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Geopolitics

How should countries balance support for Ukraine with efforts to negotiate peace with Russia?

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 17 (Reuters) - The leaders of the G7 countries said on Wednesday they stand united to support Ukraine, including its territorial integrity, and agreed to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy. "In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions (against Russia), including those on the oil and gas sectors," the leaders said in a joint statement

Global
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Geopolitics

What should the U.S. do about Iran's nuclear deal, considering different opinions on their intentions?

CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Trump and other senior officials that evidence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies raises serious doubts about Iran's willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal, according to three sources familiar with those discussions. Friction point: Ratcliffe isn't the only skeptic in Trump's top team. In internal discussions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth both expressed concerns and raised questions about the memorandum of understanding (MOU) announced Sunday, while Vice President Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner advocated for it, according to two of the sources. Behind the scenes: There were a series of high-level meetings about the deal between Trump and his advisers in the lead-up to Sunday's announcement. During those meetings, Trump and his team discussed intel gathered by several U.S. intelligence agencies that showed that the way Iranian officials were discussing the deal among themselves was inconsistent with what they were telling the mediators and the U.S., two sources said.Ratcliffe and Rubio said that based on that intel, they doubted the Iranians would agree to take the nuclear steps the U.S. was seeking, according to two sources."The intelligence reflects that the Iranian intentions are not in line with their commitments under the deal," a source said. What they're saying: "President Trump listens to all opinions on any given issue — but everyone understands he is the final decision-maker," a White House official said in response to questions for this story. "This MOU meets all of the redlines that the administration has long articulated by ensuring that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, they cannot keep their highly enriched uranium, and they cannot hold the world's energy supply hostage," the official said, adding that Trump would only agree to a "good" final agreement.The CIA and the State Department declined t

United States
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Healthcare

How should communities decide on the best use of new funding for addiction and mental health services?

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced an investment worth more than $700 million on Wednesday to fight addiction and mental illness, which can lead to homelessness. The Cabinet secretary made the announcement in Clinton Township, Michigan, where he met with leaders at the area’s Easterseals behavioral health clinic. At a press […]

United States
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