WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following commentary on July 1, 2026, by China Policy Senior Director Piero A. Tozzi: * * * America First Foreign Assistance Wins on the 1 Year Anniversary of the Closing of USAID The United States has long been the leader in foreign assistance, and on the one-year anniversary of the reorganization of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), that has not changed. The restructuring of U.S. foreign assistance saw oversight of all foreign assistance progr more PR

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- In a statement delivered at the House of Commons, British Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis announced the publication of the Defence Investment Plan, which commits 298 billion pounds to the armed forces over the next four years. Jarvis outlined that the funding includes an additional 15 billion pounds to boost day-to-day spending for training and war-fighting readiness, pushing defence spending to increase by 27 percent in real terms by the end of the decade. The plan targets major investments in autonomous capabilities, incl more PR

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Speaking in Maidenhead at drone manufacturer Malloy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a military spending plan that adds 15 billion pounds to the defence budget, bringing total expenditure to nearly 300 billion pounds over the next four years. Starmer outlined that this funding will raise defence spending to 2.7 percent of gross domestic product by 2029, putting the nation on a trajectory to reach 3 percent in the next parliament. The strategy prioritizes military readiness and upgraded technology by allocat more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on July 1, 2026, by Communications and Information Systems Director Michael Newton: * * * What is a Defense Industrial Base? Why It Matters for NATO A defense industrial base is the network of firms, factories, and workers that build and sustain NATO's weapon systems and defense. - Autonomy, drones, real-time data. The modern battlefield has changed fast. Yet much of NATO's defense setup has not kept up. It is stuck with slow buying cycles, long d more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on July 1, 2026, by Communications and Information Systems Director Michael Newton: * * * What to Watch at the NATO Summit in Ankara The big decisions are already made. Ankara is about whether NATO allies can deliver. - Implementation, not production. That is how NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has framed the 2026 summit. It convenes in Ankara in early July, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The last two summits produced landmark more PR

ATLANTA, Georgia, July 1 [Category: BizMedia] -- CNN posted the following news: * * * CNN Marks Strong Second Quarter, Year Over Year Gains Across Platforms BEST 2Q PRIME PERFORMANCE AMONG TOTAL VIEWERS IN FIVE YEARS  UPWARD TREND CONTINUES ACROSS SUBSCRIPTIONS, VIDEO ENGAGEMENT, AND SOCIAL TOP 5 NETWORK IN ALL OF CABLE FOR 16 QUARTERS RUNNING NEW YORK, NY -- CNN finished the second quarter of 2026 with high performance across platforms, driven by year-over-year growth on television and rising audience engagement on both digital and stre more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on July 1, 2026, by Donatienne Ruy, fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program: * * * Europe Should Center Anti-Corruption in Its Democratic Resilience Efforts Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Well, singling out one country is perhaps unfair; a more accurate paraphrasing of the famous line would be "something is rotten in the state of democracy." Across Europe, democracy is under pressure. Trust in democracy's function more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on July 1, 2026, by nonresident senior fellow Can Kasapoglu: * * * Ukraine Military Situation Report | July 1 Executive Summary * Battlefield assessment. The battlespace remained largely stable despite intense fighting, with Russian pressure again concentrated around Huliaipole, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk. * Ukrainian strikes. Ukraine's long-range strike campaign contin more PR

NEW YORK, July 2 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch issued the following commentary on June 30, 2026, by assistant researcher Kseniya Kvitka to EUobserver: * * * Russia is Bombing Ukrainians Out of Their Homes -- Then Using Sham Courts to Steal Them Yevhen, Kristina, and their children welcomed 2022 in their newly-renovated apartment in eastern Mariupol in Ukraine. Just weeks earlier, they had finally paid off the mortgage they had carried for 11 years. The family had little time to enjoy the home they had worked so hard to bu more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration is inviting interested parties to request administrative reviews of antidumping duty and countervailing duty orders, findings and suspended investigations that have July anniversary dates, while also announcing updates to the annual inquiry service lists used in trade remedy proceedings. In a notice the agency said requests for administrative reviews must be submitted no later than July 31, 2026. The reviews cover a broad range of products from mul more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on July 1, 2026, by John C. K. Daly, non-resident fellow at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Former Russian Space Entrepreneur Producing Long-Range Missiles for Ukraine Executive Summary: * On May 18, Dutch defense company Destinus unveiled plans to begin production on the Ruta Block 3 mini-cruise missile, offering a 1,242-mile range to provide Europe and Ukraine with a cheaper, mass-produced long more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on July 1, 2026, by Yuri Lapaiev, editor-in-chief of Tyzhden (The Ukrainian Week) magazine, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Russian Aviation Industry Facing Problems Executive Summary: * The number of combat-ready strategic bombers in the Russian Aerospace Forces is steadily declining due to Western sanctions, inadequate maintenance, and successful Ukrainian strikes. * Russia is forced to cannibalize existing aircraft to keep them operational or more PR

STAFFORDSHIRE, England, July 1 -- Keele University issued the following news: * * * Keele researcher secures funding to help treat war-related burn injuries in Ukraine A Keele University scientist has secured international funding for research that could help improve treatment for patients suffering severe burn injuries caused by the war in Ukraine. Dr Oksana Kehoe has partnered with researchers at Ternopil National Medical University, in Ukraine, on a project investigating innovative cell-free regenerative therapies for burn wounds. The c more PR

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Miller-Meeks Leads Charge to Lower Fertilizer Costs for Iowa Farmers * WASHINGTON, D.C. -Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) released the following statement after the Administration suspended duties on phosphate fertilizer imports, which will lower input costs for American farmers by an estimated $1.82 billion every year. "The Biden Administration's phosphate fertilizer duties drove up costs for farmers at a time when they we more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 1 -- NATO issued the following news: * * * NATO Secretary General in Berlin: Germany leads and Germany delivers On Wednesday (1 July 2026), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Germany for discussions with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara. Mr Rutte also attended a meeting of the German cabinet, the first time for a NATO Secretary General in recent history. "Germany leads and Germany delivers, and the NATO Summit in Ankara next week will also b more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release on July 1, 2026: * * * Rep. Van Epps Introduces Slew of NDAA Amendments to Bolster Homeland Security Rep. Matt Van Epps (TN-07) successfully introduced three floor amendments to the FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Rep. Van Epps said, "I am proud to introduce several amendments to the FY27 House NDAA. Taken as a whole, these amendments aim to strengthen our national security, empower our war fighters, and improve conditions on our bases. more PR

WASHINGTON, July 1 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center posted the following news release: * * * The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center Announces 2026 Ripple of Hope Award Recipients * New York, NY, July 1, 2026 - The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center today announced the recipients of its 2026 Ripple of Hope Award: investor and philanthropist Glenn Hutchins ; filmmaker and actor Spike Lee ; entrepreneur and philanthropist Dan Olofsson ; Jessica Sarowitz, impact investor, entrepreneur, an more PR

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee released the following testimony by Joseph Burkhalter, President Trump's nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Moldova, from a June 25, 2026, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Hagerty and Members of the Committee: I am honored to appear today as the nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova. I am grateful to President Trump for the trust he has placed in me with this nomination, and I am committed to serving the American people in this important role. Before I continue, I wa more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 1 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in North Carolina. *** Real-Time Product Selection Guidance for Conditional Sales ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, June 30 -- MAPLEBEAR INC., San Francisco, California has been assigned a patent (No. US 12670508 B2, initially filed Dec. 15, 2023) developed by four inventors James E. Bostick, Cedar Park, Texas; John M. Ganci, Jr., Cary, North Carolina; Martin G. Keen, Cary, North Carolina; and Sarbajit K. Rakshit, Kolkata, India, for "Real-time product selection guidance more ST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 1 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Texas. *** Real-Time Product Selection Guidance for Conditional Sales ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, June 30 -- MAPLEBEAR INC., San Francisco, California has been assigned a patent (No. US 12670508 B2, initially filed Dec. 15, 2023) developed by four inventors James E. Bostick, Cedar Park, Texas; John M. Ganci, Jr., Cary, North Carolina; Martin G. Keen, Cary, North Carolina; and Sarbajit K. Rakshit, Kolkata, India, for "Real-time product selection guidance for cond more ST

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Ukraine Caucus Introduces Bipartisan Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act to Increase Security Cooperation and Strengthen Defense Capabilities Between the United States and Ukraine * Today, Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05) and Co-Founder and Co-Chair Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), introduced the bipartisan Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act to increase security cooperation and strengt more PR

VIENNA, Austria, July 1 -- The International Press Institute issued the following news on June 30, 2026: * * * Ukraine: IPI calls on parliament to revise draft civil code New legislation would introduce serious challenges for work of journalists - The IPI global network today calls on the Ukrainian parliament to remove elements from a new draft civil code that could undermine investigative reporting and weaken freedom of expression. IPI also calls on the Ukrainian authorities to address concerns raised by Ukrainian civil society organisat more PR

MONTREAL, Quebec, July 1 (TNSjou) -- The University of Montreal (Universite de Montreal, or UdeM) issued the following news: * * * "Stop the war!": the paradox of "pressure petitions" They knew their gesture was futile and could have serious personal repercussions, but that didn't stop over 1.5 million Russians from signing anti-war petitions after their country invaded Ukraine. By Martin LaSalle Hours after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, a wave of pen-and-ink protests to end the war swept the country. In just nine days, 91 sepa more PR