Trump calls for restoration of sanctions against Iran
The United States will demand Thursday all United Nations sanctions be reimposed against Iran, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, a move that follows America’s embarrassing failure to extend an arms embargo against Tehran.
The administration’s insistence on snapping back international sanctions against Iran sets the stage for a contentious dispute. It’s possible the U.S. call will be ignored by other U.N. members — an outcome that could call into question the U.N. Security Council’s ability to enforce its own legally binding decisions.
Ex-FBI lawyer admits to false statement
A former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty Wednesday to altering a document related to the secret surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser during the Russia investigation.
Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty to making a false statement, is the first current or former official to be charged in a special Justice Department review of the investigation into ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Facebook bans some QAnon accounts
Facebook says it will restrict the right-wing conspiracy movement QAnon and will no longer recommend users join groups supporting it, although the company isn’t banning it outright.
Facebook said Wednesday it is banning groups and accounts associated with QAnon and a variety of U.S.-based militia and anarchist groups that support violence. But the company will continue to allow people to post material that supports these groups — so long as they do not otherwise violate policies against hate speech, abuse and other provocations.
The conspiracy theory group emerged in a dark corner of the internet but has recently crept into mainstream politics. President Donald Trump has retweeted QAnon-promoting accounts, and its followers flock to his rallies wearing clothes and hats with QAnon symbols and slogans.
Mali coup leaders vow elections
The junta that forced Mali’s president to resign urged people to go back to business as usual on Wednesday, seeking to normalize their coup amid global condemnation from leaders who feared the power grab would only further mire West Africa’s fight against growing Islamic extremism.
The African Union suspended Mali from the bloc and demanded the release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and other government officials. Former colonizer France, which has worked to stabilize the country since leading a 2013 military operation to oust extremists from power in the north, called for a return to civilian rule. The United Nations, which is spending $1.2 billion per year on its peacekeeping mission in Mali, also condemned the coup.
Tuesday’s developments “represent an enormous setback” after seven years of investment by international partners to address Mali’s insecurity and political challenges, said Judd Devermont, the director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.