Today's Headlines and Commentary

On Tuesday, the Chinese government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said that Beijing had the legal authority to declare a state of emergency in Hong Kong if protests in the city continue, the Wall Street Journal writes. The office also hinted at the policy changes which may result from such a declaration, including outlawing masks for protestors and punishing teachers who encourage students to protest. This announcement follows the release of a recording over the weekend in which Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam took responsibility for igniting “unforgivable havoc” in the city. Lam said that if she had the opportunity, she would leave office, conceding, “If I have a choice, the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology,” Reuters reports.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for an explosion in Kabul on Monday night that killed five civilians and wounded 50, the Associated Press writes. The attack occurred while U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in the capital city to brief the Afghan government on an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban. The attack follows similar bombings on other provincial capitals over the weekend, the New York Times writes.

On Sunday, an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on a Yemeni prison left more than 100 people “presumed killed,” according to the Red Cross, the Washington Post reports. In response to the strike, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is pushing an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act which would prohibit U.S. logistical support to the coalition, the Post also notes.

The government of Iran acknowledged that an explosion occurred at an Iranian satellite launch site last week, saying the blast was caused by a technical error, per the Times. This statement comes days after President Trump tweeted an unprompted denial that the U.S. was involved in the explosion which he accompanied with a photo of the launch site which many experts believe was classified prior to release.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that the country has the technical capacity to resume production of 20 percent enriched uranium within two days, Reuters notes. Enriching uranium to 20 percent purity is considered an important step on the way to obtaining fissile material of the purity necessary to produce a nuclear weapon.

U.S. officials have concluded that recent North Korean missile launches have involved weapons with greater range and maneuverability, according to the Times. The officials concluded that these weapons could overwhelm American and Japanese defenses in the region. Their conclusions contradict President Trump’s repeated dismissal of the tests as “very standard.”

On Tuesday, the NATO alliance began its annual Northern Coasts naval exercise, according to a NATO statement. The exercise involves “around 3,000 troops and more than 40 vessels from 18 nations” and takes place near the Danish straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. The exercise is slated to run from September 3 to 19.

Denmark has created an ambassadorship to the technology industry and appointed a career diplomat to the post, the Times writes.

ICYMI: Last Weekend on Lawfare

Paul Rosenzweig wrote that the President’s alleged promise of a pardon for subordinates who break the law to expedite building his wall along the southern border plausibly crosses the line into criminality.

Bobby Chesney analyzed the New York Times’ recent report clarifying the details of U.S. Cyber Command’s operation against Iran in June.

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which David Priess spoke with former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano about her time in office and her recent book, “How Safe Are We? Homeland Security Since 9/11.”

Hilary Matfess and Alexander Noyes argued that the Mozambique government’s hardline approach will fuel rather than defuse a burgeoning Islamist insurgency.

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