Overview
- Mazloum Abdi publicly announced the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces, saying fighters will be reintegrated into the central state after years of U.S.-backed operations against ISIS.
- Panama declared a national state of emergency to respond to El Niño-driven floods that have affected about 15,000 people and to guard against drought that could lower reservoir levels and disrupt the Panama Canal.
- CBS reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow for meetings, a visit the agency declined to comment on and that could carry diplomatic and security implications given strained U.S.-Russia ties.
- Brazil’s data protection regulator ANPD fined ByteDance Brasil €25 million for five violations and ordered the deletion of improperly collected minors’ data, marking the agency’s largest sanction to date.
- Media reports describe SpaceX plans for a multi-pad ‘Starbase’ on Pecan Island, Louisiana, with a reported $100 billion investment and about 10,000 jobs claimed by the company while the project remains at a proposed stage with first launches projected as early as 2029.