Briefer News

Trump signs military AI directive.

Today's events

• Military AI directive.

  President Trump signed a national-security memorandum ordering defense and intelligence agencies to field commercial and open-source AI at speed, build high-security computing centers, and stand up an “AI National Security Strategic Reserve” of outside experts; the Pentagon must also rewrite its rules on autonomous weapons.¹Jun 5 · WH
• Iran fuel sanctions.

  State and Treasury blacklisted a network that smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars of Iranian liquefied-petroleum gas to Asia using front companies in the United Arab Emirates and China and Iran's shadow tanker fleet, plus a currency-exchange house moving billions for the regime.²Jun 5 · State
• Spying for Beijing.

  Thomas Pauken II, an American citizen, pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of China's Ministry of State Security, gathering intelligence on U.S. political targets and reporting it back to his Chinese handlers.³Jun 4 · DOJ
• Backing Bolivia.

  The United States and twelve Western Hemisphere governments issued a joint “Shield of the Americas” statement backing elected Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz against road-blockade efforts to topple him; Washington is surging emergency food and medical aid.⁴Jun 5 · State
• May jobs report.

  U.S. employers added 172,000 jobs in May while unemployment held at 4.3%, with hiring in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care; employment in financial activities fell.⁵Jun 5 · BLS
• Chip-supply funding.

  The Commerce Department finalized a $30 million semiconductor-incentive grant to Powerex to expand U.S. production of silicon-carbide power modules in Pennsylvania — parts the agency calls a choke point for defense systems, electric vehicles, and industrial motors.⁶Jun 5 · Commerce
• Cuba network blacklisted.

  Under Executive Order 14404, the State Department designated five Cuban entities and five individuals tied to what it called Havana's network for exporting “radical left-wing violence” across the hemisphere; foreign banks serving them risk U.S. sanctions.⁷Jun 4 · State
• Exploited server flaw.

  CISA added an actively exploited SolarWinds Serv-U file-transfer vulnerability (CVE-2026-28318) to its catalog, ordering federal agencies to patch the widely deployed software by the required deadline.⁸Jun 5 · CISA
• Ebola funding surge.

  The State Department announced nearly $38 million more for the Bundibugyo-virus Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda — over $200 million total — as the CDC, reporting 378 cases and 63 deaths, rated the risk to the U.S. population low.⁹Jun 5 · State

Allied Governments

• UK courts Beijing and Delhi.

  Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper wrapped a three-day visit to China and India, pressing Beijing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz toll-free, prevent Iran's nuclear proliferation, and end economic support for Russia's war in Ukraine.^aJun 6 · UK FCDO
• NATO's Arctic patrol.

  NATO launched Task Force X-Arctic, sending a research vessel from Italy toward Iceland to test networked uncrewed systems for persistent surveillance across the North Atlantic, Arctic, and High North.^bJun 6 · NATO
• Ukraine training expands.

  Britain opened a fifth year of Operation Interflex, broadening its Ukraine training mission — which has put 63,000 personnel through infantry courses — into aviation, medical, engineering, and logistics specialties.^cJun 5 · UK MoD

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