Trump Nominates Lt. Gen. Frank Donovan to Lead U.S. Southern Command Amid Rising Tensions in Latin America 
U.S. House Advances GOP Healthcare Bill as ACA Subsidies Near Expiration 
Canada Signals Delay in US Tariff Deal as Talks Shift to USMCA Review 
EU Delays Mercosur Free Trade Agreement Signing Amid Ukraine War Funding Talks 
Trump Signs Order to Ease Federal Marijuana Rules, Signaling Major Policy Shift 
U.S. Initiates $11.1 Billion Arms Sale to Taiwan Amid Rising China Tensions 
Epstein Files Released by DOJ Spotlight Bill Clinton, Raise Questions Over Trump Mentions 
U.S. Lawmakers Urge Pentagon to Blacklist More Chinese Tech Firms Over Military Ties 
U.S. Launches Large-Scale Airstrikes on ISIS Targets in Syria After Deadly Attack 
Trump Expands U.S. Travel Ban to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Sparking Economic Fears in the Caribbean 
Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping Limits on Gender-Affirming Care for Children 
Russian Missile Strike on Odesa Port Kills Seven, Disrupts Key Trade Routes 
Argentina Unions Rally Against Milei’s Labor Reform as Congress Debates Key Bill 
U.S. and China Push for Ceasefire as Thailand–Cambodia Border Clashes Escalate 
Trump Signals Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks Ahead of U.S.–Russia Meeting 
EU Approves €90 Billion Ukraine Aid as Frozen Russian Asset Plan Stalls 
German prosecutors in Hamburg this week said there was no reason to suspect Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Scholz was accused by lawyers of aiding and abetting tax evasion connected to one of the biggest fraud investigations in the country.
Confirming reports in German media outlets, the spokesperson for Germany’s prosecutor-general said the office rejected a legal complaint made back in February that sought to open a criminal probe against Scholz.
This comes as Scholz is under scrutiny for his alleged involvement in the long-running “cum-ex” scandal, dating back to his time as mayor of Hamburg.
“The reports are correct,” said the spokesperson, who added that no decision has been made regarding the issue in the last few days.
The “cum-ex” scandal is considered Germany’s biggest post-war fraud that involved a share-trading scheme. Authorities said the scheme cost billions of euros in taxpayer funds.
The practice in itself usually involved trading company shares around a syndicate of banks, investors, and hedge funds to create the impression that there are several owners, with each of those owners is entitled to tax rebates.
Last week, Scholz denied any wrongdoing and said he was not aware of how over 200,000 euros were found in the safe of a party colleague.
“Two and a half years of an unbelievable number of hearings, an unbelievable number of files have brought only one result: There is no evidence that there was any political influence,” said Scholz, who is expected to testify to a committee in Hamburg this week.
In other related news, Germany has deployed troops within the European Union’s peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. The deployment is the first in 10 years amidst concerns that stem from the war in Ukraine, which could spill over into the Balkan nations.
The first German troops to return to the country Tuesday were greeted in an event at the Sarajevo headquarters of the EUFOR force that marked the beginning of the peacekeeping mission. Germany is set to deploy 30 troops to Bosnia by mid-September, returning to the unit it had left at the end of 2012.
This also comes as EU and NATO officials have warned that further instability from the ongoing war would spread to the Western Balkans.
