Axios

National security adviser John Bolton issued a statement on Wednesday that a planned fall White House visit for Russian President Vladimir Putin would be pushed to next year, citing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation:

"The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we’ve agreed that it will be after the first of the year.”

Between the lines: The Kremlin had played coy after Trump's invitation, Reuters reports, suggesting the two leaders could meet on the sidelines of an international gathering, like November's G-20, instead.

On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces used two surface-to-air missiles to shoot down a Syrian fighter jet that strayed two kilometers into Israeli airspace over the Golan Heights. 

Why it matters: It is the first time Israel has shot down a manned Syrian aircraft in four years, and comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region, as Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad moves to mop up remaining resistance to his regime, and a host of foreign countries with a stake in the conflict push to shore up their interests.

The three biggest U.S. airlines — American, United and Delta — have removed references to Taiwan from their websites, complying with a demand from the Chinese government.

Why it matters: It's an example of China using one of its most powerful weapons against the United States — wielding its massive market leverage to influence American companies — to enforce one of its key foreign policy tenets.

After little immediate progress seemed to result from President Trump's summit with Kim Jong-un, 38 North reports that North Korea has "begun dismantling key facilities" that have "played an important role in the development of technologies for the North’s intercontinental ballistic missile program."

Why it matters: 38 North notes that this appears to be "an important first step towards fulfilling a commitment made by Kim" at the summit. What remains unclear, though, is whether North Korea intends to do anything that would more directly impact its nuclear weapons program. One more thing to watch: Whether the remains of U.S. soldiers in North Korea are returned as expected in the coming days — another potential signal of goodwill from Pyongyang.

Speaking to the press alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Australian defense officials, Defense Secretary James Mattis said the U.S. has no immediate plans to conduct join operations with Russia in Syria, despite claims from Russia following the Trump-Putin summit.

"We will not be doing anything additional until the Secretary of State and the president have further figured out at what point we are going to start working alongside our allies with Russia in the future."

Silicon Valley's tech companies have a new argument in the unfolding debate over their size and power: We're better than the Chinese competition, Axios' David McCabe writes.

The big question: How long will those companies remain second to American ones?

The Chinese government is spending $199 billion on infrastructure to prop up domestic growth as the trade fight with the U.S. rages on, reports the South China Morning Post.

Why it matters: China is prepared to both retaliate and out-wait the U.S. in a trade war, and it has tools — like upping government spending — to blunt the effects of Trump's tariffs.

The Israel Defense Forces took down a Syrian Sukhoi-model fighter jet that reportedly entered its airspace, the IDF said on Twitter.

Why it matters: The IDF said there has been a spike in the Syrian Air Force's activity along the Israeli border and that the military remains on "high alert." Per the LA Times, this is only the second incident of its kind along the Syria-Israel border in 30 years.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned Israel's new "nation state" law in a speech to parliament Tuesday:

“The Jewish nation-state law passed in the Israeli parliament shows this country’s real intentions. It legitimizes all unlawful actions and oppression... There is no difference between Hitler’s Aryan race obsession and Israel’s mentality. Hitler’s spirit has re-emerged among administrators in Israel."

Why it matters: Formerly allies, relations between Turkey and Israel broke down after Erdoğan came to power in 2005 and took an aggressively pro-Arab stance to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His incendiary comments Tuesday prompted an immediate response from President Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Erdoğan heads a "dark dictatorship" that "slaughters Syrians and Kurds and imprisons thousands of [its] citizens."