Today's Headlines and Commentary

Saudi Arabia’s military coalition in Yemen made secret deals with hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters, including paying them to abandon key cities and allowing fighters to retreat from disputed areas unmolested, according to an Associated Press investigation. The investigation also found that hundreds of al-Qaeda operatives have been recruited to fight on behalf of the coalition itself, to the extent that “It is now almost impossible to untangle who is [al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] and who is not since so many deals and alliances have been made.” The report details several examples of such deals. In one instance, coalition forces reported that they had liberated the al-Said district in Yemen after three years of al-Qaeda control when in fact the coalition had promised to pay al-Qaeda if it abandoned the area. That account was corroborated by two Yemeni government officials, as well as the mediator to the agreement and al-Said’s security chief. The U.S. currently provides billions of dollars worth of weapons to the Saudi-led coalition, but does not fund the group directly. As such, AP contends it found no evidence that American money went to al-Qaeda militants.

President Trump admitted that his son, Donald Trump Jr., met with a Russian lawyer in 2016 with the intention to “get information on an opponent,” reports BBC. In a tweet on Sunday morning, the president said that he did not know about the Trump Tower meeting in advance but asserted that it was entirely legal. Trump’s statements reverse his previous comments: When the New York Times first reported on the meeting in 2017, the Trump camp initially said that the discussion had focused on Russian adoptions. In another apparent contradiction, the president’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, reportedly said in July that he’s willing to testify that Trump did know about the meeting in advance.

Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador after Ottawa criticized the Middle Eastern kingdom for the recent arrests of a number of civil-rights activists, says the Wall Street Journal. The Canadian embassy in Riyadh tweeted on Aug. 3 that the Canadian government was “gravely concerned” about the human rights situation. In the last few weeks, Saudi Arabia has arrested two women’s rights activists, a man who challenged the kingdom’s male-guardianship regulations, and the sister of a prominent blogger. Riyadh said that Canada’s statement constituted “transparent interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” and gave the ambassador 24 hours to leave the country before announcing its intention to freeze all trade with Canada.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro survived an assassination attempt on Saturday after two drones exploded during a speech at a military parade, reports the Journal. There were no fatalities, but the explosion injured seven soldiers. Maduro accused the United States and Colombia of being behind the attack, an allegation that both nations immediately denied. Venezuelan authorities arrested six suspects believed to be behind the explosion. Opposition leaders in Venezuela warned that Maduro may use the attack as justification to crack down on his political adversaries.

The United States announced it will reinstate sanctions against Iran that were previously lifted by the Obama administration as part of the 2015 nuclear deal, reports the New York Times. The U.S. withdrew from the deal in May 2018, leaving European signatories scrambling to salvage the agreement without U.S. support. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously said sanctions are intended to pressure Iran to conform to “global norms.”

Three foreign soldiers fighting for Resolute Support, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan, and 40 Afghan soldiers, were killed in suicide bombings on Sunday, according to the Washington Post. Resolute Support released an official statement confirming the fatalities but did not comment on the nationalities of the foreign troops. The Taliban took credit for the attack despite meeting with a top U.S. diplomat only two weeks ago to discuss potential peace talks with the Afghan government.

ICYMI: Last Weekend on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell posted the Lawfare Podcast in which Klon Kitchen moderated a discussion with Bobby Chesney, Danielle Citron, and Chris Bregler on “deep fakes.”

Molly McKew questioned whether the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has the power to constrain the executive.

Kathleen Claussen outlined the efforts in Congress to engage in the ongoing trade war.

Elena Chachko and Amichai Cohen explained what the amendment to the Israeli Supreme Court’s jurisdiction over West Bank cases will actually do.

Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler and Rachel Aridor-Hershkovitz detailed the potential implications if the proposed social-media censorship bill becomes law in Israel.

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