China is promising a “strong and resolute”military response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s expected arrival in Taiwan on Tuesday.
Driving the news: According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, Beijing’s “provocations” are likely to include missiles fired into the Taiwan Strait and a large-scale breach of Taiwan’s air defense zone.
The United States will send an additional $550 million in security assistance to Ukraine, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday.
Driving the news: The latest package, which the Biden administration will authorize later in the day, will include more ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 155 mm artillery systems, Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.
Beijing is "positioning itself" to respond to a potential visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with "military provocations," such as firing missiles into the Taiwan Strait or breaching Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday.
Why it matters: Kirby did not confirm Pelosi's travel plans, but Taiwanese and international outlets have confirmed that she's expected to arrive on Tuesday night local time. China's Foreign Ministry on Monday repeated its threat of "serious consequences" if Pelosi does stop in Taipei.
The world is in a state of nuclear danger "not seen since the height of the Cold War," UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Monday.
Driving the news: Guterres, speaking at the 10th review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), urged countries to diminish nuclear stockpiles and reinforce the norm against the use of nuclear weapons.
The U.S. unveiled a fresh spate of sanctions against six entities that have facilitated the international sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
Driving the news: The development — which follows other sanctions levied in June and July against the international networks supporting Iranian petrochemical sales — comes as formal talks over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal remain stalled.
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken pressed Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz in a phone call Saturday to publish the final conclusions of the Israeli military operational investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh as soon as possible, two Israeli sources briefed on the call told Axios.
Why it matters: The Biden administration is under pressure from Democratic lawmakers to do more on the issue. In a meeting with Blinken last week, Abu Akleh's family called for a U.S. investigation that "leads to real accountability."
China warned Monday that its military "won't sit idly by" if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visits Taiwan.
Driving the news: "Her stature as the No. 3 U.S. official means a trip would be highly sensitive," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday during a press briefing, Bloomberg reports.
Ahead of the Israeli election in March 2020, then-President Trump wanted to publicly endorse former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main political rival Benny Gantz, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and then-senior adviser at the White House, writes in his new book.
Why it matters: Kushner's remarks are further evidence of how bad the relationship between the former U.S. president and the former Israeli prime minister was at the time.
A ship carrying grain left Ukraine's port of Odesa on the Black Sea on Monday.
Why it matters: The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship the Razoni is the first vessel to leave a Ukrainian port under an agreement between Ukraine and Russia, which was brokered by the United Nations with the help of Turkey.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday New Zealand is now "open for business," hours after the country completed the final stage of its phased border reopening.
Mike Pompeo criticized the Biden administration for warning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) against traveling to Taiwan during the congressional visit she's leading to Asia.
What he's saying: The Trump administration secretary of state told WABC 77 AM's "Cats Roundtable" to "allow America to be bullied by Chinese propaganda" following Biden's phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping "would send a really bad message to our friends in the region: the Australians, the South Koreans, the Japanese."
