Today's Headlines and Commentary

The Trump administration has updated the U.S. military plan against Iran, reports the New York Times. Senior national security officials met last week to discuss the revisions, which called for the deployment of up to 120,000 U.S. troops in the event of increased Iranian aggression in Middle East.

Attorney General William Barr appointed John H. Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to lead the Justice Department investigation into the origins of the special counsel’s probe of foreign interference in the 2016 election, according to the Washington Post. The purpose of the investigation, said the Post, is to ensure “‘intelligence collection activities’ related to the Trump campaign were ‘lawful and appropriate.’”

After placing additional tariffs on U.S. goods on Monday, the Chinese government today said that trade negotiations between the two countries would continue, noted Reuters. Also, the Trump administration announced $15 billion in aid for U.S. farmers impacted by the trade war.

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Amit Mehta will hear arguments today in case of the House Oversight Committee subpoena of Mazars LLP, President Trump’s accounting firm, which the president filed suit in her personal capacity to invalidate the subpoena, reports Politico.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Evan Kielar and Scott Anderson posted an update on the FOIA request Lawfare filed last year to garner information on how Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s SF-86 form was provided to a political advocacy organization.

Scott Anderson discussed how the Trump administration might designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization given the unique nature of the organization.

Bruce Riedel analyzed the complicated history of the U.S.-Algerian relationship in light of recent protests to effect political reform in the country.

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