John,

With the Biden Administration in full swing, the next chapter of American foreign policy and international relations is being written –– and we’re here to brief you on all the latest moves affecting our southern border and to update you on Washington’s relationships with Beijing, Moscow, and other hotspots around the globe.

Catch up on all the top headlines from the last month and make sure to sign the petition in support of Mike’s efforts to curb unchecked presidential war powers. ⬇️

[READ] MIKE TAKES A STAND AGAINST UNCHECKED PRESIDENTIAL WAR POWERS

The bottom line: “Ending so-called forever wars has become a popular priority among some on both sides of the aisle. Previous attempts to repeal the 2002 authorization for Iraq and curtail the 2001 AUMF have gone nowhere — until now. Gallagher’s efforts have helped to sketch out the contours of a war-powers-reform agenda for conservatives. Gallagher doesn’t think that repealing the 2002 AUMF, which authorized the use of force to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq,” will hamstring the president’s ability to act against foreign threats. He argues the current war authorization, however, is outdated and has been wrongly cited to justify military action in recent years.” – National Review

[READ] MEXICO’S PRESIDENT LÓPEZ OBRADOR CALLS OUT BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

The bottom line: “Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador asserted that the Biden administration’s immigration policies have contributed to a surge of migrants that has overwhelmed facilities at the southern border in recent weeks…” “Expectations were created that with the Government of President Biden there would be a better treatment of migrants,” Lopez Obrador said at a press conference. “And this has caused Central American migrants, and also from our country, wanting to cross the border thinking that it is easier to do so.” – Fox News

[READ] THE LEGISLATIVE LOOPHOLES THAT CREATED THE BORDER CRISIS

The bottom line: “If, as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asserted, "poverty, high levels of violence, and corruption” in Mexico and the NTCA are driving illegal immigration, the percentages of single adults, minors, and families from the Northern Triangle should be roughly the same. But, they are not, because loopholes in the law have encouraged the entry of "other than Mexican" (OTM) minors and families. The first of these loopholes is the Flores settlement agreement, entered into by Department of Justice in 1997. The agreement, which remains in effect, requires unaccompanied minors to be placed in licensed shelters, and encourages their release from custody.” – National Review

[READ] FROSTY MEETING BETWEEN AMERICAN AND CHINESE DIPLOMATS IN ALASKA

The bottom line: “Senior officials from the two countries held three sessions in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday and Friday — the first high-level gathering of U.S. and Chinese officials since President Joe Biden took office. The gathering began with bitter exchanges, and ended with somber words. “There are a number of areas where we are fundamentally at odds,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as the last session drew to a close Friday, “including China’s actions in Xinjiang, with regard to Hong Kong, Tibet, increasingly Taiwan, as well as actions that it is taking in cyberspace. And it’s no surprise that when we raised those issues clearly and directly we got a defensive response.” – POLITICO

[WATCH] NBA SUPERSTARS DUNK ON AMERICA WHILE BOWING DOWN TO CHINA

The bottom line: “The NBA is obsessed with lecturing all of us in the United States of America about the flaws that they perceive as existing in the United States. Social justice slogans on the back of jerseys and on the basketball court, and constant lectures from guys like LeBron, Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, and Adam Silver about how the NBA players, coaches, and executives are much smarter about America than you are. Yet they are simultaneously taking billions of dollars from China. They are not standing up to genocide, they are not condemning concentration camps, and they are not opposed to slave labor because China pays much of their salaries.”  – Clay Travis, Fox Sports

[READ] U.S. AMONG 14 NATIONS CRITICIZING WHO FOR LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN CHINA INVESTIGATION

The bottom line: “The United States signed on to a joint statement with 13 other nations Tuesday criticizing the World Health Organization’s long-anticipated report on the origins of Covid-19. In a joint statement, the governments of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, South Korea, Slovenia, United Kingdom and the United States, wrote that the report "was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples.” – CNBC

[READ] RUSSIA OPPOSITION LEADER NAVALNY’S HEALTH WORSENS IN PRISON

The bottom line: “Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused prison authorities of failing to provide proper treatment for his back pain and leg problems, saying in a letter posted Thursday that his physical condition has worsened in prison and he now has trouble walking. Navalny blamed his health problems on prison officials failing to provide the right medicines and refusing to allow his doctor to visit him behind bars. He also complained in a second letter that the hourly checks a guard makes on him at night amounted to sleep deprivation torture.” – The Associated Press

As always, thanks for reading. You’ll be hearing from us soon. 

-Gallagher Foreign Policy HQ