aid system in Gaza with one overseen by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new and untested group founded late last year. The foundation has hired private contractors, including one run by a former C.I.A. officer, to secure and distribute food from four sites in areas of southern Gaza under Israeli military control. One site was expected to open on Monday, according to people familiar with the process.

-Israeli Forces Said They Killed a ‘Terrorist.’ He Was 14 Years Old: The death of Amer Rabee, a Palestinian American in the West Bank, has spurred anger over soldiers’ use of force and an apparent lack of accountability. The clothes were strewn on a ridge dotted with olive and almond trees, perched above a highway in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. On rust-colored earth sprinkled with wildflowers were a torn black T-shirt, black Converse socks and a pair of Nike Air white sneakers. Nearby lay a pair of bloodied, gray Nike sweatpants and a black hoodie perforated with holes. (NYT)

· Here, on April 6, near Turmus Aya, a village in the West Bank where most of the residents have U.S. citizenship, Israeli soldiers gunned down Amer Rabee a 14-year-old Palestinian American boy who was born in New Jersey. The military handed over his naked, bullet-ridden body a few hours later in a blue body bag, according to his family.

· The Israeli military has accused Amer and two of his friends of hurling rocks toward the highway and endangering civilians. It described the boys as “terrorists,” and said its soldiers had “eliminated” one and shot the two others.

· Amer’s family and one of the surviving boys deny the accusation, saying that they were picking almonds. Amer was shot multiple times in his upper body, according to photographs his family shared with The New York Times.

· Amer’s killing has added to accusations that the Israeli military uses excessive force and operates with impunity. It came amid a sharp spike in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, where the Israeli military has been carrying out raids and tightening control in the most sweeping crackdown on militancy there in a generation. Rampages by extremist settlers against Palestinians have also increased recently.

· Amer’s death has also raised questions about the American response to helping its own citizens. Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker of New Jersey have called for an American-led investigation into Amer’s death, but the Trump administration has remained largely noncommittal.

-Israel strikes Gaza as PM vows to bring hostages home: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday to bring back all hostages, "living and dead", as Gaza rescuers said Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people in the war-battered Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu's remarks came amid confusion about the fate of a proposed 70-day ceasefire that was to see the release of 10 Israeli hostages alongside more Palestinian prisoners. Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive in the Gaza Strip, drawing international condemnation as aid trickles in following a monthslong blockade that has caused severe food and medical shortages. (AFP)

· "If we don't achieve it today, we will achieve it tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. We are not giving up," Netanyahu said of freeing the captives. "We intend to bring them all back, the living and the dead," he added without mentioning a possible truce.

-Palestinian official says Hamas agrees to Gaza proposal, Israel dismisses it: A Palestinian official said on Monday that Hamas has agreed to a proposal by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for a Gaza ceasefire, only for an Israeli official to deny that the proposal was Washington's and add that no Israeli government could accept it. Witkoff also rejected the notion that Hamas had accepted his offer for a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, telling Reuters that what he had seen was "completely unacceptable" and the proposal being discussed was not the same as his. (Reuters)

· The Palestinian official, who is close to Hamas, had told Reuters that the proposal would see the release of 10 hostages and a 70-day ceasefire and was received by Hamas through mediators. "The proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two groups in return for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," the source said. It also included the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, including hundreds serving lengthy prison terms.

· An Israeli official dismissed the proposal, saying no responsible government could accept such an agreement and rejecting the assertion that the deal matched one proposed by Witkoff.

-Israel Aims to Control 75% of Gaza in Two Months, Military Says: The Israeli military on Sunday said that it plans to capture 75% of the Gaza Strip within two months and push Palestinian civilians into just a quarter of the Strip’s territory as part of a new effort to rid Gaza of Hamas. The military is also planning to roll out a new U.S.-backed program to distribute aid in Gaza as early as Monday. It has built three complexes in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza where hundreds of American contractors will distribute aid to Palestinians, according to an Israeli official. (WSJ)

· The new aid will require a representative from each Palestinian family to come to one of the complexes to pick up an aid package every five days. The United Nations and aid groups, which have refused to participate in the plan, say it is too dangerous because it requires Palestinians to travel through a war zone for food and violates their principles of neutrality because Israel would be controlling the aid.

-Israeli military says it intercepted two attacks launched from Yemen: The Israeli military said on Tuesday it intercepted a missile and a projectile in separate launches from Yemen toward Israel. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have continued to fire missiles at Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, although they have agreed to halt attacks on U.S. ships. (Reuters)

-Majority of medical equipment supplies at 'stock zero' in Gaza, WHO says: The majority of supplies of medical equipment have run out in Gaza, while 42% of basic medicines including pain killers are out of stock, the World Health Organization said on Monday. "We are at stock zero of close to 64% of medical equipment and stock zero of 43% of essential medicines and 42% of vaccines," Hanan Balkhy, the WHO's Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, told reporters in Geneva. (Reuters)

-Far-right Israelis confront Palestinians, other Israelis in chaotic Jerusalem march, witnesses say: A large rally in Jerusalem marking Israel's capture of the city's east in the 1967 war descended into chaos on Monday as far-right Israeli Jews confronted and assaulted Palestinians, fellow Israelis and journalists, witnesses said. The annual "Flag March" drew tens of thousands of people, chanting, dancing and waving Israeli flags after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a longtime flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian tensions. (Reuters)

-Palestinians to raise flag at WHO for the first time after vote: The Palestinian delegation won the right to fly their flag at the World Health Organization after a symbolic victory in a vote on Monday that its envoy hopes will lead to greater recognition within the United Nations and beyond. The proposal, brought by China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and others, at the global agency's annual assembly in Geneva passed with 95 in favour and four against - Israel, Hungary, Czech Republic and Germany - and 27 abstentions. (Reuters)

-German chancellor criticises Israel's actions in Gaza: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised Israel's actions in Gaza on Monday, saying the extent of harm being done to the civilian population could no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas' terrorism. "When boundaries are crossed, where humanitarian international law is really being violated, then Germany too, then the German chancellor too must say something about it," Merz told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview. (Reuters)

· Germany has staunchly backed Israel's right to defend itself since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023 that triggered the war, reflecting what it sees as its duty to stand by the country in atonement for its own role in the Holocaust in which 6 million Jews died. But German government officials have increasingly stressed the need for Israel to adhere to international law in its response to the Hamas attacks, while mostly avoiding outright criticism of its actions in the Palestinian territories.

-Germany says to continue Israel arms sales amid embargo call: Germany will keep supplying weapons to Israel despite its intensified offensive in Gaza that has sparked international outcry, the foreign minister said on Monday, snubbing Spanish calls for an embargo. "As a country that understands Israel's security and existence as a core principle, Germany is always obliged to assist Israel in guaranteeing its security," Johann Wadephul told a joint press conference in Madrid alongside Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares. "That naturally includes being willing to supply weapons in the future," said Wadephul, citing Germany's unique responsibility towards Israel after the Holocaust. (AFP)

-Syria's government and Kurds reach agreement on returning families from notorious camp: Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria announced Monday they have reached an agreement with the transitional government in Damascus to evacuate Syrian citizens from a sprawling camp in the desert that houses tens of thousands of people with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State group. (AP)

· Sheikhmous Ahmed, an official in the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast, said an agreement was reached on a “joint mechanism” for returning the families from al-Hol camp after a meeting among local authorities, representatives of the central government in Damascus and a delegation from the U.S.-led international coalition fighting IS. Ahmed denied reports that administration of the camp will be handed over to Damascus in the near future, saying “there was no discussion in this regard with the visiting delegation or with the Damascus government."

· The U.S. military has been pushing for years for countries that have citizens at al-Hol and the smaller, separate Roj Camp to repatriate them. Iraq has taken back increasing numbers of citizens in recent years, but many other countries have remained reluctant.

-Syria's Kurds to insist on decentralised government in talks: official: Syria's Kurds will insist on a decentralised system of government in upcoming talks with the new authorities in Damascus, a senior Kurdish official said on Monday. The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria signed an agreement with the new Syrian government in March to integrate into Syria's state institutions. The two sides are expected to meet again in Damascus "soon" to discuss the implementation of the deal, Badran Ciya Kurd, a senior official in the Kurdish-led administration, told AFP. (AFP)

-Iran says it could survive if US nuclear talks end without a deal: Iran would be able to survive if negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear programme fail to secure a deal, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday, after President Donald Trump described weekend talks with Tehran as "very good". The negotiations aim to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions, and Trump has threatened Iran with crippling economic sanctions and bombing if no new nuclear agreement is reached. (Reuters)

-Saudi Arabia official denies reports of lifting ban on alcohol: A Saudi official denied on Monday media reports saying the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, would lift its 73-year-old ban on alcohol, which is prohibited for observant Muslims. The report, which was picked up by some international media after it appeared on a wine blog last week, said Saudi authorities planned to allow the controlled sale of alcohol as the country prepares to host the 2034 soccer World Cup. It did not give a source for the information. (Reuters)

-Trump says Putin has 'gone absolutely CRAZY,' considering more sanctions on Russia: U.S. President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY" by unleashing a massive aerial attack on Ukraine and said he was weighing new sanctions on Moscow, though he also scolded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Trump posted the remark on social media as sleeping Ukrainians woke to a third consecutive night of huge Russian aerial attacks, listening for hours to drones buzzing near their homes and eruptions of Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire. (Reuters)

· “Something has happened to him (Putin). He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump said of the Russian president on Truth Social. “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”

· Trump also criticised Zelenskiy, posting that the Ukrainian leader “is doing his Country no favours by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.”

· The Kremlin, asked about Trump’s remark about Putin being “crazy,” thanked the U.S. people and Trump for their assistance in launching peace negotiations but suggested Trump and others might be emotionally overloaded. “This is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

· Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, did not directly address Trump’s criticism. He said the repeated barrage of Russian attacks reflected Putin’s “political choice” and proved the Kremlin was not interested in ending the war. “There is no military sense in this, but it is an obvious political choice - a choice by Putin, a choice by Russia - a choice to continue the war and destroy lives,” he said.

· Zelenskiy said the attacks - more than 900 drones as well as missiles over three nights - showed that Russia was “playing with diplomacy.” Russia, he said, “deserves full-scale pressure, everything that can be done to limit their military capability.”

-Trump Considers Sanctions On Russia For War: President Trump is weighing new sanctions against Moscow amid frustration with the slow pace of talks to end the war in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin's escalating attacks there, including a major drone-and-missile assault early Monday, people familiar with Trump's thinking said. The restrictions likely wouldn't include new banking sanctions, one of the people said, but other options are under discussion to pressure the Russian leader into concessions at the negotiating table, including a 30-day cease-fire supported by Ukraine that Russia has long rejected. (WSJ)

· Trump is also tiring of the negotiations to end the war and is considering abandoning them all together if a final push doesn’t work, people familiar with his thinking said, a remarkable change after he campaigned on his ability to end the conflict on his first day in office. It is unclear what would happen if the U.S. retreats from the peace process and whether Trump would continue to provide military support to Ukraine. “President Trump has been clear he wants to see a negotiated peace deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

· The developments mark a new deterioration in relations between the U.S. and Russia—which have had ups and downs even in the past few months. Trump came into office believing he was in a unique position to improve ties between the two countries because of what he viewed as his strong personal relationship with Putin.

· But Trump has been unable to coax major concessions from the Russian leader on a negotiated peace with Ukraine, and Putin has intensified the war. Hours after Trump's comments Sunday, Russia launched its largest-ever drone-and-missile assault on Ukraine overnight into Monday. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched more than 350 explosive drones and at least nine cruise missiles. The Russians characterized the strikes as retaliation for Ukrainian bombings within Russian territory.

-Hoping for Less Drama On Ukraine and Trump At Yearly NATO Talks: The head of NATO wants the alliance's annual summit meeting next month to be short and sweet, European officials and diplomats say, to prevent the kind of open disunity over Ukraine that marred the gathering two years ago. But two things could leave the alliance's secretary general, Mark Rutte, presiding over a more difficult event: President Trump, who is expected to attend, is at odds with allies over Ukraine's future. And Ukraine itself wants to join NATO, an outcome Mr. Trump opposes. (NYT)

· The NATO summit, set for June 24-25 in the Netherlands, comes as the United States is retreating from maintaining primary responsibility to protect Europe, creating significant uncertainty about the continent's security. Trump administration officials have warned their European counterparts that major changes in American troop rotations are imminent even as they seek to reassure allies that the United States is committed to NATO.

-Ukraine's Zelenskiy expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, sources say: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, several sources told Reuters on Monday. A spokesperson for the chancellery declined to comment on the planned meeting, which was first reported by news outlet Spiegel. Spiegel said Zelenskiy would hold talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about possible steps towards further technical talks between Ukraine and Russia as well as briefing him on plans for a new EU sanctions package against Russia, Spiegel reported. The leaders are also expected to discuss further military support for Ukraine, the report said, adding that Zelenskiy would also meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. (Reuters)

-Germany's Merz anticipates prolonged Ukraine war due to Russia's reluctance for talks: Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine is expected to persist due to Russia's reluctance to enter negotiations. "Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war we are obviously still far from reaching that (situation)", Merz said at a joint press conference with Finish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Turku. (Reuters)

-Germany confirms restrictions lifted on Ukraine firing long-range missiles as Russia launches record aerial assault: Germany and other Ukrainian allies have lifted restrictions on Kyiv firing long-range missiles into Russia for the first time, the German chancellor said Monday, after days of Russia bombarding the capital and other regions with massive aerial attacks. It marks a significant change in approach from key allies, which had largely resisted Ukraine's requests to use Western-supplied weapons deep inside Russia. (CNN)

· "There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at a European forum in Berlin on Monday. "Neither from the British, nor from the French, nor from us. Nor by the Americans." "In other words, Ukraine can now also defend itself by attacking military positions in Russia, for example," he added.

-China denies Ukrainian reports on military supplies to Russia: China has never provided lethal weapons to any parties to the conflict in Ukraine and strictly controls dual-use items, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday in response to Ukrainian reports of Chinese supplies to Russian military plants. "The Ukrainian side knows this full well, and China firmly opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation," ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference. Ukraine's foreign intelligence chief on Monday said China is supplying a range of important products to 20 Russian military plants. (Reuters)

-Russian drone attacks dip in intensity after three nights of massive bombardment: Russia launched 60 drones at Ukraine overnight, injuring several people, officials in Kyiv said on Tuesday, indicating a sharp decrease in the intensity of Moscow's attacks after it conducted three nights of massive aerial bombardment. The earlier attacks - which the Ukrainian Air Force said included a record barrage of 355 drones on Sunday night - prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY" and threaten sanctions. (Reuters)

· The air force said Russia's latest drone attack hit targets in nine locations and used 60 drones. A 17-year-old boy was among 10 people who were injured overnight and early on Tuesday, officials said. "Air defence forces were working during the night in Dnipropetrovsk," Serhiy Lysak, governor of the central-eastern region, said on the Telegram messaging app.

-As Ukrainian POWs die in Russian prisons, autopsies point to a system of brutality: “Everything will be all right.” Ukrainian soldier Serhii Hryhoriev said this so often during brief phone calls from the front that his wife and two daughters took it to heart. His younger daughter, Oksana, tattooed the phrase on her wrist as a talisman. Even after Hryhoriev was captured by the Russian army in 2022, his anxious family clung to the belief that he would ultimately be OK. After all, Russia is bound by international law to protect prisoners of war. When Hryhoriev finally came home, though, it was in a body bag. (AP)

· A Russian death certificate said the 59-year-old died of a stroke. But a Ukrainian autopsy and a former POW who was detained with him tell a different story about how he died – one of violence and medical neglect at the hands of his captors.

· Hryhoriev is one of more than 200 Ukrainian POWs who have died while imprisoned since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago. Abuse inside Russian prisons was likely a contributing factor in many of these deaths, according to officials from human rights groups, the U.N., the Ukrainian government and a Ukrainian medical examiner who has performed dozens of POW autopsies.

· The officials say the prison death toll adds to evidence that Russia is systematically brutalizing captured soldiers. They say forensic discrepancies like Hryhoriev's, and the repatriation of bodies that are mutilated and decomposed, point to an effort to cover up alleged torture, starvation and poor health care at dozens of prisons and detention centers across Russia and occupied Ukraine.

-Ukrainian governor says Russian forces capture four villages in Sumy: The governor of Ukraine's Sumy region on the Russian border said on Monday that Russian forces had captured four villages as part of an attempt to create a "buffer zone" on Ukrainian territory. Russia's military and Russian military bloggers have in recent days reported captured villages in Sumy, which has come under frequent Russian air strikes for months. (Reuters)

-Russia accuses Ukraine of escalating air attacks to thwart peace talks: Moscow on Tuesday accused Kyiv of increasing air barrages with the aim of disrupting peace talks and said that its own massive assaults on Ukraine -- which killed 13 people at the weekend -- were a "response" to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia. "Kyiv, with the support of some European countries, has taken a series of provocative steps to thwart negotiations initiated by Russia," Moscow's defence ministry said, adding that the Russian army was striking Ukraine "in response to mass Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian regions". (AFP)

-Kremlin says work is continuing on Russian draft of peace memorandum: Serious work on Russia's proposal for a possible peace deal for the Ukraine war is ongoing and a draft has not yet been submitted, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. In a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia and Ukraine would work on a memorandum relating to a peace accord, prompting new accusations from Kyiv and European governments that Moscow was stalling and had no serious interest in peace. (Reuters)

-Recent Ukraine attacks prove Russia not interested in peace, Denmark says: Russia's attacks on Ukraine during the weekend proved that Moscow is not interested in peace, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday. "During the day Putin talks about negotiations, then he bombs Ukraine during the night," Frederiksen told reporters at a meeting of Nordic leaders in Finland. Russia overnight unleashed what the Ukrainian air force described as Russia's largest drone attack of the war to date. Frederiksen said the Nordic leaders had agreed their countries would support Ukraine for as long as it takes, adding the support could mean military aid, investments in Ukraine's defence industry and cooperation with Ukrainian companies. (Reuters)

-Kremlin says enhanced missile range for Ukraine would be dangerous: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said any decision by European countries that might give Ukraine enhanced long-range missile capabilities would be a dangerous move, Kremlin correspondent Alexander Yunashev reported. Peskov's comments came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had spoken about the absence of range restrictions for weapons delivered to Ukraine, which one German government official said did not represent a change in policy. (Reuters)

-Kremlin rejects accusations of Russian involvement in UK arson attacks: The Kremlin on Monday rejected claims of Russian involvement in arson attacks on houses and a car linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and said that London repeatedly saw the hand of Moscow behind anything bad that happened in Britain. Earlier this month, police were called to fires at a house in north London owned by Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live, and to a blaze involving a car that also used to belong to him. (Reuters)

-Putin threatens to 'throttle' Western firms remaining in Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday threatened to "throttle" Western firms remaining in Russia and acting against its interests, as part of Moscow's effort to beef up domestic software development. "We need to throttle them. I completely agree, and I say this without hesitation," he said in response to a businessman's call to curb the activities of US tech companies Zoom and Microsoft, which currently provide only limited services in Russia. (AFP)

· "We haven't kicked anyone out...we have provided the most favourable conditions for them to work in our market, and they are trying to throttle us," the Russian president said at a meeting with entrepreneurs, without providing details on how the Western companies were damaging Russia. "We must respond in kind, mirror their actions," added the Russian president, who has significantly tightened exit conditions for companies seeking to leave Russia, forcing many to sell their assets at steep discounts.

-Russia's cooling economy facing 'hypothermia' risks, minister warns: Russia's economy is facing "hypothermia" risks, Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said on Monday as he urged the central bank to take slowing inflation into account when it meets to set interest rates next week. Grappling with stubbornly high inflation, Russia's central bank has kept its key interest rate at 21% since October, a stance that has stifled investment just as the economic support provided by soaring military spending starts to decline. Russian authorities usually present a united front on policy matters, but high interest rates, hefty budget spending and the efficacy of capital controls have all led to public disagreements in the last few years. (Reuters)

-NATO’s Rutte says he assumes alliance will agree on 5% spending target: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday that he assumes alliance members will agree to a broad defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product during a summit in The Hague next month. "I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defence spend target of in total 5%," Rutte said at a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton. "Let's say that this 5%, but I will not say what is the individual breakup, but it will be considerably north of 3% when it comes to the hard spend, and it will be also a target on defence-related spending," he added. (Reuters)

-Finland summons Russian ambassador over suspected airspace violation: Finland's foreign ministry said on Monday it had summoned Russia's Helsinki ambassador over a suspected violation of Finnish airspace that took place last week. NATO member Finland on Friday said it believed two Russian military aircraft entered its airspace off the coast of Porvoo in the southern part of the Nordic country, and that the Finnish Border Guard was investigating the incident. (Reuters)

-Eleven countries demand EU weakens deforestation law further, document shows: The European Union is facing further pressure from member countries to delay and weaken its upcoming law to restrict deforestation, with 11 governments demanding changes, a document seen by Reuters showed. The world-first policy aims to end the 10% of global deforestation fuelled by EU consumption of imported soy, beef, palm oil and other products, but has become a politically contested part of Europe's green agenda. (Reuters)

-Anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders unveils a 10-point plan to slash migration in the Netherlands: Far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders announced a 10-point plan Monday that aims to radically slash migration, including using the army to guard land borders and turning away all asylum-seekers. The proposals put further strain on the fractious four-party ruling coalition that was cobbled together after Wilders’ Party for Freedom swept to victory in a 2023 Dutch election on a platform pledging to slash migration. “The gloves are off,” Wilders said. He added that if migration policy is not toughened up, his party “is out of the Cabinet.” (AP)

-Car ploughs into fans at Liverpool parade, 27 in hospital: A car ploughed into a crowd of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating their side's Premier League soccer title on Monday, hospitalising 27 people, with two seriously injured, but police said they did not believe the incident was terrorism-related. Police said they had arrested a "53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area," whom they believed to be the driver of the vehicle which struck a large group of supporters who were celebrating in the city in northwest England. (Reuters)

-French farmers bring tractors to Paris to press for looser rules: French farmers disrupted highway traffic around Paris and rallied in front of parliament with their tractors on Monday, protesting against amendments filed by opposition lawmakers to a bill that would loosen environmental regulations on farming. The draft legislation proposes simplifying approvals for breeding facilities and irrigation reservoirs and re-authorising a banned neonicotinoid pesticide used in sugar beet cultivation that environmentalists say is harmful to bees. (Reuters)

-France urges Armenia, Azerbaijan to sign peace deal: France on Monday called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to "quickly" sign a finalised peace treaty, after efforts to hammer out an agreement between the two arch-foes appeared to stall. The two Caucasus neighbours had for decades fought for control of the Karabakh region, a mountainous area of Azerbaijan that Baku recaptured from ethnic Armenian separatists in 2023. Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on the text of a peace deal in March, but Baku has since outlined a host of demands -- including changes to Armenia's constitution -- before it will sign the document. (AFP)

-Guam governor visits Taiwan, US territory would play key role in China invasion scenario: Taiwan this week is hosting the governor of Guam, the U.S. Pacific territory that would almost certainly be a key player in any Chinese military moves against Taiwan. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero is making her first trip to the self-governing island democracy since taking office in 2019. In that time China has significantly boosted its threat to invade Taiwan with new ships, missiles and warplanes. Military planners usually include Guam in their war gaming due to the large amount of U.S. troops and hardware it hosts. (AP)

-North Korea says US space shield is 'nuclear war scenario': North Korea's foreign ministry has criticised the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense shield project as a "very dangerous threatening initiative", state media said on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump on May 20 said he had picked a design for the Golden Dome missile defense system and named a leader of the ambitious $175 billion program. (Reuters)

-With North Korean leader Kim furious over failed destroyer launch, 4 officials have been detained: North Korea has detained four officials who it says are responsible for the failed launch of its second naval destroyer, which outside observers say was damaged much more than the country has disclosed. The detentions came after leader Kim Jong Un expressed fury over Wednesday's incident that he said was caused by criminal negligence. The main military committee said Friday that those responsible would be held accountable for their “unpardonable criminal act.” (AP)

-How North Korea Botched the Launch of a Warship: North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, watched the country’s newest 5,000-ton destroyer capsize during its launch last week in an embarrassing military failure. Experts say a technique used to maneuver the ship into the water sideways was part of the problem. It was the first time analysts had observed North Korea using the sideways launch for warships and pointed to a lack of experience, as well as political pressure from Mr. Kim for quick results, for the mishap. Three shipyard officials, including the chief shipyard engineer, and a senior munitions official have been arrested, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, after Mr. Kim called the capsizing a criminal act. (NYT)

· Satellite imagery from three days before the accident showed the 470-foot-long vessel, the biggest class of warships Pyongyang has ever built, on top of a launch ramp. About 40 meters from the ship, a structure that appeared to be a viewing area and likely where Mr. Kim was stationed during the incident, was under construction.

· The destroyer was assembled in Chongjin, a port city on North Korea’s northeastern coast, which is known for producing smaller vessels, such as cargo ships and fishing boats. In a report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research institute in Washington, analysts said the shipyard “undoubtedly” lacked expertise in manufacturing and launching large warships.

-A woman sues South Korea's government after her son was adopted abroad without her consent: A 72-year-old mother has filed a lawsuit against South Korea’s government and its largest adoption agency, alleging systematic failures in her forced separation from her toddler son who was sent to Norway without her consent. Choi Young-ja searched desperately for her son for nearly five decades before their emotional reunion in 2023. (AP)

· The damage claim by Choi, whose story was part of an Associated Press investigation also documented by Frontline (PBS), comes as South Korea faces growing pressure to address the extensive fraud and abuse that tainted its historic foreign adoption program.

· In a landmark report in March, South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that the government bears responsibility for facilitating an aggressive and loosely regulated foreign adoption program that carelessly or unnecessarily separated thousands of children from their families for multiple generations.

-Seoul slaps travel bans on two former acting presidents: Yonhap: South Korean authorities have imposed travel bans on two former acting presidents as part of an investigation into ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's December martial law bid, Yonhap news agency said Tuesday. "Police said on May 27 that former prime minister Han Duck-soo and former finance minister Choi Sang-mok have been banned from leaving the country as they are being investigated as suspects in an insurrection case," Yonhap reported, adding the ban came into effect in mid-May. (AFP)

-Chinese official discussed security with delegation from Pakistan's Balochistan: China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Bin met with a delegation from Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan on Monday, according to a ministry statement. The two sides exchanged views on issues including security and cooperation between China and the province. (Reuters)

-France, Vietnam sign deals worth $10 billion as Macron visits Hanoi: France and Vietnam signed deals on Monday on Airbus planes, defence and other pacts, worth over $10 billion as President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost France's influence in its former colony amid risks of high U.S. tariffs. Macron's first formal visit to Vietnam, the first by a French president in nearly a decade, follows U.S. President Donald Trump's threats on Friday to impose 50% duties on European Union goods from June 1, fuelling tensions with the 27-country bloc, though he later delayed that deadline to July 9. (Reuters)

-India approves stealth fighter programme amid tensions with Pakistan: India's defence minister has approved a framework for building the country's most advanced stealth fighter jet, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, amid a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after a military conflict between the neighbours. Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is executing the programme, will shortly invite initial interest from defence firms for developing a prototype of the warplane, envisaged as a twin-engine 5th generation fighter, the ministry said. The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squadrons of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet aircraft have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of 42 at a time when rival China is expanding its air force rapidly. Pakistan has one of China's most advanced warplanes, the J-10, in its arsenal. (Reuters)

-India and Pakistan's drone battles mark new arms race in Asia: The Indian and Pakistani militaries have deployed high-end fighter jets, conventional missiles and artillery during decades of clashes, but the four days of fighting in May marked the first time New Delhi and Islamabad utilized unmanned aerial vehicles at scale against each other. The fighting halted after the U.S. announced it brokered a ceasefire but the South Asian powers, which spent more than $96 billion on defence last year, are now locked in a drones arms race, according to Reuters' interviews with 15 people, including security officials, industry executives and analysts in the two countries. (Reuters)

· Two of them said they expect increased use of UAVs by the nuclear-armed neighbours because small-scale drone attacks can strike targets without risking personnel or provoking uncontrollable escalation. India plans to invest heavily in local industry and could spend as much as $470 million on UAVs over the next 12 to 24 months, roughly three times pre-conflict levels, said Smit Shah of Drone Federation India, which represents over 550 companies and regularly interacts with the government.

-Bangladesh consensus commission fails to find agreement: Bangladesh's National Consensus Commission, tasked by the caretaker government to lead critical democratic reforms after a mass uprising last year, said Monday that political parties had failed to reach agreement. The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years. (AFP)

-King Charles lands in Canada in show of support for country eyed by Trump: King Charles landed in Canada's capital Ottawa on Monday for a highly symbolic visit showing support for the nation that recognises him as its sovereign but is coveted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a 51st U.S. state. Travelling with his wife Queen Camilla, the king met on the airport tarmac with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Governor General Mary Simon, his representative in Canada. (Reuters)

-Venezuela ruling party keeps control of legislature amid opposition division: Venezuela's ruling socialist party held its significant majority in the National Assembly in a Sunday election, winning nearly 83% of votes according to the electoral authority, in a contest boycotted by some opposition leaders amid deep division among parties opposed to the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Some of the country's major opposition leaders called for voters to abstain in protest of the official results of the July 2024 presidential election, which the opposition says it won but which authorities say was a Maduro victory. (Reuters)

-Peru seeks high-level meeting with China, Brazil to advance bi-oceanic railroad: Peru's economy ministry said in a statement on Monday that the country will seek a high-level meeting with China and Brazil to advance a planned bi-oceanic railway project. Economy Minister Raul Perez Reyes met with China's ambassador to Peru, who told him a meeting between the countries' leaders would help define a joint roadmap for the regional rail corridor, according to the statement. (Reuters)

-Argentina to review use of fast-track authorizations for costly drugs: Argentina's government said on Monday that it will review the use of fast-track authorizations for high cost drugs, as well as requiring future vaccine trials to include a placebo test group, as part of a broader revision of its healthcare policy. "The Ministry of Health will propose to discuss the use of this type of authorization for very high-cost drugs, especially those intended for children and rare diseases," the government said in a statement. "Innovation cannot justify hasty decisions without solid evidence." (Reuters)

-Suriname's ruling party, opposition nearly tied in parliamentary election: Suriname's ruling party and its top opposition rival won almost the same number of parliamentary seats in an election on Sunday, setting the stage for complex coalition negotiations that will determine who becomes the country's next president. The South American nation is on the cusp of a predicted oil boom, but campaigning for the ballot featured little debate about what the next government, which will hold power until 2030, should do with the income. (Reuters)

-Germany rejects accusations towards ambassador after Uganda's military cuts ties: Uganda's military has severed all military cooperation with Germany after it accused Berlin's ambassador to Kampala of involvement in "subversive activities" in the East African country, its spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Germany's foreign ministry said at a press conference in Berlin on Monday that the accusations were "absurd and without any merit and we reject them in the strongest terms". (Reuters)

-Barrick says Mali government's attempt to take over its gold mine is 'unlawful': Canadian miner Barrick Mining said an attempt by the Mali government to take over the company's Loulo-Gounkoto gold mine in the country is "unlawful". Mali's military-led interim government has asked the local court to appoint a provisional administrator to take over Barrick's mine, which it suspended in January over the alleged non-payment of taxes. Barrick has denied those charges. The local Bamako court is expected to rule on June 2 on the government’s request to appoint a provisional administrator. (Reuters)

· "The attempt to interfere with Loulo-Gounkoto’s operations is without precedent or lawful justification. It disregards Barrick’s rights under both Malian law and binding agreements, and it is inconsistent with the principles of due process and mutual respect that should underpin partnerships between governments and long-term investors," Barrick said in a statement. It added that the company has reiterated its commitment to reach a satisfactory agreement.

-Boko Haram's resurgence: Why Nigeria's military is struggling to hold the line: A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks is shaking Nigeria’s northeast, as Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts, mined roads with bombs and raided civilian communities since the start of the year, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military's claims of successes. (AP)

· Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations.

· In the latest attack last week in the village of Gajibo in Borno state, the epicenter of the crisis, extremists killed nine members of a local militia that supports the Nigerian military, after soldiers deserted the base when becoming aware of the insurgents’ advance, according to the group’s claim and local aid workers. That is in addition to roadside bombs and deadly attacks on villages in recent months.

-30 killed in central Nigeria attacks: local govt official: More than 30 people have been killed in separate attacks in recent days in central Nigeria, a local government official said Monday, the latest raids in a region where herders and farmers often clash over land access. The attacks occurred in three villages between Friday and Sunday, chairman of the Gwer West local government area of Benue state, Ormin Torsar Victor, told AFP. (AFP)

-Nigeria police investigate blast outside army barracks in Abuja: Nigerian police said on Monday that they were investigating an explosion outside an army barracks in the centre of the capital Abuja and that one person was receiving medical attention in hospital after the incident. The police said in a statement that its Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit had been sent to the scene, which was cordoned off for analysis and to ensure the safety of commuters. The Nigerian Army said the blast occurred at a bus stop outside its Mogadishu Barracks, which also houses members of the air force and navy. (Reuters)

-Rwanda-backed rebels committed possible war crimes in eastern Congo, rights group says: Human rights group Amnesty International accused the M23 rebels in eastern Congo of killing, torturing and forcibly disappearing civilian detainees in two rebel-controlled cities on Tuesday. “These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,” Amnesty said in a statement. Amnesty said that between February and April, it interviewed 18 civilians who had been detained by M23 in Goma and Bukavu, after they were accused of supporting the Congolese army or government. The former detainees said that the rebels produced no evidence of these accusations and several weren't informed of the reasons for their detention. (AP)

BORDER

-Veterans recoil at Trump plan to end Afghans' deportation protection: The Trump administration's move to end deportation protections for wartime allies who fled to the United States after the fall of Afghanistan has infuriated veterans of the 20-year conflict there, who say the U.S. government is betraying a sacred promise made to some of America's most vulnerable partners. (WP)

· This month Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem announced the administration's termination of temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghans, exposing thousands, potentially, to deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as soon as July, when the policy is to take effect.

· The fear, veterans and other advocates say, is that anyone who returns to Afghanistan will almost certainly face reprisal by the Taliban, the extremist militant group that in 2021 overran the U.S.-trained Afghan military and toppled the government in Kabul.

· “If they attempt to deport the Afghans, you’re going to see actual physical conflict between veterans and ICE,” predicted Matt Zeller, an Army veteran who became a prominent advocate for America’s Afghan allies after his interpreter saved his life.

· Advocacy groups estimate that about 10,000 Afghans in the United States have been dependent on TPS while they navigate the lengthy and complex process for obtaining permanent residency, a process made all the more difficult, they say, by the absolute chaos that defined Afghanistan’s collapse — and by the guidance they received from the U.S. government while trying to escape.

· By declaring his intent to end these protections, President Donald Trump risks alienating a key demographic — veterans of the war — at the same time he seeks to court them politically. His administration has intensified its scrutiny of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and demanded accountability for 13 U.S. troops and an estimated 170 Afghans killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport as the evacuation, hastily orchestrated by the Biden administration, raced to a tragic end.

· Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida), an Army veteran who lost both legs in an explosion while serving in Afghanistan and who convened last year’s House hearing on Taliban reprisals, said he sees a stark contrast between Afghans who worked directly with U.S. forces — who he said would not be affected by the TPS termination — and those who did not.

· “They’re not one in the same,” Mast said in an interview. “There’s people that maybe worked on a base, maybe they worked at [TGI] Fridays on a base as a waiter or something like that. That doesn’t mean that they were out on missions with me, rolling people up, right?” The congressman said he was not immediately concerned that the Taliban might seek to execute or punish such people if they returned to Afghanistan. “I’ll think about how I feel about that,” he said.

· Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of groups that have worked to extricate and protect vulnerable Afghans, said he was appalled by what he called the “political amnesia” of those such as Mast. It was only last year that the congressman “sounded the alarm” about what might happen to America’s Afghan allies if the U.S. government failed to keep its promises to protect them.

· “These are real lives, not talking points. And the idea that a cook, a janitor or a mechanic at Bagram [air base] deserves less protection than a combat interpreter is both morally bankrupt and strategically foolish,” said VanDiver, a Navy veteran. “The Taliban doesn’t do performance reviews. They don’t check résumés. They kill people for being associated with us.”

· “These are people whose only ‘crime’ is having lived, learned or worked in the United States. And now, with TPS terminated and no viable pathway forward, they face an impossible choice: return to persecution or risk deportation from the very country they trusted," he said.

-What to Know About the Deportees the U.S. Is Trying to Send to South Sudan: The Trump administration is trying to deport a group of eight migrants to South Sudan, a country on the brink of civil war. The men, who are from countries including Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico, are currently believed to be held at an American military base in the East African nation of Djibouti, after a federal judge ordered the administration not to turn them over to the government of South Sudan. U.S. immigration law does, under some circumstances, allow people to be sent to countries that are not their own. But this has been rare under past administrations. (NYT)

· The Trump administration is attempting to do something more expansive: potentially sending large groups of people to dangerous places like South Sudan, Libya or a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, with little or no due process, even if their countries of origin are willing to take them back.

· “The trifecta of being sent to a third country, plus the intended scale, plus the punishment-is-the-point approach—those three things in combination, that feels very new,” said Sarah R. Sherman-Stokes, a professor at Boston University School of Law.

· The administration’s ultimate goal, experts say, may be to shape the behavior of other immigrants through fear. Deportation to war-torn countries, said Muneer Ahmad, a professor at Yale Law School, is a “concerted strategy” intended ''to both disincentivize people from coming to the United States and to incentivize self-deportation.''

-US judge orders Trump administration to facilitate return of Guatemalan deportee: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to facilitate the return of a gay Guatemalan man who said he was deported to Mexico despite fearing he would be persecuted there, after officials acknowledged an error in his case. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston issued the order days after the Justice Department notified him that its claim that the man had expressly stated he was not afraid of being sent to Mexico was based on erroneous information. (Reuters)

GUNS

-Chicago’s Mass Transit Gun Ban Faces Scrutiny Under History Test: Posted at entries to some Chicago L train stations is an unmistakable emblem: a black handgun with a red slash through the middle, warning that firearms are not allowed on board. On Wednesday, attorneys will go before a federal appellate panel to argue whether those placards should stay in place. (Bloomberg)

· The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is slated to review an Illinois law that prohibits concealed-carry permit holders from taking their guns on public transit. A federal district judge last year ruled in favor of four men who sued for the right to carry on Metra commuter trains and Chicago Transit Authority buses, prompting an appeal from the state attorney general and state’s attorneys for Cook and DuPage counties.

· The underlying ruling is somewhat limited: Northern District of Illinois Judge Iain Johnston didn’t bar the state from broadly enforcing the law, and his order made clear he only found the statute unconstitutional as applied to the four plaintiffs.

· But the appeal attracted amicus briefs from far and wide, a sign that advocates see it as a chance to clarify the Second Amendment legal landscape after recent seismic changes—most prominently the US Supreme Court’s finding in N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n. v. Bruen that gun regulations must be consistent with the country’s “historical tradition.” Bruen, combined with a later holding on gun restrictions in United States v. Rahimi, has spurred federal courts to consider whether assault weapons bans, handgun licensing requirements, and other regulations have a historical analog.

-Two dead, nine injured in Memorial Day shooting in Philadelphia, police say: Two people were killed and nine others, including three teenagers, injured in a shooting at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park on Memorial Day, police said on Tuesday. All the nine injured in the Monday night shooting are in stable condition. A male and a female, both adults, were the deceased victims, a police officer told a media briefing. "We have not recovered any weapons at this time," the officer said. No arrests have been made. "This is significant. It's Memorial Day... we understand the significance of this event and we will make sure to provide an update on Tuesday." (Reuters)

AMERICAN MANUFACTURING

-Trump says US wants to make tanks, not T-shirts: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday his tariff policy was aimed at promoting the domestic manufacturing of tanks and technology products, not sneakers and T-shirts. Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One in New Jersey, Trump said he agreed with comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on April 29 that the U.S. does not necessarily need a "booming textile industry" - comments that drew criticism from the National Council of Textile Organizations. (Reuters)

· We're not looking to make sneakers and T-shirts. We want to make military equipment. We want to make big things. We want to make, do the AI thing," Trump said. "I'm not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I'm not looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other locations. We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of other things, and tanks and ships," Trump said.

· The American Apparel & Footwear Association said in response to Trump's remarks that tariffs were not good for the industry. "With 97% of the clothes and shoes we wear being imported, and with clothes and shoes already the most highly tariffed industry in the U.S., we need to focus on common sense solutions that can move the needle," AAFA President Steve Lamar said in a statement. "More tariffs will only mean higher input costs for U.S. manufacturers and higher prices that will hurt lower income consumers."

-Trump Hails Tariffs in US Steel-Nippon Deal: President Donald Trump announced a partnership between US Steel and Japan’s Nippon Steel, crediting his tariff policies for keeping the iconic American firm in the US. “I am proud to announce that, after much consideration and negotiation, US Steel will REMAIN in America, and keep its Headquarters in the Great City of Pittsburgh,” Trump said on Truth Social on Friday. “My Tariff Policies will ensure that Steel will once again be, forever, MADE IN AMERICA.” (Bloomberg)

· While the White House declined to provide further details, Japanese media, including Nikkei and Kyodo News, reported that a buyout had been approved, citing US sources they didn’t identify. The unexpected announcement via social media came shortly after the White House confirmed Trump had received a recommendation from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which reviewed the proposed takeover.

· Trump said the partnership would create at least 70,000 jobs and add $14 billion to the US economy, with the bulk of the investment occurring in the next 14 months. About 85,000 people now work in US steel mills, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump also said he would appear at an event on Friday in Pittsburgh.

· “It’ll be controlled by the United States, otherwise I wouldn’t make the deal,” Trump told reporters Sunday. “It’s an investment and it’s a partial ownership but it’ll be controlled by the USA.”

-U.S. Ships Championed by Trump Cost 5 Times as Much as Asian Ones: President Trump and some members of Congress want to revive a depleted American shipbuilding industry to compete with China, the world’s biggest maker of ships by far. It is such a daunting goal that some shipping experts say it is destined to fail. More hopeful analysts and industry executives say the Trump administration and Congress could succeed but only if they are willing to spend billions of dollars over many years. (NYT)

· One of the places where Washington’s maritime dreams might take shape or fall apart is a shipyard on the southern edge of Philadelphia that was bought last year by one of the world’s largest shipbuilding companies, a South Korean conglomerate known as Hanwha.

· “The shipbuilding industry in America is ready to step up,” David Kim, the chief executive of Hanwha Philly Shipyard, said in an interview. But to do that, he said, the yard must have a steady stream of orders for new vessels. And the federal government will need policies that subsidize American-built ships and penalize the use of foreign vessels by shipping companies that call on U.S. ports.

· Last month, Mr. Trump issued an executive order aimed at revitalizing American shipbuilding. “We’re going to be spending a lot of money on shipbuilding,” he said when announcing the order. “We’re way, way, way behind.” The Office of the United States Trade Representative set new rules in April that penalize Chinese ships and require that certain commercial vessels be built in the United States. In Congress, lawmakers from both parties are pushing a sprawling bill that contains significant subsidies to bolster American shipbuilding.

· But there is much to overcome. The Philadelphia yard won’t have space for new orders until 2027, and other American shipyards are so tied up with filling orders for the Navy that they don’t have the capacity to produce commercial vessels. It takes far longer to build ships in the United States than in Asia, and costs nearly five times as much. The Philadelphia yard makes roughly a ship and a half a year, compared with around a ship a week at Hanwha’s larger facilities in its home country, Mr. Kim said.

-Trump delays EU tariffs until July 9: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would pause his threatened 50-percent tariffs on the European Union until July 9, after a "very nice call" with European Commision president Ursula von der Leyen. Trump had threatened on Friday to impose the steep duties from June 1, voicing frustration that negotiations to avert a 20-percent "reciprocal" tariff were "going nowhere". But he agreed on Sunday to delay the tariffs until July 9 after von der Leyen said the European Union needed more time to negotiate. (AFP)

-Germany’s Merz Says US Tech Perks Could Be Target in Trade War: The European Union could retaliate against US technology companies if the trade conflict with Donald Trump’s administration escalates, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said. While the leader of Europe’s largest economy aims to reduce tariffs and defuse tensions with the White House, he said that the bloc would need to protect its interests and pointed to the US surplus in services trade with the EU. “At the moment, we strongly protect US tech companies — also on taxes,” Merz said Monday in Berlin at the WDR Europaforum conference. “That can be changed, but I don’t want to escalate this conflict. I want to solve it together.” (Bloomberg)

-The 90-Day Rush to Get Goods Out of China: Adam Leeb is rushing to ship $700,000 of electronic typewriters from China while the trade truce holds. After forking out $23,000 for tariffs in March when President Trump hit Chinese goods with a new 20% levy, Leeb, a Detroit-based business owner, decided to pause shipments altogether when the administration then pushed tariffs to an eye-watering 145%. (WSJ)

· Now that a 90-day truce agreed between Washington and Beijing this month has brought that down to 30%, Leeb’s company, Astrohaus, which makes typewriters, keyboards and other tools for writers, is taking the opportunity to restock. “I’m assuming this is probably the best-case scenario for a while,” Leeb said.

· Sky-high tariffs pummeled U.S.-China trade and now the cease-fire is causing a snapback. Firms across the U.S. are racing to rebook canceled orders and find space on containerships to get products out of China and bring them stateside before the 90-day window closes in August.

· In the week beginning May 12, when the trade truce was announced, bookings for containers to the U.S. from China more than doubled compared with the week before as the tariff rollback unleashed a wave of pent-up demand. Bookings surged to the equivalent of around 2.2 million 20-foot boxes, a level not seen in more than a year, according to data from Vizion, a container-tracking software company, and data provider Dun & Bradstreet.

-Southeast Asian nations want to discuss tariffs with Trump as a unified bloc, Malaysia PM says: Southeast Asian nations will forge a common front to face challenges including economic headwinds from U.S. tariffs and a four-year civil war in Myanmar, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday. Opening an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Anwar said he has sought a unified bloc meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the tariffs. Officials are hopeful it could happen later this year. Malaysia is the current chair of ASEAN. “For ASEAN, our peace, stability and prosperity have often depended on an open, inclusive, rules-based international order... These foundations are now being dismantled under the force of arbitrary action," Anwar said. (AP)

· ASEAN, which has agreed to avoid retaliatory measures, has formed a taskforce to coordinate a response to the U.S. tariffs in parallel with bilateral negotiations by some member countries, Anwar said. ASEAN members include bigger economies such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

· The region relies on exports to the U.S. and is hurt by the Trump administration’s tariffs, which range from 10% for Singapore to as high as 49% for Cambodia. Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs in April for most of the world, and this month struck a similar deal with key rival China, easing trade war tensions.

· Anwar said an ASEAN leaders’ meeting on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the Gulf Cooperation Council — the first such tripartite meeting — would spur new cooperation that could help insulate ASEAN's economy. The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

· ASEAN leaders later Monday will launch a new 20-year vision to deepen their economic and social integration, Anwar said.

· Analysts said China, which is ASEAN's top trading partner, wants to expand its influence by presenting itself as a reliable ally in the region. But tensions persist over Beijing's aggressive stance in the disputed South China Sea that has led to frequent clashes especially with the Philippines.

ECONOMY

-Stocks Set for Gains on Hopes for U.S.-EU Trade Talks: U.S. stock futures were set to rise on hopes that trade negotiations with the European Union will stave off the imposition of stricter tariffs. Earnings from chip maker Nvidia will take the spotlight later in the holiday-shortened trading week. (Barron’s)

· Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were rising 456 points, or 1.1%. S&P 500 futures were gaining 1.3% and Nasdaq 100 futures were climbing 1.5%.

· The U.S. and the European Union are fast-tracking talks over a trade agreement between the two regions, the European Commission said Monday. Trump last week threatened to impose 50% tariffs on European imports from June 1 but later agreed to delay the measure until July 9.

· “The EU tariff reprieve until July 9 is an important step in the overall resolution of this trade situation, as it increases the chances that trade deals will continue to come to fruition, which is the exact messaging that the market is hoping for,” said Robert Ruggirello, chief investment officer at Brave Eagle Wealth Management.

· The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note stood at 4.46% early on Tuesday, ticking down from the previous week.

· Wall Street is anticipating first-quarter financial results and commentary from chip maker Nvidia on Wednesday, as well as software company Salesforce, with both being watched anxiously for the future of the artificial-intelligence trade.

· Personal computer companies HP Inc. and Dell Technologies will also be reporting their latest financial results on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

-How Student-Loan Crisis Will Show Up in the Economy: Millions of Americans had their student-loan payments put on pause during the pandemic. Now they are back on the hook again. For borrowers, this means that every month, money that they presumably used to spend elsewhere is going to pay off debt instead. Many who aren’t paying are now considered delinquent or defaulted, a status that sinks credit scores. Around 5.6 million borrowers were marked newly delinquent on their student loans in the first three months of this year. That will strain personal finances. At the same time, it creates fresh challenges for the broader economy. (WSJ)

· Borrowers have been required to repay their student loans for some months now. But just this month, the Trump administration began putting millions of defaulted student-loan borrowers into collections, and threatened to confiscate their wages, tax refunds and federal benefits. The collections process was standard before the pandemic. But it is still likely to be a shock to those who haven’t experienced it before, or who forgot what it was like.

· Economists at Morgan Stanley estimated this month that payments this year will rise by a collective $1 billion to $3 billion a month. That could trim 2025 gross domestic product by about 0.1 percentage point, they said. The Morgan Stanley economists also note that there are about eight million borrowers in the Saving on a Valuable Education plan, or SAVE—a Biden-era plan that allows borrowers to pay based on their income but was challenged in courts. Those borrowers will likely need to begin payments late this year or early next.

· The government’s pause on federal student loans and interest accrual ended back in the fall of 2023. But it was only last fall that missed payments could be reported to the credit-rating companies—a fact that many borrowers probably found out the hard way when they noticed a big drop in their credit scores this year.

-Data Collection Laws Draw Compliance Worries: A surge of state interest in minimizing data collection has companies worrying about potential compliance issues. The Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, a first-of-its-kind data minimization law, will go into effect in October. But without formal guidance from the Maryland attorney general, companies are struggling to reckon with the law’s standard of what is “reasonably necessary and proportionate” for purposes disclosed to the consumer. Other states are watching the effort as Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut explore possible data minimization regulations. Meanwhile, Minnesota will implement its own privacy law that includes such requirements this summer. (Bloomberg)

· Compliance Questions: Maryland’s law includes restrictions on processing sensitive data and guarantees data deletion rights, similar to regulations from the EU and California. However, the state’s stricter oversight on minimizing data collection and sharing with third parties could lead companies to be much more conservative about their data use. Businesses may even have to weigh the cost of carving Maryland users out of their current compliance plans or withdrawing operations from the state.

-How Musk’s X Layoffs Parallel DOGE Firings: Billionaire Elon Musk decimated the federal workforce through mass layoffs just like he did in his 2022 Twitter takeover, according to an attorney representing former Twitter workers. A growing number of legal battles against X, Musk’s re-branded social media platform, are brewing, Jennifer Bennett reports. More than three dozen lawsuits by its fired employees allege discrimination, lack of legally-required notice, or missed severance payments, with potentially big financial ramifications for the company. (Bloomberg)

· The firings that spawned these challenges parallel the slash-and-burn layoff approach Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency employed with the federal workforce, said Lichten & Liss-Riordan’s Shannon Liss-Riordan, who represents former Twitter workers. X was a “beta test” for DOGE and he “tried to use some of the same tricks,” such as “Fork in the Road” emails pressuring workers to resign, Liss-Riordan said.

· Former Twitter employees are winning at arbitration. Liss-Riordan said dozens of her clients have won awards ranging from “$100,000 to millions of dollars.” Thousands of former staff are demanding X advance fees for arbitration proceedings that could cost the company millions of dollars, prompting the company to resist.

-Euro could become the dollar's alternative, Lagarde says: The euro could become a viable alternative to the dollar, earning the 20-nation bloc immense benefits, if governments could only strengthen the bloc's financial and security architecture, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Monday. Unnerved by erratic U.S. economic policy, global investors have been reducing their exposure to dollar assets in recent months but many have opted for gold instead, not seeing a direct alternative. In fact, the euro's global role has been stagnant for decades now since the European Union's financial institutions remain unfinished and governments have shown little appetite to embark on more integration. (Reuters)

· “The ongoing changes create the opening for a ‘global euro moment,’” Lagarde said at a lecture in Berlin. “The euro will not gain influence by default - it will have to earn it.” For this, Europe needs a deeper, more liquid capital market, must bolster its legal foundations and needs to underpin its commitment to open trade with security capabilities, Lagarde argued.

· The dollar’s role has been on the decline for years and now makes up 58% of international reserves, the lowest in decades, but still well above the euro’s 20% share.

· Any enhanced role for the euro must coincide with greater military strength that can back up partnerships, Lagarde said. “This is because investors – and especially official investors – also seek geopolitical assurance in another form: they invest in the assets of regions that are reliable security partners and can honour alliances with hard power,” Lagarde said at a Hertie School lecture.

· Europe should also make the euro the currency of choice for businesses invoicing international trade, she said. This could be supported by forging new trade agreements, enhanced cross-border payments and with liquidity agreements with the ECB.

· Reforming the domestic economy may be more pressing, however, Lagarde said. The euro area capital market is still fragmented, inefficient and lacks a truly liquid, widely available safe asset investors could flock to, she said.

GOVERNMENT NEWS OF NOTE

-Trump honors fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, while attacking Biden and judges: President Donald Trump paid tribute to fallen service members during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, in an address that honored the “great, great warriors" yet also briefly veered into politics as he boasted of a nation he is “fixing after a long and hard four years.” (AP)

· Though the holiday is one that U.S. presidents typically treat with pure solemnity, Trump began it with an all-caps Memorial Day social media post that attacked his predecessor and called federal judges who have blocked his deportation initiatives “monsters who want our country to go to hell.” Yet at Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 have been laid to rest, Trump commemorated the sacrifice of U.S. service members and singled out several Gold Star families to tell the stories of their fallen relatives.

· “We just revere their incredible legacy,” Trump said. “We salute them in their eternal and everlasting glory. And we continue our relentless pursuit of America’s destiny as we make our nation stronger, prouder, freer and greater than ever before.” “Their valor,” he said, “gave us the freest, greatest and most noble republic ever to exist on the face of the earth. A republic that I am fixing after a long and hard four years.”

· During his remarks, Trump told the story of Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, killed along with three other Americans by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria, leaving behind her husband, 3-year-old son and 18-month-old son. The Pine Plains, New York, native was on her fifth combat deployment, he said, embedded with a team hunting Islamic State group militants in Syria, serving as linguist, translator and cryptologic technician working alongside special forces. “She was among the first women ever to do it, and she did it better than anyone,” Trump said, calling out Kent’s family for applause at the ceremony.

· The crowd also heard of Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Elroy Harworth from Erhard, Minnesota, whose plane went down in enemy territory during the Vietnam War, dying while his wife was seven months pregnant. His son, who was cheered in the audience, followed his father’s path and has been in the Army for 20 years.

· There was also the story of Army Cpl. Ryan McGhee of Fredericksburg, Virginia, who enlisted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and whose mother was in the audience. Trump said McGhee knew he wanted to be an Army Ranger since he saw the towers fall on that day, did three tours in Afghanistan, then deployed to Iraq. Sixteen years ago this month, the president said, McGhee died in a firefight, and “gave his life at 21 years old."

-Trump attacks opponents, judges on day honoring US war dead: President Donald Trump marked the annual day for honoring the US war dead Monday by tearing into his "scum" opponents and judges who don't rule in his favor. Trump performed the traditional presidential duties on Memorial Day of visiting Arlington National Cemetery -- the resting place for some 400,000 fallen soldiers and others. And after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Trump delivered a speech that likewise stuck mostly to the typical presidential script of praising US war heroes. (AFP)

· However, the 78-year-old Republican began his day with a lengthy, all-caps tirade on his Truth Social platform in which he declared: “HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY.” The post claimed that “warped radical left minds” had allowed in millions of illegal immigrants, “many of them being criminals and the mentally insane.”

· As well as blaming his political predecessors, Trump accused “USA hating” judges of being “on a mission to keep murderers, drug dealers, rapists, gang members, and released prisoners from all over the world, in our country so they can rob, murder and rape again."

-GOP declares war on GAO: The independent Government Accountability Office has served Congress as the nation’s chief investigator of wrongdoing at federal agencies for more than a century. Now it’s under assault. The typically uncontroversial, under-the-radar agency is fighting to retain power against attempts by Republicans in the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill to undercut its legal conclusions and independence — an onslaught that has been fast and furious. (Politico)

· First, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency contacted GAO to assign a downsizing team there, despite the agency being housed within the legislative branch and therefore not subject to an executive order granting DOGE access to most other federal operations.

· Then, last week, Senate Republicans disregarded GAO guidance and nixed waivers allowing California to set its own pollution standards, even after the watchdog concluded that the Senate couldn’t do that under a simple-majority threshold.

· “The GAO has no role” in determining how the chamber should proceed, said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in an interview in the leadup to the votes. “The GAO has no authority.”

· Capping things off before the long holiday weekend came a social media post from White House budget chief Russ Vought, publicly belittling the agency for its findings that the administration illegally withheld money Congress had previously approved for supporting electric vehicle infrastructure. It’s one of at least 39 separate GAO inquiries into whether the White House flouted the 51-year-old law preventing presidents from circumventing Congress’ “power of the purse.”

· “They are going to call everything an impoundment because they want to grind our work to manage taxpayer dollars effectively to a halt,” the Office of Management and Budget director wrote on social media. “These are non-events with no consequence. Rearview mirror stuff.”

· Vought also claimed that GAO had played “a partisan role” in the “impeachment hoax” of Donald Trump’s first presidency, referencing the House’s vote in 2019 to remove the president ahead of GAO’s conclusion that the administration violated the same “impoundment” law by withholding aid to Ukraine.

· Sen. Mike Lee piled on a day later. “GAO has lost credibility as an independent body,” the Utah Republican wrote on social media, reacting to Vought’s criticism.

· Taken together, these events show the extent to which Republicans are increasingly willing to denigrate an agency that has frequently validated their policies and positions, while sometimes delivering findings conservatives don’t like. And this political posture could upend the relationship members of both parties have had with GAO for decades.

-Changes for PBMs, ACA Plans in House Bill: House Republicans were able to squeeze some health policy into the reconciliation package they narrowly advanced before leaving town. The Senate will get its say when it takes up the measure after this week’s recess. (Bloomberg)

· Medicaid work requirements and limitations on provider taxes garnered a lot of attention, but the measure — a package of tax and spending cuts, and other GOP priorities — also carries implications for pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen that oversee drug benefit plans for health care payers by designing formularies and negotiating drug prices. PBMs have received attention on both sides of the aisle for their potential contribution to high drug costs, and there have been bipartisan proposals to rein in their practices.

· The reconciliation package would require the Health and Human Services secretary to survey retail and non-retail pharmacy drug prices to determine a national average. It would also prohibit “spread pricing” in Medicaid, where PBMs pay pharmacies a lower amount than an insurer paid the PBM for the drug. These ideas were in a proposal from Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and the panel’s ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in 2023.

· Affordable Care Act health plans also face changes. The measure would shorten open enrollment for the 2008 law’s health insurance exchanges and scrap the ability of people making 150% of the poverty level to enroll year-round. A late addition to the bill also prohibits cost-sharing reductions for health plans that cover abortion services.

-Trump’s Drug Price Plan Seeks Leverage: It’s unclear what legal authority the FDA would have to potentially revoke drug approvals if manufacturers don’t meet pricing targets under President Donald Trump’s proposal to match US drug prices to the lowest ones paid in other countries, legal observers say. (Bloomberg)

· Trump’s recent order includes a provision directing the FDA to review, modify, or revoke approvals for drugs that may be unsafe, ineffective, or improperly marketed if there isn’t “significant progress” toward reaching a pricing agreement. This instruction could lead to procedural and constitutional challenges from the pharmaceutical industry.

· Federal law empowers the FDA to remove or modify approvals if the drugs are no longer considered safe or effective, but it lacks authority to pull medicines over pricing. “Trying to tie this into the price of the drug—which FDA has kept separate in its evaluation of new drug products and figuring out whether or not they’re going to come to market—would just violate that premise all around,” said Reshma Ramachandran, an assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine.

· Litigation over any price-related approval changes by the FDA could allege they were arbitrary and capricious, violated the Constitution’s takings clause, or overstepped the agency’s other powers, attorneys say.

-Trump Signs Orders to Boost Nuclear Power: President Donald Trump has signed orders meant to accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants. The effort is likely to give a boost to companies developing small reactors, including untested designs that promise rapid deployment but have yet to be built in the US. (Bloomberg)

· The orders, which were signed on Friday, include provisions aimed at ensuring 10 large, conventional reactors are also under construction by 2030, according to people familiar with the matter. The initiative also would support the restart of shuttered nuclear plants, as well as upgrades at existing sites. While the US was once the leader in nuclear power, it’s finished building only two new reactors and shuttered existing plants in the last 30 years, even as China and Russia race to deploy them.

· However, Trump’s nuclear push comes as lawmakers move to phase out a government subsidy that’s seen as critical to helping propel construction of new reactors and support existing plants. Under the reconciliation package the House passed last week, new and expanded advanced nuclear projects would be eligible to receive clean energy tax credits only as long as they begin construction by the end of 2028, while tax credits for existing nuclear power plants would expire at the end of 2031.

-Trump considers redirecting $3 billion in Harvard grants to US trade schools: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he is considering taking $3 billion of previously awarded grant money for scientific and engineering research away from Harvard University and giving it to trade schools. His comments on his social media platform Truth Social come less than a week after his administration sought to block the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students as part of Trump's extraordinary effort to seize some government control of U.S. academia. (Reuters)

-Trump pardons former sheriff convicted of bribery: President Donald Trump issued a pardon on Monday for a former Virginia sheriff who was convicted last year of federal bribery charges, averting prison time for the officer. "Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL," Trump posted online, issuing a full and unconditional pardon. "He will NOT be going to jail tomorrow, but instead will have a wonderful and productive life." (Reuters)

-FBI announces new probes into Dobbs Supreme Court leak, White House cocaine incident: The FBI will launch new probes into the 2023 discovery of cocaine at the White House during President Joe Biden's term and the 2022 leak of the Supreme Court's draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a top official announced on Monday. Dan Bongino, a rightwing podcaster-turned-FBI deputy director, made the announcement on X, saying that he had requested weekly briefings on the cases' progress. (Reuters)

-US EPA wants to erase greenhouse gas limits on power plants, NYT reports: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to eliminate all limits on greenhouse gases from coal and gas-fired power plants in the United States, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing internal agency documents. The EPA argued in its proposed regulation that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants that burn fossil fuels "do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution" or to climate change because they are a small and declining share of global emissions, according to the NYT report. (Reuters)

-Rubio and Grenell clash over Venezuela: Three House Republicans from southern Florida nearly derailed passage of President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package last week in protest of an apparent presidential reversal of sanctions on Venezuela. The three Cuban American lawmakers finally agreed late Wednesday to go along with the package after Trump agreed not to extend a Treasury Department license allowing energy giant Chevron to continue to produce and export Venezuelan oil. Trump had first revoked the license in February, requiring Chevron to wind up its Venezuelan operations by May 27. (WP)

· Richard Grenell, Trump’s envoy for special missions, had announced the extension last Tuesday, saying it was the result of an agreement he struck with Caracas - with Trump’s approval - that resulted in the release of a U.S. military veteran detained in Venezuela. The detainee, Joe St. Clair, was turned over to Grenell by Venezuelan officials on the Caribbean island of Antigua earlier that day.

· But on Wednesday evening, after the intervention of the Cuban American lawmakers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that there was no extension and that the license would end on the 27th, as scheduled. The three Florida Republicans - Reps. Carlos A. Gimenez, Mario Diaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar - did not respond to requests for comment. Their role in first threatening to scuttle, then agreeing to, the House bill was first reported by Axios.

· The head-spinning chain of events highlighted the ongoing enmity between Rubio, the nation’s top diplomat and acting White House national security adviser, and Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term. Grenell's current portfolio so far includes oversight of the response to California wildfires, president of the Kennedy Center, and occasional negotiator with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

-Judges Weigh Security Changes: Amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary, some federal judges are beginning to discuss the idea of managing their own armed security force. The notion came up in a series of closed-door meetings in early March, when a group of roughly 50 judges met in Washington for a semiannual meeting of the Judicial Conference, a policymaking body for the federal judiciary. There, members of a security committee spoke about threats emerging as President Trump stepped up criticism of those who rule against his policies. (WSJ)

· Dozens of judges and their relatives have received anonymous pizza deliveries to their homes—which they perceived as a “we know where you live” message. In March, five days after the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that the administration must pay USAID contractors, Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s sister was targeted with a bomb threat, according to police records. Another judge had a SWAT team called on him after he overturned an executive order restricting birthright citizenship.

· The Supreme Court has its own dedicated police force, but other federal judges are protected by the U.S. Marshals Service, which reports to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Security committee members worried that Trump could order the marshals to stand down in retaliation for a decision that didn’t go his way. They weighed one potential, provocative solution—what if they commanded their own security force? Their concerns even reached Chief Justice John Roberts, who fielded anxieties from judges over a breakfast in a meeting room in the Supreme Court that their current protection may be insufficient.

OTHER DOMESTIC NEWS OF NOTE

-The 2028 podcast primary is underway as Democrats try to reshape their image: The Democrats' 2028 podcast primary is well underway. From Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, potential presidential contenders are following the lead of President Donald Trump, who frequently went on podcasts appealing to younger men during his 2024 campaign. (AP)

· Liberal strategists acknowledge Trump showed that Democratic candidates need to master the podcast space, which is typically looser and more freewheeling than a press conference or a traditional media interview. “The way that politicians communicate and need to be seen by their audience is changing,” said Liz Minnella, who fundraised for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and this year launched Connect Forward, a group to support liberal influencers. “I hate to give him credit, but he found a way to connect with people, talk to them like human beings in non-political speak.”

-Five years after George Floyd's murder, racial justice push continues: Shareeduh McGee is fighting to keep the memory of her cousin George Floyd alive. Millions took to streets across the world to protest the police killing of Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man who gasped "I can't breathe," shortly before dying after an officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes in May 2020. (Reuters)

-Four partners leave Paul Weiss following law firm's deal with Trump: Four partners are leaving law firm Paul Weiss, after it struck a deal in March with U.S. President Donald Trump to lift an executive order that targeted the firm. Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jeannie Rhee and Jessica Phillips said in an internal email obtained by Reuters they were departing to form a new practice together. (Reuters)

-SpaceX Goes All In on Its Starship: SpaceX is shifting personnel and resources to its powerful new rocket, hoping to have the vehicle ready for a Mars mission next year. Elon Musk's space company is making an enormous bet on Starship, which stands roughly 400 feet tall at liftoff and remains in an experimental phase. SpaceX is aiming to address the technical challenges ahead with Starship while continuing to fly the operational spacecraft and rockets that made the company a powerhouse. (WSJ)

· In recent months, employees have been moving into Starship roles, including some Dragon spacecraft staffers who were reassigned in mid-May, according to people familiar with the matter. SpaceX also has been making big investments in its complex in Texas for the vehicle, and has similar plans for Florida.

· The company faces near-term pressure to show that Starship can function as Musk and other executives have promised. It is behind schedule on work preparing a variant of Starship for a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission to the moon currently set for 2027, people familiar with those efforts have said.