President Trump recently directed the Pentagon to move 9,500 troops out of Germany by September, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing government officials.
The big picture, via Axios' Jonathan Swan: This is a decision that Trump has long discussed privately. He gave a somewhat surprising answer in 2018 when Axios asked about the value of a U.S. military presence in Europe, by saying that the troops provided some psychological and military value for the U.S. But his instincts were always to draw down.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is expected to travel to Israel next week to warn that there will be consequences if Israeli leaders move forward with plans to annex parts of the West Bank, Israeli officials and European diplomats tell me.
Why it matters: Israeli and European officials agree that if Israel goes ahead with unilateral annexation, the EU will respond with sanctions.
Thousands of protesters held vigils and demonstrations in Hong Kong, as well as in Taiwan and Japan, on Thursday in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Over the course of just a few hours,President Trump was rebuffed by the Secretary of Defense over his call for troops in the streets and accused by James Mattis, his former Pentagon chief, of trampling the Constitution for political gain.
Why it matters: Current and former leaders of the U.S. military are drawing a line over Trump's demand for a militarized response to the protests and unrest that have swept the country over the killing of George Floyd by police.
U.S Navy veteran Michael White has been freed by Iran and has left the country on a Swiss government aircraft, AP reports.
Why it matters: White spent 683 days detained by the Iranian government. He was the first American known to be detained by Iran since President Trump took office.
Hong Kong’s legislature approved a bill Thursday that makes insulting the "March of the Volunteers," the Chinese national anthem, illegal, AP reports.
Why it matters: It did so on the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, when Chinese troops opened fire on pro-democracy activists in 1989. The death toll has never been released, but estimates vary between hundreds and thousands.
At least 12 people were detained as police and protesters clashed during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, per an AP reporter in the Greek capital.
The big picture: Protesters threw firebombs toward police who responded with tear gas during a march toward the embassy on Wednesday evening, Reuters reports. Some 4,000 Greeks took part in the protest, which was largely peaceful until the end, according to Neos Kosmos. It's one of several anti-racism protests to be held in countries including the U.K., France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand that also showed support for U.S. demonstrators.
