5 Stories to Watch Next Week | June 12, 2020

5 Stories to Watch Next Week There are simply too many developing stories to follow in the world. To make things easier, we narrowed them down to five that you should really watch next week: Potential subpoenas of Obama officials over Russia probe — The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines on Thursday to pursue additional investigations into the FBI’s handling of its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The committee gave itself expansive powers to seek documents and testimony from Obama-era officials in relation to the probe. Specifically, Republicans on the panel will have the authority to issue subpoenas to the Justice Department and more than 50 Obama-era officials, including senior figures. The Senate Homeland Security Committee gave itself similar powers last week. We’ll have to watch next week whether Republicans move immediately to try to subpoena anyone and how Democrats respond. Joint Chiefs chairman departs from Trump on Lafayette Square incident — Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologized for his involvement in President Trump’s march across Lafayette Square last week to visit St. John’s Episcopal Church. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics,” Milley said in a video commencement address to the National Defense University. “I should not have been there.” Protesters had to be cleared from the plaza near the White House for the president and other senior officials to stand in front of the church, which rioters had damaged following the killing of George Floyd. During the commencement address, Milley said he was angry about the “senseless and brutal killing of George Floyd" and said he opposed President Trump’s proposal to use federal troops to quell riots and protests. Watch next week for the president’s reaction to Milley’s comments. According to recent reports, President Trump wanted to fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper over their differing views of using active-duty military to stop the riots. We’ll see whether the president has a similar reaction to Milley and considers removing him. US to sanction ICC for investigating American troops for war crimes — The Trump administration warned Thursday that international investigators looking into charges of war crimes by Americans in Afghanistan will face economic sanctions and travel restrictions. The administration accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of corruption and infringing on national sovereignty, saying the US can prosecute its own military and intelligence personnel. President Trump ordered the penalties on Wednesday and had four top officials announce them the next day. The US is not a signer to the international court but has cooperated with the court on past cases. Some of America’s European allies are upset about President Trump’s decision regarding the ICC. We’ll need to see what the fallout is next week. US, Iraq launch strategic talks — The US and Iraq launched important strategic talks on Thursday that will cover everything from Iraq’s dire economic situation to the future status of American troops in the Middle Eastern country. Both countries affirmed their commitment to a reduction of American troops in Iraq, where the US currently has about 5,000 soldiers. The status of American forces in Iraq could have important security implications for the Middle East going forward, such as the possible resurgence of ISIS and the extent of Iranian influence in Iraq. Watch how these talks proceed and what the immediate reactions are next week. Trump admin to make sweeping changes to asylum process — The Trump administration is proposing major, permanent changes to the American asylum process that would make it more difficult for refugees seeking admission to the US to claim asylum. The proposed changes “would allow the departments to more effectively separate baseless claims from meritorious ones” and “ensure groundless claims do not delay or divert resources from deserving claims,” according to an announcement released Wednesday. As the Washington Examiner reported, the departments said in a 161-page document that they will introduce next Monday “plans to speed up the legal process by raising the standards migrants must meet when making an initial ‘credible fear’ claim about returning home. The plan also gives federal immigration judges more discretion in tossing out cases in the early stages that they deem ‘frivolous.’” Watch for these plans to be unveiled formally next week. They could have significant and long-lasting implications for the country.

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