Good morning, everyone! Happy Friday.
Today, we will look at U.S. politics, developments across the Americas and Asia, and other news spanning the globe.
Let’s get to it.
Africa
-Liberian President Joseph Boakai launched a reconciliation campaign more than two decades after the end of the West African country’s civil war.
The effort includes memorial services for two assassinated presidents and the government’s first formal apology to war victims.
-Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Cairo yesterday as Beijing seeks to deepen ties with the North African country.
-Botswana will allow its pula currency to depreciate at a quicker pace as its economy comes under pressure amid a downturn in the global diamond market.
-Manufacturing output in South Africa expanded by 0.5% in May.
-The African Union will hold a mid-year coordination meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on Sunday.
-On Monday, finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 (G-20) will meet in South Africa.
Other Links:
UN says if US funding for HIV programs is not replaced, millions more will die by 2029 - AP
Mauritania to meet Israel at Trump White House meeting - Semafor
Nigerian forces kill 30 bandits in northwest Katsina counter-operation - Reuters
Ghana warns of power cuts while Italy's Eni works to boost gas supply - Reuters
Record-breaking heat in Morocco spurs demand for air conditioning - Africa News
Americas and the Caribbean
-Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said his government would respond to a 50% tariff announced by President Donald Trump with reciprocal measures.
Trump made the announcement on Wednesday, citing Brasília’s treatment of U.S. technology companies and charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The United States is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner, behind China.
-Trump said Washington would impose a 35% duty on goods from Canada starting next month.
-Monthly inflation in Brazil eased for a fourth time in a row in June, according to government data released on Thursday.
-El Salvador recalled its ambassador to Mexico after a Mexican official claimed that a drug trafficking plane in the country had come from the Central American nation—a claim Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele denied.
-Armed groups in Colombia have added thousands to their ranks in recent years despite government efforts to broker ceasefire agreements, according to Reuters.
-The death toll from a series of earthquakes in Guatemala rose to four.
-Volunteer first responders from Mexico have been deployed to Texas and California to assist in search and rescue efforts following devastating floods and wildfires.
Other Links:
Over 90 arrests made in global crackdown on environmental crime in the Amazon Basin - AP
Barbados to be test case for first regional debt swap scheme - Reuters
US extends deadline for fentanyl sanctions on three Mexican financial institutions - Reuters
Baby stolen during Argentina's military rule found after 48 years - BBC
Progressive leaders' Summit in Santiago announced - MercoPress
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on the sidelines of a summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.
The meeting comes amid a rupture between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Earlier this week, Trump restarted weapons shipments to Ukraine and accused Putin of stalling negotiations to end the three-year-long war with Kyiv.
-Rubio and his Malaysian counterpart, Mohamad Hasan, signed a civil nuclear cooperation pact on Thursday.
-The Philippines will seek to negotiate to lower U.S. tariffs announced by Trump on Wednesday, according to Manila’s ambassador to Washington.
-Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval rating climbed to 62% in the second quarter, up from 55% in March, according to a new poll.
Conversely, Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval has slid as she has been embroiled in legal and impeachment proceedings.
-Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol returned to jail on Wednesday after a court issued a warrant for his arrest for his approval of a December martial law declaration.
Yoon was impeached by lawmakers and removed from office earlier this year over the controversial move.
-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to kick off a three-day visit to Pyongyang, North Korea, today.
-China will host foreign ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Monday.
Other Links:
India and China strive to reset ties but with caution - BBC
China says 3 foreign spy plots foiled, including "honey trap" that relied on foreign agent's "seductive beauty" - CBS
China Surveys Seabeds Where Naval Rivals May One Day Clash - The New York Times
Xi Signals China May Finally Move to End Deflationary Price Wars - Bloomberg
Pentagon to Take Stake in Rare-Earth Company, Challenging China’s Control - The Wall Street Journal
Taiwan’s president watches live-fire drills with new US-made tanks - AP
Bangladesh tribunal indicts ousted Prime Minister Hasina over deaths of protesters - AP
Europe
-More than $10 billion was committed to war-battered Ukraine at the conclusion of an economic recovery conference in Rome, Italy.
-The United States has delivered artillery shells and mobile rocket artillery missiles to Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials.
Separately, the United Kingdom pledged to supply Kyiv with more than 5,000 air defense missiles.
-European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s government survived a confidence vote in the European Parliament on Thursday.
-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a migration pact and pledged deeper defense cooperation at the conclusion of a three-day state visit by Macron to London.
-Bosnia will commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide today.
Other Links:
Deadly new Russian drone and missile attack hits Kyiv - BBC
U.K. and France Agree to First-Ever Nuclear Weapons Pact to Fend Off Threat to Europe - The New York Times
TikTok faces fresh European privacy investigation over China data transfers - AP
French police raid far-right National Rally headquarters in finance probe - AP
Greek lawmakers to vote on North Africa asylum ban as rights groups cry foul - Reuters
Middle East
-Hamas said it would release ten Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip as U.S.-mediated ceasefire negotiations continue.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said earlier this week that the sides had reached breakthroughs in three of the four major areas of disagreement and that a deal could be reached as soon as this week.
Witkoff is expected to depart for the region on Tuesday.
-The United States sanctioned a United Nations official who has been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.
-The United Kingdom faces a “persistent and unpredictable threat” from Iran, according to an intelligence report.
-U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack said Syria’s government and Kurdish forces remain divided over plans to merge their forces.
Other Links:
Israel Will Allow More Aid Into Gaza, Officials Say - The New York Times
Israeli strike kills children near Gaza clinic with no immediate truce in sight - Reuters
UN gets first fuel into Gaza in 130 days, says UN spokesperson - Reuters
EU outlines options for political action against Israel on human rights - Reuters
Rescuers search for missing crew from Red Sea attack as US alleges Yemen rebels ‘kidnapped’ them - AP
United States
-President Donald Trump hosted Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republican officials in the Oval Office on Wednesday night to discuss the 2026 midterm races.
The White House has said it would remain neutral in the Republican primary contest in Texas where four-term Senator John Cornyn is facing a tough challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Multiple polls have shown Paxton with double-digit leads over Cornyn.
Separately, Paxton’s wife—state Senator Angela Paxton—announced yesterday she had filed for divorce.
-Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley announced yesterday that he would seek a fourth term next year.
-Iowa Senator Joni Ernst could be the next Republican lawmaker to announce her retirement, according to Politico.
Last week, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said he would not seek a third term after breaking with Trump on his domestic policy bill.
-White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett has emerged as a contender to be the next Federal Reserve chairman, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump has routinely criticized current Chairman Jerome Powell for not moving to lower interest rates at a faster clip.
-Jobless claims slipped to a seven-week low last week.
-The Senate is slated to vote on Monday to approve the first judicial nominee of Trump’s second term.
-Texas Governor Greg Abbott scheduled a special session of the legislature for July 21 to deal with flood warning systems and congressional redistricting, along with a slew of other issues. The session comes as the Lone Star State grapples with devastating floods that swept Central Texas last week. At least 120 people have died, with 173 still missing.
View the session proclamation here.
-Measles cases in the United States have hit a 33-year high.
Other Links:
Senate Confirms Bryan Bedford to Lead FAA - The New York Times
House Democrats demand answers from CDC over vaccine panel changes - The Hill
FEMA leader is a no-show after deadly Texas flooding - Politico
John Kerry says 'Trump was right', Democrats allowed migrant 'siege' of border - BBC
Democrats pour millions into New Jersey governor's race - NBC
Michigan State professor enters crowded Democratic primary for US Rep. Tom Barrett’s seat - AP
That’s all for today. See you next week.
Notes:
https://scowcroft.substack.com/p/tsg-weekly-calendar-july-7-13