Today's Headlines and Commentary

Jared Kushner met behind closed doors with the Senate Intelligence Committee today, answering questions about his interactions with Russian officials, The Washington Post reports. In both his brief statement following the meeting and in his prepared statement released this morning, Kushner said that he had not colluded with Russians and did not know of anyone in the campaign who had. The 11-page statement details four meetings with Russian officials, including a previously-reported meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in which Kushner proposed a conversation between the transition team and Kremlin officials using a secure line in the Russian embassy.

Donald Trump, Jr. and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort will testify in closed session before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, though they will not be under oath, CNN writes. Under the terms of an agreement reached with the committee, the two have consented to providing records to the senators and will privately meet with the committee prior to any public hearings and also agreed to provide records to the panel. Previously, Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein had threatened to subpoena Trump, Jr. and Manafort to testify publicly.

The White House indicated on Sunday that President Trump will sign legislation limiting his ability to lift sanctions on Russia after the House and Senate reached a deal to move forward on the bill, The New York Times reports. The measure aims to push back on Russian election interference and the Kremlin’s military activity in Ukraine. Despite Trump’s unwillingness to punish the Russian government, White House officials said he faced virtually no choice given the confrontation likely to result from a veto.

Trump and his national security team continue to clash over U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, Politico reports. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who has made revising the strategy a personal mission, has struggled to read the preferences of a White House undecided as to what approach to take to Afghanistan, leading to tension between McMaster and the president. The administration has not yet approved a new strategy, and the Pentagon has hesitated to increase troop levels given Trump’s skepticism.

Trump has floated the idea of replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Axios reports. While the seriousness of the suggestion is uncertain, Trump’s dissatisfaction with Sessions is clear. The president has been increasingly critical of Sessions, whom he said last week he would not have hired had he known Sessions would recuse himself on matters related to the Russia investigation. In a tweet this morning, Trump referred to Sessions as “our beleaguered A.G.”

On Saturday, the U.S. commissioned the $13 billion, 100,000 ton aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, CNN reports. Military officials have not yet determined the vessel’s deployments, but it may contribute to U.S. military power in an increasingly tense Pacific theater.

Tensions between China and India continue as the two nations stand off over the contested Doklam Plateau, simultaneously claimed by both China and India’s ally Bhutan, the Post reports. Today China heightened its rhetoric, warning India not to “push [its] luck” and reiterating the strength of the Chinese military. The conflict falls within a broader context of increasing competition between the two nations as each seeks to undercut the other’s growing power in the region.

On Saturday, Iran announced the beginning of production of the new Sayyad 3 missile that it says can target fighter planes, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and helicopters, Reuters reports. Iranian defense minister Hossein Dehghan alleged that the recent U.S.-Saudi $110 billion military deal served to threaten Iran.

ICYMI: This Weekend, on Lawfare

Matthew Kahn posted the Lawfare Podcast, in which Jack Goldsmith interviews Graham Allison about his new book, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?, at the Hoover Book Soiree.

Quinta Jurecic posted a memo prepared by the staff of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr that argues that a sitting president can be indicted.

In the Foreign Policy Essay, Jacqueline L. Hazelton evaluated the use of drone strikes on U.S. foreign policy and argued that they face limitations in the context of various U.S. grand strategies.

Paul Rosenzweig provided a roundup of recent cyber-related stories touching on Qatar, Georgia, Elon Musk, and China.

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