Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing for Michael Pompeo, nominee for U.S. secretary of state. Photo: Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Sen. Rand Paul said Tuesday he will vote in support of Mike Pompeo, President Trump's pick for Secretary of State. His reversal almost guarantees that Pompeo will be endorsed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He still has to be confirmed by the full Senate.
Belarus law enforcement officers guard a street during a protest on Monday night. Police in Minsk have fired rubber bullets for a second night against protesters. Photo: Natalia Fedosenko/TASS via Getty Image
Protesters and security forces have been clashing across Belarus overnight in a second night of protests that has left at least one person dead, hundreds injured and thousands arrested.
Why it matters: Sunday’s rigged presidential elections have yielded political uncertainty unlike any seen in Aleksander Lukashenko’s 26-year tenure. After claiming an implausible 80% of the vote, Lukashenko is using every tool in the authoritarian arsenal to maintain his grip on power.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Media tycoon Jimmy Lai at the Next Digital offices in Hong Kong in June. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said in a statement Monday night the Trump administration is "deeply troubled" by the arrest of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai on suspicion of "collusion with foreign powers."
Why it matters: The arrest Monday of the most prominent person under the new national security law that gives Beijing more powers over the former British colony comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China.