Know what
they are thinking.

• Israel conducted a precision strike on an Iranian air defense system, signaling its capability and restraint to avoid broader conflict.
• The attack was a response to an unprecedented direct missile and drone attack by Iran on Israeli soil, marking a significant escalation in their long-standing tensions.

​

Brookings Foreign Policy Fellow Valerie Wirtschafter examines the growing influence of Russian state-affiliated accounts on TikTok and compares it with their presence on other social media platforms like Telegram and X (formerly Twitter).

• Russian state-affiliated accounts are leveraging TikTok's reach to disseminate state-backed narratives.
• Despite lower overall activity compared to other platforms, the engagement per post on TikTok is significantly higher.

​

• Brookings expert William A. Galston reviews four recent polls of U.S. voters on the economy, comparing Biden and Trump on their economic records.
• Sixty-five percent of voters rate the economy as good during Trump’s presidency, compared to 38% under Biden.

​

• The Biden administration's appeasement of authoritarian regimes in South America have not stopped the outflow of refugees and migrants trying to enter the U.S.
• Lifting previous oil & gas sanctions on the Maduro regime in exchange for free elections have not worked, with Venezuelans now the fastest-growing immigrant group in the U.S.

• President Biden's public statements on the drone attack that killed 3 U.S. soldiers in Jordan shows the U.S. is keen to avoid war with Iran while focusing on Hezbollah's activities.
• The drone attack represents a significant escalation, marking the first US military casualty by enemy air power since 1953 and prompting a strategic withdrawal of Hezbollah from aggressive engagements with US forces in Iraq and Syria.