July 25: E-Stories
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Catching up…
For a general view of news from various geopolitical threatres, Scott’s EA Worldview is always superb.
The EU and US allies to Ukraine should be moving much faster to provide air defence systems, and permit the Ukrainian forces to strike deep within Russia.
This is Kharkiv. Had this been any other EU or American city, the allies would have moved to stop the carnage. But we’re sitting here waiting for Trump or anyone else to do what is necessary, unacceptable for those who have Ukraine at heart, but fatal for Ukrainians subjected to the daily barrage of drones and missiles. A cursory glance at the Russian occupation section of E-Stories or the most recent article in the Times about what happens to abducted Ukrainian children who are turned into Russian soldiers, you realise it’s not just about losing a building or school: it’s about losing everyone and everything at once.
Ukraine is defending Europe’s eastern border. We are not doing Ukraine any ‘favours’ or providing 'military aid’: Ukraine is defending us and bearing the brunt of Russian violence for us.
The Ukrainian forces must be allowed to strike Moscow, bring the war to the Russian population who seems to think they can live it out with impunity. Cause disarray and division and discomfort and fear internally. The sanctions are part of the economic warfare component of the overall effort, as are the use of other tools of statecraft, but nothing can substitute the reality of dealing with the war’s consequence firsthand. Ukraine’s allies have left the Russian homefront untouched, and yet it’s an important part of the war—probably the most important.
This won’t be enough, however. Russian forces need to be diverted from the Ukrainian front to another theatre so as to thin out the effort of the Russian onslaught in the Ukrainian east. Vulnerabilities and opportunities in other areas of the Russian Federation should be identified. When Ukrainians hit Sochi on yesterday, the Russians looking on wondered why the Ukrainians were hitting them and not ‘Russia’. Prigozhin led his motley crew from Rostov-on-Don, untouched as they made their way to Moscow. There are certainly areas along Russia’s southern border that don’t identify with Moscow or St Petersburg.
For now we are allowing Ukraine’s future to slip away, and with it, our own security and future stability.
Stories we’re following…Overnight, Russia launched another air assault on Ukraine using 107 aerial threats—103 Shahed-type drones and decoys, plus 4 Iskander-K cruise missiles. Ukrainian air defense shot down or suppressed 90 drones and one cruise missile.
Russia struck Kharkiv with a new type of munition – the UMPB-5. These glide bombs now launch from 100 km away and carry a 250 kg warhead with a heavier casing than the earlier D-30 variant. The result: greater destruction and more civilian injuries, according to the Kharkiv Prosecutor's Office.
July 24 morning, Maria Avdeeva reports that “Russia dropped two glide bombs near a residential building in downtown Kharkiv — in broad daylight. Another strike in its ongoing campaign of terror against civilians”.
Fire engulfs iconic Odesa market amid Russian attack. A Russian drone attack on Odesa damaged residential buildings, a gas station, and the city's Pryvoz market overnight on July 24.
During last night’s attack on Odesa, Russian forces struck a moving railway train near the port area. Thanks to an effective alert system, all rail staff reached shelter in time—no injuries were reported, according to Ukrzaliznytsia.
Russian attacks kill 2, injure 30 across Ukraine over past day, cause blackouts. Russia launched 71 drones from multiple directions overnight. Air defenses shot down 27 drones, and 18 were lost or intercepted by electronic warfare, the Air Force said.
Russian forces bombed a cemetery in Cherkasy, Mayor Anatoliy Bondarenko reports. The rockets were packed with shrapnel, which scattered across a kilometer, damaging about 15 apartment buildings. Seven people, including a child, were injured in the blast.
The ninth prisoner exchange under the Istanbul deal was completed late yesterday evening. Over 1,000 Ukrainian defenders have been freed so far. Today’s group included wounded and ill troops, soldiers captured in Mariupol, and the last defender of Snake Island. They fought across nearly every front.
The Times: Russia is forcing children abducted from Ukraine to fight against their own country when they turn 18, Ukrainian officials have told The Times.
An estimated 35,000 children have been taken from Ukraine’s eastern occupied territories so far since 2014, including at gunpoint.
New evidence is now emerging that when the children turn 18, they are being conscripted into Russian battalions and sent to the front line, to potentially face their friends, fathers or brothers on the battlefield.
It is not known how many have been conscripted, but by some estimates there are thousands.
In interviews with The Times, Ukrainian government officials allege that forcing the teenagers to fight serves two purposes for the Kremlin: the first is they present a solution to Russia’s military manpower crisis, with the country having suffered one million casualties already in the war so far.
The second is as a brutal new form of psychological warfare against the Ukrainian people, allegedly the result of the Russian president’s personal orders.
While some of the children are fostered or adopted by Russian families, independent researchers discovered the vast majority — an estimated 95 per cent — are sent to re-education camps.
When they reach their later teens, they are sent on to military training depots. The Humanitarian Research Lab has discovered 116 different locations so far where the children are being held, the majority of them in Russia and some as far away as its Pacific coast.
The program is overseen by the FSB, Russia’s state security service, in a sign of the importance Ukrainian officials say that Putin attaches to it.
The mass abductions, which are a clear violation of the Geneva Convention, formed the basis of a war crimes arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court in 2023.
Protests against Law No. 12414 spread across multiple cities in Ukraine. Citizens are voicing strong opposition to the legislation, which they see as a direct threat to the independence of anti-corruption institutions NABU and SAPO. Public pressure is building.
President Zelenskyy spoke with Chancellor Merz and PM Starmer on Thursday as part of his diplomatic offensive to respond to concerns about the recently adopted law that critics say weakens the independence of anti-corruption institutions.
After talking to Merz, Zelenskyy said in a readout that he informed the German chancellor about his plans for a new comprehensive law for anti-corruption bodies, inviting Germany to join the scrutiny in the drafting process.
The pair also discussed Ukraine’s route to EU accession, with Zelenskyy saying that Merz assured him of “absolute support” from Germany, and about the latest situation on the frontline and the need to increase the production of drones.
“We all hear what society is saying' — Zelensky vows anti-corruption plan within 2 weeks amid backlash over controversial bill. "We see what people expect from state institutions — ensured justice and the effective functioning of each institution," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
EU Commission president VDL asked Ukrainian president Zelenskyy for explanations on the controversial reform weakening the country’s anti-corruption agencies, saying the bloc was “very concerned” about the new law and highlighting its potential impact on Ukraine’s EU accession process. A commission spokesperson said today:
“I cannot give you the exact details of what, when, how and what time [was discussed].
What matters is the message that was indeed passed, a message where we expressed our concern, our worries, about the steps that had been taken in the meantime.
Indeed, we understand that the Ukrainian authorities have taken a new approach, [to] propose a new action plan or law.
We welcome the fact that the Ukrainian government is taking action, and we work with them to make sure that our concerns, which have been clearly explained yesterday and day before yesterday, are indeed taken into account.”
ISW: Russia’s occupation of Ukraine
According to The Times, the Kremlin is forcing Ukrainian children abducted from occupied territories to join the Russian army once they turn 18. This brutal tactic, reportedly ordered by Putin, marks a new level of psychological warfare against Ukraine. An estimated 35,000 children were taken—many now face conscription.
Russia is creating and propagating a water crisis in occupied Ukraine. The water crisis is a direct result of Russia’s occupation of Ukraine and the resulting destruction and mismanagement of water resources, and is likely a violation of Russia’s international legal responsibilities.
Russia continues efforts to consolidate the military-patriotic indoctrination of Ukrainian children under the Russian Volunteer Society for the Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and Navy (DOSAAF).
Russia will use DOSAAF to streamline the militarization of youth in occupied Ukraine in tandem with the existing ecosystem of youth-focused military-patriotic organizations such as the Movement of the First and Yunarmia. Crimean occupation officials are taking additional steps to consolidate control over the information space in occupied Crimea in order to more easily levy “high treason” charges against residents for perceived pro-Ukrainian behavior.
Combat SituationOver the past day, there have been 172 combat engagements on the front, indicating a tense situation in several key directions. During this time, the Russian Federation’s army suffered significant losses – 1,050 soldiers.
The missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces struck 12 areas where enemy personnel, weapons, and military equipment were concentrated, destroying one ammunition depot, one command post, and three artillery systems of the Russian army.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine stopped 61 enemy assault actions.
Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced in Sumy and Zaporizhia oblasts and near Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.
Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups reportedly recently advanced into southern Pokrovsk as Russian forces continue to pursue their operational objective of enveloping the town.
Russian forces recently executed a civilian in the Lyman direction.
Drone strike hits Sochi: Lukoil oil depot attacked, one dead Sochi, Adler and Sirius came under a massive overnight drone attack by Ukraine. One of the UAVs struck the Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt oil depot — fuel tanks caught fire, explosions were heard near Tavricheskaya Street, and air defenses lit up the sky.
ISW: Iranian Defense Minister Nasir Zadeh paid an official visit to Moscow, likely to secure Russian military assistance following the Iran-Israel war. Iran may increasingly view the PRC as a viable and more reliable defense partner compared to Russia, however.
Iran has continued to pursue PRC investment in support of its effort to develop Iran into an international transit hub. This further highlights Iranian reliance on the PRC to support the Iranian economy and mitigate international sanctions.
Russia and Iran have lost influence in the Caucasus and are concerned by growing Turkish influence in the region. Moscow and Tehran could collaborate to pursue their mutual interests in the Caucasus despite their historic disagreements there.
The PRC and Russia have cooperated to legitimize and provide international top cover for some Western-designated terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Central Asia. These organizations include the Houthis and Afghan Taliban.
“Just struck a deal with the European Union—this time they’ll pay 100% for all U.S. military equipment we send. They’ll receive it, redistribute it, and the bulk will go to Ukraine. It’s been a while since you’ve heard words like that,” Trump said, adding that after investing $350 billion, America is now supplying equipment to Europe at Europe’s expense. (Mo: I guess when the Chinese come knocking, EU NATO member states will do the same. Mercenary foreign policy.)
Behind the LinesRussian Gazprom wins asset release in Dutch court after claims by Ukrainian companies, Reuters reports. A Dutch court overturned seizure orders on Russian energy giant Gazprom's local assets, which had been imposed following lawsuits filed by two Ukrainian companies, Reuters reports on July 22, citing a published ruling on the court's website.
Russia selling less oil: BP and PetroChina tankers are now avoiding Nayara refinery, 49% owned by Rosneft. Around 250,000 bpd of diesel and jet fuel exports are at risk.
Reuters: Chinese engines, shipped as 'cooling units', power Russian drones used in Ukraine. Chinese-made engines are being covertly shipped via front companies to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia, labelled as "industrial refrigeration units" to avoid detection in the wake of Western sanctions, according to three European security officials and documents reviewed by Reuters.
The shipments have allowed Russian weapons-maker IEMZ Kupol to increase its production of the Garpiya-A1 attack drone, despite the U.S. and E.U. sanctions imposed in October designed to disrupt its supply chain, according to the sources and documents, which included contracts, invoices and customs paperwork.
An internal Kupol document, reviewed by Reuters, showed it signed a contract with the Russian defence ministry to produce more than 6,000 Garpiya this year, up from 2,000 in 2024. The document stated that more than 1,500 drones had already been delivered by April.
ICYMI: US approves possible $172 million support package for Ukraine’s air defense system. The package will include five-ton cargo trucks, spare parts, and the refurbishment and overhaul of air defense fire units. The second package worth $150 million, includes Bradley IFVs, repairs, and maintenance.
Trump wants to personally decide the future of U.S. sanctions policy on Russia, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed. “He’s been deeply involved from the start, and believes sanction decisions are his right and responsibility as commander-in-chief,” she said. (Mo: Trump has given the Russian forces 50 days to further degrade Ukraine’s civilian and military posture. He could have decided to apply sanctions immediately given that the Russians have no intention to stop their war.)
ISW: Taiwan continued its yearly Han Kuang military exercises through July 18, introducing new exercises and systems reflective of President William Lai Ching-te’s effort to improve Taiwanese defensive capabilities and resilience against PRC aggression.
The CCG has continued sailing vessels into the restricted waters of the Taiwanese Pratas Island, mirroring the CCG harassment around Kinmen Island. The PRC has normalized such harassment around Kinmen Island, likely to test Taiwanese response protocols and thresholds and degrade Taiwanese threat awareness.
The offshore Taiwanese islands of Penghu, Matsu, and Kinmen all hosted drills, reflecting the key role that these islands would play in a cross-strait conflict.
The 2025 Han Kuang exercises highlight the Lai administration’s increasing emphasis on the importance of societal resilience and urban infrastructure in a cross-strait conflict. Taiwan has also taken steps to inoculate its citizens against potential disinformation campaigns, a critical element of PRC coercion.
Meanwhile in Russia & China…On Thursday, July 24, 2025, air traffic controllers lost contact with an An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 people in the Russian Far East. Active search operations are currently underway, the regional governor reported. According to the local emergency management agency, the plane, owned by the Siberian airline “Angara,” disappeared from radar while approaching the city of Tynda in the Amur region, located on the border with China.
The volume of Russian wheat exports to China in the first six months of 2025 in monetary terms collapsed more than 15 times - from $38.9 million to $2.5 million, according to data from the State Customs Administration of China (SCA) cited by Interfax. In June, there were no deliveries at all, while a year earlier their level reached $6.4 million (export volumes in physical terms are not indicated). Also, over the six months, Russian barley exports to China have decreased. They reached $42.2 million, compared to $100.1 million for the same period in 2024.
Former Tambov Region Governor Maxim Egorov has been detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe on an especially large scale (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code), a law enforcement source told TASS. According to him, investigative actions are currently being carried out with the official, and searches are being conducted at addresses associated with him in Tambov and Moscow.
Russian state transportation authorities said Wednesday that the captain of one of two oil tankers involved in a major spill in the Black Sea last year did not hold valid certification at the time of the incident. The revelation came during a court hearing in which the regional branch of the state environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor is suing Volgatransneft, the company that owns the tankers. The Dec. 15 spill contaminated beaches across southern Russia and sparked multiple lawsuits from local governments and federal agencies.
Delays in payments to the builders of the Turkish Akkuyu NPP were the result of foreign policy factors, Rosatom said. As the corporation's press service told RBK , a significant portion of the funds was blocked "under the influence of third parties" - due to the actions of states that allegedly conduct unfair competition with Russian nuclear projects. According to company representatives, the contractors have already agreed to organize meetings between the workers and the management of the subcontractor to discuss the problem and try to resolve it.
On Wednesday, July 23, the Supreme Court ruled to recognize the International Satanism Movement as extremist and ban it in Russia, TASS reports. The Prosecutor General's Office indicated that the movement's activities are aimed at undermining the foundations of the constitutional order, promoting violence and inciting religious hatred. "The movement is closely associated with manifestations of radical nationalism and neo-Nazism. Along with ritual murders, its participants also commit other crimes, including against minors," the Prosecutor General's Office emphasized. At the same time, representatives of the movement did not participate in the trial, and in court itself they were unable to specify who could speak on their behalf. (Mo: this is rich!)
Ruth Deyermond: For any non-Baltic person interested in the "significant advantage" of being occupied by the USSR for nearly 50 years, I can recommend a visit to the Museum of Occuptions and Freedom Fighters.
The aim of the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights is to collect, preserve, study, and promote historical documentary material reflecting the policies, ideology, and repressions of the Soviet and Nazi occupation authorities against the Lithuanian population. The Museum pursues this goal by assembling the following collections: Independent Lithuania, Lithuanian population in prisons and exile, Armed anti-Soviet resistance, Unarmed anti-Soviet resistance, Operations of Soviet repressive agencies. The above-mentioned funds contain more than 144,000 items of photography, writings, documents, and objects. The number of exhibits is supplemented annually by new items.
Martin Malek: Russia’s dreams of re-Union
For three decades after the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, political science and practical politics in Western Europe and North America very rarely addressed Moscow’s efforts to ‘reintegrate’ the ‘post-Soviet space’ (i.e., the former republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics/USSR). Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, little attention was paid to the countless calls to restore the Soviet Union or a ‘Russian empire’ from various quarters, including communist and nationalist parties, movements and politicians. The project, it was said, would initially consist of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, with other post-Soviet republics joining later.
By no means did this revanchist discourse begin under Vladimir Putin’s leadership since 1999 – it started in the 1990s immediately after the end of the USSR. Spurred by a feeling of bitterness in Russia over the loss of territories that for centuries had been under first tsarist and then Soviet control, this sense of grievance was not limited to the fringes of the political spectrum. It was hard to disagree with the radical nationalist Sergei Baburin when he wrote in 2000 that ‘for the majority of the Russian population, the terms “Russia” and “Russian Federation” are not identical’. The background to this attitude was then (and still is) the widespread conviction in society and among the elites of the Russian Federation that the Soviet Union was in fact nothing but ‘historical Russia’. [continue reading]
Russia projecting war with NATO: On June 22, the Russian outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda — “Vladimir Putin’s favorite newspaper,” according to journalists at Agentstvo — published an article projecting that the E.U. could attack Russia as soon as 2027. The newspaper lays out three scenarios for war, raising concerns that the Russian media might be preparing the Russian public for a direct military confrontation with NATO.
The Cipher Brief—Chinese Gray Zone Warfare against Taiwan: National security experts will tell you that Taiwan is on the frontline, bombarded every day by Chinese attacks. They don’t mean missiles and bullets (for now) — they’re talking about China’s disinformation offensive, a war waged daily in the trenches of social media, where experts say Beijing is using narratives to sow doubt in the Taiwanese government. Taipei is calling out the offenses though, most recently by accusing Beijing of trying to influence a recall vote for 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers this Saturday. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council cites Chinese state media’s overlapping messages with the KMT as evidence of interference.
Xinhua: Afghan authorities have officially inaugurated the third phase of the Kamal Khan hydropower dam in western Afghanistan's Nimroz province, the country's Ministry of Energy and Water said in a statement on Wednesday. Kamal Khan Dam, one of the largest dams in Afghanistan, was constructed in Chahar Barjak district of Nimroz province, about 790 km from the capital Kabul. It was designed to manage monsoon flooding and provide irrigation for agricultural lands, while also having the capability to generate 6 megawatts of electricity.
The Cipher Brief—Iran says it will allow a technical team from the IAEA to visit the country in the coming weeks to talk about future relations. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the IAEA representatives will come only for talks and that they will not be allowed to inspect the nuclear sites recently hit by Israeli and American airstrikes.
The IAEA has insisted it must regain access to assess what materials and machines may have survived the attacks. Of particular interest is how much of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is left. Iran said it is still assessing the damage itself.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reports that Iran warned a U.S. destroyer to change course as it approached waters monitored by Tehran. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Central Command did not comment on or confirm the report.
In Europe…GMF’s Andrew Small: “Barring a late twist, the [EU-China] summit itself will be purely an exercise in message delivery and positioning rather than deliverables. The more important question is what happens in the aftermath.”
European policymakers once hoped that the EU-China summit could be an occasion to stabilize bilateral relations and advance a few limited agreements on trade, investment, and climate change. They have instead been faced with a single-issue test: Could the EU hold its nerve in the face of China’s rare earths blackmail, and do so without the ballast of an economic deal with the United States? The answer, somewhat to Beijing’s surprise, is yes.
CNN: Xi Jurged EU leaders to make the “right strategic choice” and strengthen cooperation with China to ensure global “stability.” This appeal came during a significant summit where serious disagreements between the parties were discussed.
Von der Leyen emphasized that the EU’s economic ties with China, which last year had a trade deficit of 300 billion euros ($350 billion), have reached a “turning point.”
Without directly mentioning Trump’s trade war, Xi stressed that China and the EU are “constructive forces supporting multilateralism and advocating openness and cooperation.”
“The more complex and serious the international situation becomes, the more China and the EU must strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, and deepen cooperation, so that through stable and healthy China-EU relations the world can gain more stability and confidence,” CCTV quoted Xi as saying.
“China uses this quasi-monopoly position (on rare earth metals) not only as a trade card but also as a weapon to undermine competitors in key industries,” von der Leyen said.
EU Commission president VDL said that the EU would find it very difficult to maintain its current level of openness” with China if it continues with a massive trade surplus with the EU, which she blamed on “trade distortions” including state subsidies by Beijing. She said the EU currently accounted for 14.5% of China’s total exports, yet only represented 8% of EU exports. She argued:
“These numbers speak to the scale of our relationship, but they also expose a growing imbalance. It is mostly due to an increasing number of trade distortions and market access barriers.”
But unlike other major markets, Europe keeps its market open to Chinese goods.
This reflects our longstanding commitment to rules-based trade.
However, this openness is not matched by China. The European Union’s trade deficit with China has doubled in the last decade, reaching more than 300 billion Euros by now.”
She has also reiterated demands that China stop selling dual-use domestic and industry technologies to Russia that can be repurposed for weapons.
“We have been very clear on that topic. China has an influence on Russia, like the European Union has an influence on Ukraine. It is our expectation that China uses this influence to make sure that Russia is coming seriously to the negotiation table,” she said after a summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Mo: this is extremely lame and unacceptable. I was hoping for more given that the bloc has real bargaining power, but it’s clear now, has no influence, nor does it try to nourish or weild it. There’s not much more to say.
The Cipher Brief—Follow up European intel sharing compromised: Spain recently awarded Huawei a contract to manage its system for legally authorized wiretaps. Dr. Dave Venable, Chair of the Institute for Strategic Risk and Security, and Mykola Volkivskyi, President of the Geneva Center for Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, warn in today’s Cipher Brief that the deal puts NATO intelligence-sharing at risk — highlighting the lack of institutional safeguards and standards in Europe when it comes to critical intelligence systems.
In other news…Bloomberg: Thai and Cambodian forces exchanged gunfire early Thursday at a disputed border area, further escalating tensions that have already triggered a political crisis in Thailand. The clash occurred near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a contested site in Thailand’s northeastern Surin province, after Cambodian troops allegedly opened fire first, the Thai army said in a statement.
The skirmish came just hours after Thailand expelled Cambodia’s ambassador and recalled its own envoy from Phnom Penh in response to a landmine explosion that injured five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. In retaliation, Cambodia downgraded diplomatic ties, withdrew its diplomats, and requested Thailand do the same, according to Cambodian state media.
The border conflict began in late May with an exchange of gunfire in a disputed area that killed a Cambodian soldier. Since then, both countries have massed troops along the frontier and limited land crossings that serve as vital trade routes.
Der Spiegal: Turkish State-Owned Bank Suspected of Transferring $1.5 Billion to Tehran
The Turkish state-owned bank Halkbank apparently assisted Iran to evade U.S. sanctions. DER SPIEGEL has learned that the financial institution is suspected of having released more than 1.5 billion euros out of a total volume of 4 billion euros for the regime in Tehran. According to sources in Western security circles, the money was allegedly transferred between May 2024 and March 2025, most of it in tranches of just under 200 million euros via shell companies.
The Cipher Brief: Trump released his artificial intelligence (AI) action plan on Wednesday, built around 3 key pillars: “Accelerate AI Innovation”, “Build American AI Infrastructure”, and “Lead in AI Diplomacy and Security.” In addition to support for AI development and adoption, the framework emphasizes boosting U.S. electricity capacity to power new AI efforts. The plan for that includes deregulation, energy generation research, improving transmission methods, and upgrading old power plants. The policy framework also calls for swifter military adoption of AI, facilitated in part by the creation of an “AI and Autonomous System Virtual Proving Ground” at the Defense Department to test AI-driven solutions.
Follow-up—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is raising the alarm on Pentagon tech, ordering the Defense Department’s chief information officer to ensure that DoD’s technology supply chains are actually secure. The directive, signed Friday and first made public today, followed a ProPublica investigation which found that China-based engineers were working on DoD cloud computing systems. Hegseth ordered a “two-week review” to make sure there isn’t that kind of exposure in other parts of the department’s tech supply chains.
CNN: China banned the departure of a foreign Wells Fargo executive and a U.S. government employee, raising concerns about the country’s opaque judicial system and safety. This also highlighted the risks for foreign companies and citizens working in China.
Exit bans are a common practice by Chinese authorities, used to prevent individuals suspected in various cases from leaving the country. While sometimes done on legal grounds, experts note that in other instances the reasons may be political.
These new bans come amid China’s efforts to attract foreign investment and create additional uncertainties in trade negotiations with the U.S., especially ahead of the August 12 deadline for new tariffs.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the exit ban on Wells Fargo banker Mao Chenyue, stating that he is “involved in a criminal case” and is required to cooperate with the investigation, without providing further details.
The U.S. State Department also reported an exit ban on an employee of the U.S. Patent Office, which is part of the Department of Commerce.
Signal Gate: The Washington Post is reporting today that the Pentagon’s independent watchdog has received evidence that posts that appeared on Defense Secretary Hegseth’s Signal account were derived from a classified email labeled “SECRET/NOFORN”. That refers to a “SECRET” classification level, and “NOFORN” means no foreign national can see the information. The report would appear to contradict the Trump administration’s claim that information shared in the Signal group chat that included Hegseth and other top officials did not divulge classified information. A Pentagon spokesperson reiterated today that no classified information was shared on Signal.
WaPo: Attorney General Pam Bondi informed President Trump in May that his name was in the Epstein files, according to three people with knowledge of the exchange.
When Justice Department officials reviewed what Bondi called a “truckload” of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year, they discovered that Trump’s name appeared multiple times, according to senior administration officials. Many other high-profile figures were also named, Trump was told.
They told the president at the meeting that the files contained what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in the past. In a statement to the Journal on Friday, Bondi and the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, said nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution. “As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings,” they said.
On Tuesday, Blanche said on X that the Justice Department was seeking to arrange a meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell in the coming days to discuss any possible information about anyone who has committed crimes with Epstein.
Axios—The Trump administration's feverish push for "transparency" over the 2016 Russia investigation is fast becoming a vehicle for MAGA's long dream: the potential prosecution of former President Obama.
Trump's war on his predecessor is dramatically escalating just as Trump faces new pressure over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files — with a steady stream of leaks extending the scandal, day by day.
For MAGA, the new focus on "Russiagate" offers a unifying reprieve — a return to a comfort zone where Trump is the victim of a conspiracy, not the subject of one.
It's a retribution campaign that's deeply personal to Trump's most loyal supporters, and one that could plunge the U.S. into uncharted territory if carried to its extreme conclusion.
The newly declassified report released by Gabbard originates from a 2017 House Intelligence Committee probe of the intelligence community's investigation into Russian election interference.
The report, drafted and revised solely by Republicans, questioned the analytical process behind the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton. But it didn't dispute the broader finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to hurt Clinton.
It offers no evidence of criminal conduct by Obama or his senior officials, despite Gabbard's claims of a "treasonous conspiracy."