Good morning, everyone.
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Today, we will look at the unfolding situation in the Middle East, New York City’s mayoral race, and the week of news ahead.
Let’s get to it.
The Week Ahead
-The European Union-Canada summit will convene in Brussels, Belgium, today.
-The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a meeting on Afghanistan.
-Leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will meet in The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday for a summit meeting.
-Defense ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will meet in Qingdao, China, for three days of talks.
-China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee—the country’s highest legislative body—will meet in Beijing.
-The UNSC will hold a meeting on Libya.
-The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will host an AI summit in Kuala Lumpur.
-EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday.
-The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis will release first-quarter growth data.
-The UNSC will hold a meeting on the Central African Republic (CAR).
-Nigerian President Bola Tinubu will visit the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia on Saturday.
Major Developments
-President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States had carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities. The strikes came just days after Trump issued a two-week ultimatum to Tehran, saying he wanted to allow time for negotiations to limit the country’s nuclear program. Following the attacks, Trump said nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were “completely and totally obliterated.”
A spokesman for Iran’s government said its Fordow facility had “not suffered any irreversible damage.”
The Israeli government had encouraged Washington to strike Iran’s underground nuclear facilities with heavy bombs as part of its air offensive against Tehran’s nuclear and military infrastructure—now in its second week.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, from conservative Thomas Massie to progressive stalwart Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called the Saturday strikes unconstitutional, saying they had not been authorized by a vote of Congress.
Trump later scorned Massie for his criticism.
Administration officials insisted yesterday that the attack would not be followed by “open-ended war.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today after having dismissed the potential for renewed negotiations with Washington.
-New York City will hold mayoral elections tomorrow.
In a packed Democratic primary field, former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani have consistently led in public polling in the final weeks of the campaign.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams declined to enter the Democratic race, opting instead to run for reelection as an independent candidate amid uproar over his legal controversies and ties to the Trump administration.
Yesterday, former President Bill Clinton endorsed Cuomo’s campaign, while Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has received the backing of progressive leaders such as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and AOC.
Cuomo served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in Clinton’s second term in office.
-Belarusian strongman President Aleksandr Lukashenko released opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky and more than a dozen other political prisoners after a high-level meeting with a U.S. official last week.
Sergei Tikhanovsky was arrested just days after saying he would stand as a candidate in the country’s 2020 presidential race. After his detention, his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, stood in his place. Lukashenko declared victory in the vote, a move widely contested by the opposition and international election authorities.
On Friday, Lukashenko hosted retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg—Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia—in Minsk, making him the most senior U.S. official to visit the Eastern European country since 2020.
Lukashenko—long described as “Europe’s last dictator” and a close Putin ally—was sworn in for a 7th term in March, telling his critics they “have no future.”
Other Links:
ECOWAS leaders meet in Abuja amid regional tensions and leadership transition - Africa News
A confidential brief urges the ICC to investigate Wagner's promotion of atrocities in West Africa - AP
Niger attack: More than 200 gunmen on motorbikes storm army base in Banibangou - BBC
Erick turns rainmaker after hitting Mexico’s Pacific coast as a strong hurricane. 1 dead - AP
President Milei: 'Iran is an enemy of Argentina' - Buenos Aires Times
Hot-air balloon in Brazil catches fire and falls from the sky, killing 8 and injuring 13 - AP
U.S. calls on China to prevent Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz and disrupting global oil flows - CNBC
Japan, South Korea mark 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties - The Japan Times
Japan scraps US meeting after Washington demands more defence spending - Financial Times
Ukraine still holds ground inside Russia's Kursk, commander says - BBC
Ukraine Army Chief Vows to Expand Strikes on Russia - Euronews
Surging travel in Europe spikes concerns over tourism’s drawbacks - AP
Iran must not take destabilising action, European leaders say - Reuters
US boosts emergency Mideast evacuations and travel warnings after Trump orders strikes in Iran - AP
Suicide bomber kills at least 20 in Greek Orthodox church in Syria during Divine Liturgy - AP
Advisory warns of 'heightened threat environment' in US after Iran strikes - Reuters
Trump administration briefed top Republicans before Iran strikes, but not Democrats - CNN
Republican Party has nearly five times more cash on hand than the Democrats - CNBC
Suspect arrested after GOP Rep. Max Miller says he was 'run off the road' by a man waving a Palestinian flag - NBC
Trump hints at "deal" with Harvard — as judge says DHS can't stop Harvard from hosting foreign students - CBS
Mahmoud Khalil Returns to New York After Months in Detention - The New York Times
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Notes:
https://scowcroft.substack.com/p/tsg-weekly-calendar-june-23-29
Fine summary, as always. $100 well spent by me.
I appreciate your work especially now when crazy is definitely the right word.