Today's Headlines and Commentary

At a press conference in Seoul, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is making progress in diplomacy to contain the North Korean nuclear threat, the New York Times reported. Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In announced they had reached an agreement to remove the limits on South Korean ballistic missiles’ payloads and to discuss providing South Korea with nuclear-powered submarines, South Korea’s state-run Yonhap News Agency reported. As Trump visited Seoul on the first state visit to South Korea in 25 years, a U.S. carrier, a Japanese destroyer and Indian warships conducted military exercises in the Sea of Japan, according to Reuters. The USS Ronald Reagan will join two other U.S. carriers in the area for more drills in upcoming weeks.

An Islamic State group attack against one of the most popular television stations in Afghanistan left two people dead, the Washington Post reported. A suicide bomber killed a security guard while armed militants infiltrated the station’s headquarters in Kabul, leading to a prolonged firefight with Afghan security forces.

Carter Page, a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, told campaign colleagues about a private conversation he had with a Russian official during a trip to Moscow, the Post reported. The transcript of Page’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee showed that Page emailed Trump campaign officials to say he had received “insights” from senior Russian officials during the trip. The email contradicted Page’s earlier remarks that he did not have substantive contacts with members of the Russian government.

The State Department condemned Venezuela’s attempts to put a top opposition lawmaker on trial, Reuters reported. A spokesperson said the actions of Venezuela’s parliament to strip Freddy Guevara of his parliamentary immunity demonstrated that Venezuela’s government did not respect democracy and fundamental human rights. Guevara has taken refuge in the Chilean embassy, stating he believes in “civil disobedience,” also according to Reuters.

A key witness testified in the trial of Ahmed Abu Khattala, the alleged mastermind of the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Politico reported. The unnamed informant said Khattala had boasted that he would have killed more Americans if U.S. forces had not intervened. The informant helped facilitate the 2014 Special Forces raid that captured Khattala and brought him to the U.S. to face trial.

Saudi Arabia accused Lebanon of “declaring war” after what it described as “acts of aggression” by Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reported. A Saudi minister said Hezbollah was behind terrorist plots against Saudi Arabia. The strong rhetoric has the potential to cause chaos in Lebanon. Prime Minister Saadi Hariri resigned on Sunday and Lebanon’s coalition government collapsed. Lebanon’s president said not replacement government could form until Hariri returns back to the country and explains the circumstances of his resignation.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Iran’s supply of missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen is a “direct act of military aggression,” according to Reuters. The crown prince told British foreign minister that the firing of a missile at Riyadh’s airport could be an act of war. Human Rights Watch warned Saudi Arabia against taking retaliatory measures against Yemen’s civilian population. The group said Saudi Arabia’s closure of Yemen’s ports would exacerbate the ongoing food crisis and cholera epidemic in the country.

In litigation over the Steele dossier, BuzzFeed subpoenaed the Democratic National Convention (DNC) for details of the summer 2016 hack, Foreign Policy reported. BuzzFeed requested the records in order to defend against libel accusations from a Russian technology executive over statements in the dossier that his companies assisted in the DNC hack.

China detained ten North Korean defectors and may deport them back to North Korea, Reuters reported. The arrests come in the midst of a crackdown on defectors that China calls illegal migrants. Human rights organizations urged China to grant the defectors refugee status and to allow them to transit to a third country.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Scott Anderson detailed the constitutional struggles in Iraq that led up to the Kurdistan referendum.

Bob Bauer argued that Trump’s attack of the justice system is symptomatic of his demagogic political instincts.

Lisa Monaco outlined new strategies for the next phase of the war on terror that actually respond to the most salient threats.

Vanessa Sauter posted the transcript of Carter Page’s testimony before the House intelligence committee.

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