Today's Headlines and Commentary

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Sunday that four commercials vessels had been sabotaged off its coast, and Saudi Arabia claimed that two of of its oil tankers were among the attacked ships, Reuters said. The culprit and nature of the attack have not been reported, but the Saudi government alleged the attack was an attempt to undermine the security of global crude supplies as tensions rise between the United States and Iran.

Houthi rebel forces in Yemen withdrew from the port of Hudaydah, in accordance with the UN ceasefire deal reached in December, and left the city to government forces, BBC reported.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled a planned trip to Moscow and instead is headed to Brussels to discuss Iran’s recent “threatening actions and statements,” CNN reported.

Swedish prosecutors have stated that they intend to reopen a rape allegation investigation into Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, New York Times said. Assange is serving time in British prison for bail violations. It’s unclear what impact the Sweden investigation will have on the U.S.’s attempts to extradite Assange.

China said that it intends to impose additional tariffs on U.S. goods in response to U.S. tariffs, Reuters reports.

ICYMI: Last Weekend on Lawfare

Jack Goldsmith explained what he views as weaknesses in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s interpretation of obstruction of justice statutes.

Benjamin Wittes replied to to Goldsmith’s piece on obstruction, and defended aspects of Mueller’s statutory interpretations.

Raphael Cohen and James Dobbins explored what President Reagan's approach to the Soviet Union could teach the U.S. about its current approach to the Russian Federation.

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Benjamin Wittes was joined by John Sipher, who ran Russia operations for the CIA in Moscow. They discussed Volume One of the Mueller report, detailing Russia’s efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.

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