Today's Headlines and Commentary

Donald Trump gave his first presidential address to a joint session of Congress last night, presenting an array of familiarly hard-line ideas in somewhat less less bombastic rhetoric. The address reiterated Trump’s positions on immigration and a ban on travel from several majority-Muslim countries, as well as his commitment to an increased military budget. He stated that the White House “strongly support[s] NATO,” but emphasized that “our partners must meet their financial obligations”—a familiar line from the administration. Foreign Policy reviews the speech, and the Washington Post provides a fact check of the speech’s “numerous inaccuracies.”

Though the White House initially indicated that a revised Executive Order implementing the travel ban would be released today, the administration is now reportedly planning to further delay the rollout due to positive reception the speech in Washington. This is the second week in a row that the White House has postponed the release of a revised EO. The AP writes that the new order will no longer include Iraq among the countries whose citizens will be barred from traveling to the United States, and the Post reports that current visa holders will also be exempted.

During his confirmation hearing yesterday, Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, indicated that he would give his support to the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election, Politico writes. Coats also indicated opposition to releasing further prisoners from Guantanamo, saying that “a significant number of them have rejoined the fight,” and stated that he would uphold legal restrictions on torture of detainees but opposed a blanket ban on torture under all circumstances. The Miami Herald has more.

The Post tells us that the FBI had planned to pay Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence official who compiled the dossier of information on the Trump campaign’s connections to the Kremlin, to continue his investigation, suggesting that the Bureau took Steele and his work seriously. The plan to compensate Steele was voided after the dossier became public.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, according to the Kremlin, preparations have begun for a meeting between Trump and President Vladimir Putin, though there is “no agreement yet as to the time and place.” Washington denied any plans for a summit.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said yesterday that NATO has not committed to requiring member countries to meet the spending target of 2 percent of GDP, but rather has agreed that members will be “moving in that direction” of 2 percent, Reuters writes. The Trump administration has recently placed pressure on NATO members to increase their funding of the alliance.

On Sunday, a U.S. drone strike in Syria killed al Qaeda’s second-in-command, Abu al-Khayr al-Masri, the New York Times reports. The death of al-Masri, the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, marks a significant setback for al Qaeda and comes after a series of recent U.S. airstrikes against the organization’s forces in Syria.

A United Nations investigation has found that both the Syrian government and rebel forces committed war crimes during the battle for Aleppo last year, reporting that Russian forces assisted the Syrian regime in indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas of the city and that opposition troops indiscriminately attacked residential districts and prevented civilians from leaving the city’s rebel-held east. Al Jazeera has more.

The latest round of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition is set to end Friday without any clear signs of progress, the Post writes. The United States has notably held back from advocating for a negotiated settlement to the conflict, leaving a leadership vacuum that has yet to be filled by the Kremlin. Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley sharply criticized Russia and China’s decision to veto a Security Council resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons yesterday.

Reuters reports that the Iraqi army has now taken control of all main roads leading out of Mosul, trapping ISIS fighters within the city. After a halting start, the coalition offensive on the city has begun to see increased successes in recent weeks.

Malaysia will charge two women for the murder of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the Journal writes. If convicted, the women will face the death penalty. Both suspects claim that they were unaware of the murder plot and believed they were playing a prank on Kim Jong Nam.

The Times examines the fallout from the shooting of an Indian immigrant in Kansas last week in Hyderabad, India, where the murdered man was buried. The killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla and the shooting of another Indian immigrant have raised both concern and anger within India over the safety of the United States and the White House’s failure to vocally condemn what is currently being investigated as a hate crime.

In the wake of the most recent wave of bomb threats to Jewish community centers across the country, Buzzfeed reports that the calls are being made using “spoofing” technology that masks a call as coming from a known phone number. Law enforcement officials now believe that many of the threats to Jewish centers are coming from overseas.

ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare

Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes explained the need for a select committee on the Russia Connection.

Stewart Baker posted the Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast.

Mieke Eoyang and Gary Ashcroft posted an excerpt from their paper, “Why Electronic Surveillance Reform is Necessary.”

Caroline Lynch examined the virtue of sunsets in relation to Section 702 reauthorization.

Daniel Byman evaluated Trump’s options in Syria.

J. Dana Stuster updated the Middle East Ticker.

Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.