The Senate on Thursday night passed its version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in a vote of 86-11. The bill authorizes a record $886 billion in military spending. For the full article, click here.

Russia warned on Wednesday that starting on July 20, it would consider all ships in the Black Sea heading to Ukrainian ports as carrying military cargo now that the grain deal has been terminated. For the full article, click here.

Russia announced Monday that it was suspending its participation in a deal that was signed last year to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. For the full article, click here.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia will view US-made F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine as a nuclear threat because they are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. For the full article, click here.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday defended the Biden administration’s decision to arm Ukraine with widely-banned cluster munitions, which have a devastating impact on civilians. For the full article, click here.

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said Sunday that it launched three airstrikes in Somalia and claimed the bombardment killed 10 al-Shabaab fighters. For the full article, click here.

The Pentagon said Thursday that the Chinese balloon that wound up over the US in February did not collect data while it flew over US territory. For the full article, click here.