U.S. ordering some government staff to depart Saudi Arabia

In an interview with CBS News after Stephen Hubbard was released from Russian custody, his son, Fr. Joseph Coleman, said his father might have made a mistake in staying in Ukraine when the war began.

Irish lawmakers voted Wednesday to scrap a requirement for UN approval before deploying military peacekeepers overseas, approving the controversial legislation by 79 votes to 71. Opposition lawmakers warned the move threatened Ireland’s longstanding military neutrality. Ireland is not a NATO member but has traditionally participated in international peacekeeping missions.

A Trump diplomat called Putin “a humanitarian,” another in a recent flurry of overtures to the Russian leader. But it’s unclear whether blandishments will entice him to strike a deal.

The U.S. military has been quietly reducing its footprint at posts in the Middle East due to ongoing regional threats from the Iran-backed Houthis and direct threats from Iran, sources tell CBS News.