Italy Supreme Court Upholds Salvini Acquittal in Migrant Kidnapping Case 
Syria, Kurds and U.S. Race to Show Progress on SDF Integration Deal 
Fernando Haddad Confirms He Will Not Run for Office in 2025, Signals Possible Exit as Brazil’s Finance Minister 
U.S. and China Push for Ceasefire as Thailand–Cambodia Border Clashes Escalate 
U.S.-Russia Talks in Miami Raise Hopes for Potential Ukraine War Deal 
Trump Signals Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks Ahead of U.S.–Russia Meeting 
Union-Aligned Investors Question Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet on Trump Immigration Policies 
Federal Appeals Court Allows Trump’s National Guard Deployment in Washington, D.C. to Continue 
Trump Attends Dover Ceremony Honoring U.S. Personnel Killed in Syria 
Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency 
Dan Bongino to Step Down as FBI Deputy Director After Brief, Controversial Tenure 
Barham Salih Elected as Next UN High Commissioner for Refugees 
UN Warns Gaza Humanitarian Aid at Risk as Israel Registration Rules Threaten NGO Operations 
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 
Trump Administration Plans Major Increase in Denaturalization Cases for Naturalized U.S. Citizens 
U.S. Senators Move Toward Deal to Strengthen Military Helicopter Safety Rules 
US President Joe Biden traveled to Poland last week, where he met and spoke with Ukrainian refugees who fled the ongoing conflict in Ukraine for safety in Warsaw. During his meeting with the refugees, Biden described his Russian counterpart as a “butcher” following the unprovoked invasion by Russia into Ukraine.
Reuters reports Biden visited a refugee reception center in Poland’s capital Warsaw, where he met and spoke with Ukrainians who fled the country to seek refuge in Poland. The US leader was pressed on the impact of the decision that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made to invade Ukraine back in February on the Ukrainian people. Biden said that Putin was a “butcher.”
Over the weekend, Biden also dropped by the meeting between Ukraine’s foreign and defense ministers Dymytro Kuleba and Oleksii Reznikov with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Kuleba later told the press that Washington has made additional security pledges to Ukraine regarding the development of defense cooperation.
“President Biden said what is happening in Ukraine will change the history of the 21st century, and we will work together to ensure that this change is in our favor, in Ukraine’s favor, in the favor of the democratic world,” said Kuleba.
Biden also spoke with his Polish counterpart, President Andrzej Duda, where the US leader reiterated Washington’s commitment to protecting every inch of NATO territory. Poland is a NATO member country.
In other related news, Biden is set to propose a new minimum tax that would mainly target billionaires as he introduces his 2023 budget, according to documents obtained by CNBC. The new minimum tax would be called the “Billionaire Minimum Income Tax” that would assess a 20 percent minimum tax rate on the country’s richest households worth over $100 million. More than half the revenue would come from those worth over $1 billion.
The proposal is expected to reduce the deficit by around $360 billion in the coming decade. If a wealthy household is already paying 20 percent on their full income, they would not need to pay an additional tax from the proposal. If they pay less than 20 percent, they will pay a “top-up payment” to meet the new minimum.
