Obama Heads To Americas Summit With Cuba Focus (ap)

“The U. S. has told Ukraine it can use American-supplied weapons to hit any Russian forces attacking from across the border — not just those in the region near Kharkiv,” Politico reports. “The subtle shift in messaging — which officials insist is not a change in policy — comes just weeks after the U.

“A rift between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s military leadership is spilling increasingly into the open after the armed forces’ top spokesman said Netanyahu’s aim of destroying Hamas in Gaza is unachievable,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Said a military spokesman: “The idea that we can destroy Hamas or make Hamas disappear is misleading to the public.”

“President Vladimir Putin of Russia directly warned the United States and its allies that he is willing to arm North Korea if they continue to supply Kyiv with sophisticated weapons that have struck Russian territory, raising the stakes for the Western powers backing Ukraine,” the New York Times reports.

Melinda French Gates endorsed President Biden on Thursday, her first-ever presidential endorsement, Axios reports. Said French Gates: “This year’s election stands to be so enormously consequential for women and families that, this time, I can’t stay quiet.”

“As the U. S. election approaches, one armed militia organized by a January 6 rioter is spreading its message across the country,” Wired reports.

“The intrigue surrounding who former President Donald Trump will pick as his running mate grew Thursday after political observers noticed that a website combining North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s name with Trump’s redirects to the former president’s campaign website,” USA Today reports.