Today's Headlines and Commentary

While speaking to the United Nations Security Council, President Trump accused China of meddling in U.S. elections by attempting to damage his political standing before the midterms in response to his imposition of billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods, reports the New York Times. The president did not mention Russian interference during those remarks.

Japan has agreed to enter into bilateral trade talks with the U.S., a shift from Tokyo’s previous refusal to enter into bilateral trade negotiations, preferring the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement from which the Trump administration withdrew in 2017, reports the Times. The offer of negotiations could be a response to a reported threat of U.S. tariffs on imported cars.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro made a surprise visit to New York on Wednesday to attend the United Nations General Assembly, and President Trump stated that he is willing to meet with Maduro if it would ease suffering in Venezuela, says the Guardian.

White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Trump’s meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has been postponed to next week to avoid interfering with the Judiciary Committee hearing on Brett Kavanaugh, reports USA Today.

A minister in Pakistan’s new government has made an official statement condemning China’s detention of the Muslim Uighur population in Xinjiang province, and Muslim groups in Kazakhstan, India and Bangladesh have also voiced their opposition to Uighur internment, reports the Wall Street Journal. This points to official concern about the issue in the Islamic world.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Sharan Grewal assessed Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi’s new push to grant women equal inheritance rights to men, and whether or not this proposal is likely to make it past Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahdha party.

Robert Chesney and Steve Vladeck posted the latest episode of the National Security Law Podcast, which covers a preview of the SCOTUS docket, the line of succession for Rod Rosenstein in the event of his departure, the National Cyber Strategies, military commissions and Department of Justice National Security Division updates.

Sept. 25 marked the arrival of a revised edition of the U.S. Attorneys’ Manual—now known as the “Justice Manual”—and Quinta Jurecic uploaded the updated text of a section called “Disclosure of Foreign Influence Operations,” which may be of interest of Lawfare readers.

Susan Landau analyzed the Five Eyes intelligence alliance “Statement of Principles on Access to Evidence and Encryption,” and argued that the principles put forth are not applicable given technical realities.

Matthew Kahn announced a call for nominations for the 2018 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship, which provides a monetary prize for the author of an outstanding national security law article.

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.

We rely on contributions from our generous readers, and now, as a thank you, we're offering a Lawfare challenge coin! Get yours by making a donation at lawfarestore.com.