Amidst the ongoing M23 rebel offensive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has received direct and indirect support from Rwanda, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call with the Rwandan President Paul Kagame to voice concern with the spiraling situation. Additionally, the secretary impressed upon Rwanda’s principal decision-maker the need for an “immediate ceasefire.”

Pentagon Spokesman John Ullyot has now released a Statement confirming reports earlier today from Fox News, that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had informed Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley today, that he would be revoking his Security Detail and suspending his Security Clearance. While also confirming that Hegseth had ordered the DoD Inspector General to review his Service, to determine if Milley could be demoted while in Retirement.

According to Al Jazeera, there is now “sufficient” aid entering the Gaza Strip. Reports indicate that at least 600 trucks, laden with aid, are now entering the Gaza Strip per day.

Video: Associated Press

According to Axios, citing an unnamed Israeli official, Israel contacted Russia about the transfer of 90 “Patriot” air defense missiles and a number of PAC-2/GEM+ “Patriot” batteries prior to making the transfer to the United States. They reportedly told Russia that they were “only returning the Patriot system to the U.S" instead of supplying Ukraine (Barak Ravid). However U.S. officials have confirmed that the U.S. will act as a conduit between Israel and Ukraine for the hardware (CNN).

According to Reuters, the leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has asked a Russian delegation visiting Damascus to turn over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. While the Kremlin spokesperson, Dimitri Pskov, did not confirm or deny the reports, Syrian media outlets have indicated that “concrete measures”, including economic “compensation,” must be taken by Russia if they want to rebuild bilateral trust between the two nations.

Here’s a deeper rundown on the deferred resignations for those who are not on board with the planned initiatives and outlook of President Donald J. Trump’s administration. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has detailed the email sent to federal workers yesterday in a release and workers can respond with “Resign” to opt-in to the deferred resignation.

Key points on the administration’s outlook for the workforce:
- The initiative, aptly named“Fork in the Road,” is formed around four pillars.
• Return to office: The Majority of federal employees who have been working remotely will be required to return to physical offices five days a week.
• Performance culture: Updated performance standards to “reward and promote” people who exceed the expectations of higher.
• More streamlined and flexible workforce: The downsizing and restructuring of a number of federal agencies. Using furloughs and reclassifications to “at-will” statuses to partially achieve this.
• Enhanced standards of conduct: Employees that fail to act in accordance with the law and soon to be amended codes of ethics and conduct will be “prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination.”

The leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, is set to address the nation (Syria) today (Charles Lister). This comes after the visit of the Russian delegation to the nation and reports that Russia was asked to turn over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is now testifying before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing.

Polymarket’s Betting Market currently predicts that there is a 73% Chance that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), as he testifies today to the Senate Finance Committee.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s nominee for Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, is now testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee for his confirmation hearing.

The Leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa will give a “Victory Speech” tonight in the Capital of Damascus, at 8:00PM.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has signed the Laken Riley Act into law.

In addition to signing the Laken Riley Act into law, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has pledged to sign an executive order to open a migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay that will house up to 30, 000 of the “worst criminal illegal aliens.”

For those who asked:
The Laken Riley Act, now a law, expands the mandate for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to include the ability to detain illegal immigrants who have been charged with theft-related crimes and allows states to sue the federal government for immigration enforcement decisions that has caused them harm.
Rundown from the congressional site above.

Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (NJ-D) has just been sentenced to 11 years in prison for his bribery scheme enacted while he headed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC). Menendez was accused and convicted of taking various monies and assets, including gold bars and a luxury car, in exchange for acting on behalf of domestic entities and foreign governments, including Egypt and Qatar.

Syrian media outlets are reporting that the transitional government’s Military Operational Directorate has now announced that the former leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Ahmed al-Sharaa has now officially been named as president of the transitional government until a legislative body and constitution can be put in place.