Today's Headlines and Commentary

Today’s news post is shorter than usual. Our normal coverage will resume on Monday.

President Trump agreed to a request from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for direct talks, reports the New York Times.

The U.S. and South Korea will carry out joint military exercises long viewed by North Korea as provocative, reports the Washington Post.

The Pentagon added three countries in West Africa—Niger, Mali, and some of Cameroon—to a list of countries where servicemembers qualify for danger pay, says the Post.

On Thursday, eleven countries signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the wide-reaching trade deal that President Trump abandoned last year, reports Reuters.

President Trump announced on Thursday that aluminum and steel tariffs will take effect later this month, the Wall Street Journal reports. Canada and Mexico will initially be exempted from the trade barriers, and other countries may be exempted on a case-by-case basis.

ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare

David Stanton and Wenqing Zhao shared the first edition of SinoTech, Lawfare's new column on national security and technolog law issues affecting the U.S.-China relationship.

Bruce Reidel wrote about the sudden ouster of several Saudi Arabian military officials.

Scott Anderson flagged a forthcoming deadline for the Trump administration to report its legal justifications for national security activities abroad.

Benjamin Wittes posted this week’s Rational Security, the ‘Downgraded’ Edition.

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