September 18th, 2026: China Is Being Pulled Into Saudi Arabia’s Houthi War & Russia’s Parliamentary Election

In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief:

– Saudi Arabia is turning to China for help as its confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthis intensifies, with Riyadh also facing pressure on its missile-defense stockpiles. Beijing has privately urged Tehran to use its influence to rein in the Houthis following a Saudi appeal.

– Russia’s wartime parliamentary election gets underway with parties supportive of President Vladimir Putin dominating the ballot and the leading antiwar party excluded from the vote.

– The United States has removed Venezuela from its list of countries judged to have failed to combat illegal drug trafficking for the first time in more than 20 years, while President Trump says Colombia could eventually follow.

– In today’s Back of the Brief, the House passes a sweeping new Russia sanctions package targeting officials and major sectors of the economy, sending the legislation to President Trump.

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