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US-Iran War: Trump Eyes Military Exit as Markets React to Potential De-escalation 
Trump Threatens ICE Airport Deployment Amid TSA Shutdown Crisis 
Cuba Rejects U.S. Demands to Remove President Diaz-Canel Amid Ongoing Negotiations 
U.S.-Iran War Escalates: Marines Deploy, Strait of Hormuz Closure Drives Global Oil Crisis 
Trump Presses Japan to Support Iran War Effort, Cites Pearl Harbor in Surprise Defense 
Trump Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to Iran Over Strait of Hormuz, Threatens Power Grid Strikes 
Trump Administration Quietly Approves $7 Billion in Unannounced Weapons Sales to UAE 
Cuba-U.S. Military Tensions: Havana Warns It Is Ready to Defend Itself Against Potential American Aggression 
Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Restrictive Press Access Policy 
Iran Threatens Gulf Infrastructure as U.S.-Israel War Enters Critical 48-Hour Window 
Palestinian Activist Leqaa Kordia Released from U.S. Immigration Detention After Judge's Order 
Federal Reserve Crisis: DOJ Standoff Threatens Powell's Succession and Rate Stability 
Israel Defies Trump's Warning, Launches New Strikes on Iran Amid Growing Global Energy Crisis 
S&P 500 Rebounds After Netanyahu's Statements on Iran's Military Setbacks 
US President Joe Biden has yet to fill out several positions within his administration but has already released slates of nominations. Biden’s latest nominations include a former health official of West Virginia to become the country’s “Drug Czar.”
Biden this week nominated Dr. Rahul Gupta, a former health commissioner of West Virginia, to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy also known as “Drug Czar.” Should he be confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Gupta would be the first physician to lead the department. Known for his work in the opioid crisis, Dr. Gupta recently served as the chief medical and health officer of the March of Dimes.
Dr. Gupta’s nomination drew bipartisan praise from West Virginian politicians. West Virginia’s GOP Governor Jim Justice said Dr. Gupta’s nomination is “great news” and congratulated the former health commissioner. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also praised Dr. Gupta’s nomination in a statement that was released shortly after the announcement.
“Dr. Gupta will bring over a decade of extensive experience combatting the drug epidemic to ONDCP -- the office charged with addressing the drug epidemic that has killed over 90,000 Americans just last year,” said Manchin in his statement.
Biden has also released more nominations to US ambassador posts. Also this week, Biden nominated former Arizona GOP Senator Jeff Flake to become the US Ambassador to Turkey. This has also been confirmed by a Biden administration official to NBC.
Flake is the second Republican that Biden has nominated to serve in a diplomatic post under his administration. Prior to Flake, Biden nominated Cindy McCain, the widow of the late Arizona GOP Senator John McCain, as the US Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Both Mrs. McCain and Flake endorsed Biden for president during the 2020 elections and both have been especially critical of Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump.
“Given the strategic importance of the United States’ relationship with our longtime NATO ally, the Republic of Turkey, I am honored and humbled by the trust President Biden has placed in me with this ambassadorial nomination. This is a pivotal post at an important time for both of our countries,” Flake said in a statement.
