Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
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Israeli military says it 'most likely' intercepted missile coming from Yemen Trump Says He’s Aligned With Netanyahu After Call on Iran, Trade Iran, US to hold expert-level talks on Saturday, not Wednesday, Tehran says Former AP editor Dan Perry: Trump’s Iran strategy is a missed opportunity Ukraine’s Zelensky Pushes Back on U.S. Peace Plan The Atlantic Council's Kaush Arha: Ceding Crimea will cede Eurasia China asks Korea not to supply products using rare earths to US defence firms, paper reports Chinese scientists in America come under new wave of suspicion Kashmir attack leaves 25 dead in Indian tourist spot Bloomberg’s Mihir Sharma: Asia would welcome trade deals that exclude China Spain to reach 2% defense-spending target this year, PM Sanchez says Russia is ramping up hybrid attacks against Europe, Dutch intelligence saysIn The News
Israel
The Israeli military said it “most likely” intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early on Wednesday, following alarms that sounded in several areas in Israel. – Reuters
Israel is hopeful that it will reach a trade agreement with the United States before a pause to a barrage of U.S. tariffs on global imports expires on July 9, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat told Reuters on Tuesday. – Reuters
An Israeli drone strike south of the Lebanese capital killed a top commander from militant group Jama’a Islamiya on Tuesday, the group said, in an attack later confirmed by Israel. – Reuters
US President Donald Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are aligned on trade and Iran after a Tuesday call, which came amid signs of disagreement. – Bloomberg
Military prosecutors have indicted a Palestinian man suspected of having helped to carry out a botched bus bombing spree in the suburbs of Tel Aviv two months ago, Israel Police and Shin Bet spokespeople announced on Tuesday. – Times of Israel
The father of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander on Tuesday urged the Trump administration to return its hostage envoy Adam Boehler to the negotiation effort, arguing that the latter’s direct talks with Hamas last month were the closest his son came to being released from captivity in Gaza. – Times of Israel
The family of hostage Rom Braslavski on Tuesday published additional footage of the 21-year-old captive, taken from a video released by his Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors last week. – Times of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces carried out a series of strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and on Tuesday morning, attacking terror infrastructure and also targeting and destroying some 40 construction vehicles in the Gaza Strip, which the IDF said were used by Hamas for terror activities. – Times of Israel
With Israeli and Hamas delegations both in Cairo this week, an official familiar with the Gaza hostage talks told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that Egypt has taken the lead in the negotiations with a new ceasefire proposal reportedly put forward. – Times of Israel
The military has successfully held back the Iranian axis from smuggling weapons into the West Bank through the Israeli-Jordanian border that would have flooded the area with high-stakes terrorist threats, IDF Lt.-Col. Aviv Amir, the commander of the Jordan Valley defenses, said on Tuesday at his outgoing ceremony, The Jerusalem Post has learned. – Jerusalem Post
Israel-Egypt relations are currently at their most tense since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, former intelligence officer and expert on Egypt, Lt. Col. (Res.) Eli Dekel told Maariv on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
Israel has seen a rise in security incidents on its border crossings in 2024, data seen by Ynet reveals. There have been 8% more attempted smuggling of goods and people from the West Bank, a rise in attempts to smuggle weapons and an increase of 17% in attempts by unauthorized Palestinian residents to cross into Israel. – Ynet
Shin Bet has increased security measures ahead of President Isaac Herzog’s upcoming visit to Poland on Thursday, following public threats and the display of antisemitic protest signs in Warsaw calling for his arrest and extradition to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. – Ynet
Members of Israel’s security cabinet are urging the government to set a firm deadline for reaching a hostage deal with Hamas, warning that failure to do so should prompt a shift to what they describe as a “decisive phase” in the ongoing war in Gaza. – Ynet
A disagreement broke out Tuesday night in a Cabinet meeting over whether to restart the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza, even though Hamas steals around half of the aid and uses it to continue funding and supporting its war against Israel. – Arutz Sheva
Anne Bayefsky writes: We are witnessing a calculated effort by the United Nations to thwart the essential conditions of “never again,” namely: comprehending the depravity of Nazi treatment of the Jews, the unique evil of Jew hatred, and the devastation that antisemitism wreaks on human civilization. On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, it is painfully clear that the institution built on the ashes of the Jewish people deserves to be relegated to the ash heap of history. – Fox News
Natalie Sopinsky writes: The US already recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, acknowledging the Jewish historical connection to that city. It would be intellectually inconsistent to recognize Jerusalem’s Jewish roots while using terminology that deliberately obscures the Jewish connection to neighboring Judea and Samaria. It is their original names that connect us to that history. Acknowledging these names doesn’t mean Congress is taking sides in a territorial dispute. Rather, it is a correction that aligns with the US policy of historical accuracy and still allows for diplomatic options in any future peace negotiations. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
Expert-level Iran-U.S. talks that were supposed to take place on Wednesday will be shifted to Saturday, Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said, with a third round of high-level nuclear talks due on the same day in Oman. – Reuters
The United States issued new sanctions on Tuesday targeting Iranian liquefied petroleum gas magnate Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh and his corporate network, the Treasury Department said, amid ongoing talks with Tehran on its nuclear program. – Reuters
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi will visit China on April 23 at the invitation of China, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. – Reuters
Companies in the United States were invited to partake in lucrative business opportunities involving Iran’s plan to erect over 19 additional nuclear reactors, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
Iranian Revolutionary Guards seized two Tanzanian-flagged vessels allegedly carrying “smuggled fuel” in the Gulf, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
Dan Perry writes: Just War Theory — from Augustine to Aquinas — holds that violence can be justified under strict conditions. Just wars must be declared by legitimate authority, for a just cause, proportionally conducted, and as a last resort. These conditions are close to being met. What’s needed now is not the self-delusion of more drawn-out negotiations, but courage, clarity, and leadership. That means Trump should stop hiding behind Israel and take responsibility for enforcing a world order in which nuclear blackmail is not rewarded. It would also be a decent way of course-correcting in the wider sense for his administration. – The Hill
Kian Shirazi writes: Do not fall for this narrative. Iran’s history and cultural background are vastly different from Iraq and Syria, and it is the Islamic Republic itself that has caused the instability in both nations. The Iranian people are now waiting for a decisive response from the U.S. and Israel. They must remember: 1. If this regime remains in power, it will continue its terrorism at the first opportunity. 2. If the Islamic Republic survives, radical Islamists worldwide will be emboldened to carry out their own campaigns of terror. – Jerusalem Post
Russia and Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back on a U.S. proposal to recognize Russia’s control of Crimea as part of a cease-fire agreement, throwing into doubt President Trump’s efforts to bring an end to the war. – Wall Street Journal
Both the Kremlin and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine suggested this week that they would be open to direct negotiations, making new but tentative diplomatic overtures as President Trump pushes for a peace deal. – New York Times
Russia’s drone attack on the city of Marhanets in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region killed seven people and injured six others, the regional governor said on social media on Wednesday. – Reuters
Russia’s large overnight drone attack on east, south and central Ukraine injured at least five people and damaged civilian infrastructure and businesses, Ukrainian officials said early on Wednesday. – Reuters
U.S., Ukrainian and European officials meet in London on Wednesday about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine after warnings by U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington could walk away if there is no progress on a deal soon. – Reuters
Shells exploded at a military base east of Moscow on Tuesday, injuring four people and prompting the evacuation of about 450 people, the regional governor said. – Reuters
Ammunition explosions at a military unit in Russia’s Vladimir region that started on Tuesday as result of a fire have been “gradually ending,” Alexander Avdeev, governor of the region, said on social media on Wednesday. – Reuters
Russia struck the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with two guided aerial bombs on Tuesday, killing a woman and injuring 26 other people including four children, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said. – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine would be ready to hold talks with Russia in any format once a ceasefire deal is in place and the fighting has stopped. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, will visit Moscow this week for a new round of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine, the White House said on Tuesday. – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Chinese citizens were working at a drone production site in Russia and suggested that Moscow may have “stolen” drone technology from China. – Reuters
Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Tuesday of standing in the way of negotiations on a moratorium on attacking civilian targets, as the warring sides jockey for the favour of a Trump administration that has threatened to abandon peace efforts. – Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran’s nuclear programme on Tuesday with the visiting leader of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, a Kremlin official was quoted as saying. – Reuters
A Russian court on Tuesday ordered that the jail sentence of a U.S. citizen convicted of drug trafficking be reduced to 9-1/2 years from 12-1/2, the man’s lawyer told Reuters. – Reuters
For more than 1,000 years, chess has been synonymous with war. Now, Vladimir Putin is combining the ancient game with modern skulduggery as he tries to win an all-too-real 21st century conflict. – Politico
Alan J. Kuperman writes: A rump Ukraine need not recognize any territorial annexation and should be free to get economic and security assistance from Europe, while peacekeepers monitor the cease-fire line. This wouldn’t be a peace deal but an armistice, as has worked on the Korean Peninsula for 72 years. But if Mr. Trump is unwilling to play hardball with Russia, he has no hope of forging an agreement. Russia would simply continue taking territory, and Mr. Trump could go down in history as the U.S. president who lost Ukraine. – Wall Street Journal
Kaush Arha writes: Any concessions that exacerbate regional security and stability disadvantaging American and European interests versus that of Russia and China should be non-negotiable. Consequently, a Russian Crimea is a non-starter since it will result in a direct loss of American and European interests and standing across Eurasia and Eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, it may set the stage for a bloodier regional conflict in the future. There is a better way to end the war while we still hold the stronger hand—let’s not fritter away American greatness. – National Interest
Middle East & North Africa
India and Saudi Arabia are exploring joint projects in refineries and petrochemicals, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Arab News in an interview, as he began a two-day visit to the country on Tuesday. – Reuters
The death of Pope Francis has sent shockwaves through Iraq’s Christian community, where his presence once brought hope after one of the darkest chapters in the country’s recent history. – Associated Press
President Donald Trump will visit the Middle East from May 13 through May 16 as he seeks to solidify planned investments from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the US economy. – Bloomberg
Egypt and Qatar have presented a new proposal for a hostage release agreement and cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which includes an Israeli withdrawal and a seven-year truce, Egyptian sources told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Tuesday. – Haaretz
Qatar has hired Bernard Kerik, the former New York Police Department commissioner who was pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump for tax crimes and played a major role in trying to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election, as a lobbyist, according to FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] filings reported on by Shomrim. – Haaretz
Hamas urged Jordan to release members of a reported Muslim Brotherhood terrorist cell, who were arrested last week by the Jordanian Intelligence, after being accused of attempting to manufacture rockets and drones with training from Hamas leaders in Lebanon. – Jerusalem Post
Ghaith al-Omari writes: Washington should keep a close eye on these developments and maintain robust communication with Amman about its intentions. The palace’s reaction may include controversial steps toward the MB, especially if the group chooses to escalate. Ongoing bilateral communication will be key to avoid misunderstandings or conflicting U.S. messaging, while reaffirming Washington’s support could send a useful signal to any regional actors seeking to exploit this unsettled moment. – Washington Institute
Korean Peninsula
Beijing recently asked South Korean companies not to ship products containing China’s rare earth minerals to U.S. defence firms, the Korea Economic Daily reported on Tuesday, citing government and company sources. – Reuters
South Korea’s Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said on Wednesday that Seoul will seek a speedy solution over auto tariffs in trade talks with U.S. counterparts and is also prepared for the prospect of Washington bringing up the issue of defence costs. – Reuters
South Korean rice arrived in Japan last month for the first time since 1999, according to media reports, as the price of domestically produced grain continued to rise, despite government attempts to relieve the pressure on shoppers. – The Guardian
China
U.S. federal courts in recent years have convicted several individuals of Chinese origin for stealing trade secrets from American companies. Beijing, meanwhile, is pursuing an aggressive campaign to “delete America” from its tech ecosystem and nurture homegrown innovation. – Wall Street Journal
China’s secret weapon in the trade war is an army of factory robots, powered by artificial intelligence, that have revolutionized manufacturing. – New York Times
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Britain and the European Union on Tuesday to safeguard multilateral trading systems, as Beijing seeks to rally support from trading partners to counter U.S. tariff measures. – Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that he believes there will be a de-escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions, but negotiations with Beijing have not yet started and would be a “slog,” according to a person who heard his closed-door presentation to investors at a JP Morgan conference. – Reuters
China confirmed it has received an appeal from the European Union on an intellectual property rights arbitration case at the WTO against it, and will handle the matter according to relevant rules, its commerce ministry said. – Reuters
China is set to launch its Shenzhou-20 mission that will carry three astronauts to the Chinese space station Tiangong at 5.17 p.m. on Thursday local time (0917 GMT), state media said on Wednesday. – Reuters
China issued a warning as U.S. and Philippine forces kicked off three weeks of joint military exercises. – Newsweek
South Asia
Suspected militants opened fire in a popular tourist valley in the Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least 25 people and injuring 15 more in one of the worst attacks on civilians in recent years, according to government officials. – Wall Street Journal
On his first trip to India, U.S. Vice President JD Vance dined with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced progress toward a bilateral trade deal between the two countries and compared New Delhi favorably with Western capitals. – Wall Street Journal
India has the full support of the United States, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday after suspected militants opened fire on tourists in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory, killing at least 20 people. – Reuters
The United States wants to sell more energy and defence equipment to India to build closer ties, Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly as talks over a trade deal progress. – Reuters
Brahma Chellaney writes: Trump’s return to power is not merely restoring the U.S.-India relationship — it is revitalizing it with fresh urgency, grounded in mutual interests and shared concerns. As the Indo-Pacific becomes the epicenter of global power competition, the world’s oldest and largest democracies are once again aligning their strategies and rediscovering their common cause. – The Hill
Asia
The Trump administration has told its senior diplomats in Vietnam not to take part in events marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. – New York Times
As Washington and Beijing wage an intensifying trade war, Japan is caught in the middle of the fight. Japan sells a large amount of cars to the United States, and computer chips and chip-making equipment to China. For the past two decades, the United States and China have alternated as the top destination for Japanese exports. – New York Times
Australia’s conservative opposition party leader Peter Dutton, trailing in polls related to the May 3 election, has pledged to boost defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product within a decade, as the Trump administration pushes allies to spend more on security. – Reuters
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has sent a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba calling for a coordinated response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff measures, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Vietnam’s trade ministry has issued a directive to crack down on illegal transhipment of goods to the United States and other trading partners as it tries to avoid steep U.S. tariffs, according to a document reviewed by Reuters. – Reuters
China has recently sent a team to Myanmar to monitor a ceasefire it brokered between the country’s ruling military and a rebel group, China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, signalling its deepening involvement in an expanding civil war. – Reuters
A plan to build a nuclear power plant will continue in Myanmar, a war-torn Southeast Asian country partly devastated by a massive earthquake in March, the Russian state-owned firm leading the project told Reuters. – Reuters
Myanmar’s ruling military has extended a temporary ceasefire in its conflict with rebels to April 30, in a move to expedite relief and rebuilding efforts following a devastating earthquake last month, state media reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Vietnam is seeking to speed up its negotiations for new free trade agreements while more effectively exploiting the 17 ones it has already signed, as its export-reliant economy is bracing for U.S. tariffs. – Reuters
President Donald Trump’s move to pull foreign aid and hit the country with a 49% tariff — one of the highest in the world — now threatens to push Cambodia further into China’s orbit, along with other Southeast Asian nations also facing harsh duties. – Bloomberg
Mihir Sharma writes: America will only benefit from a trade coalition that excludes China, ensures the US’ domestic regulations and higher standards don’t render its producers uncompetitive, and creates new supply chains that include US workers. What Trump actually needs to achieve his ends is an inclusive, equitable, high-quality partnership with allies across the Pacific Ocean. A trans-Pacific partnership, if you will. – Bloomberg
Europe
The Spanish government will increase its spending on defense to the equivalent of 2% of its economic output this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said. The government had previously promised to raise its spending to that level, from 1.4% last year, but hadn’t confirmed when. – Wall Street Journal
Presidents, prime ministers and royalty are preparing to travel to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, which will be the most prominent gathering of world leaders since President Trump’s inauguration in January. – New York Times
Demand for weapons spiked in Europe after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has persisted. With Europe producing more and better weapons, it is also looking to sell its wares more broadly on the global market. – New York Times
Four Czech soldiers will face trial for alleged crimes related to the death of an Afghan soldier after he was detained and interrogated in 2018, Czech prosecutors said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Denmark will spend about 4 billion crowns ($614 million) on building and procuring 26 navy vessels for patrolling, oil spill response and surveillance of undersea cables, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon are expected to agree to deepen defence and security ties, including stepping up support for Ukraine, when they meet on Tuesday, Starmer’s office said. – Reuters
The European Commission is assessing whether it could legislate to forbid firms in the European Union from signing new contracts for Russian fossil fuels, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. – Reuters
European powers told the United States last week which aspects of a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia would be non-negotiable for them, ahead of a new round of discussions on Wednesday, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. – Reuters
Thousands of people greeted on Tuesday a group of Serbian university students who had cycled more than 1,300 kilometers (780 miles) this month to draw European Union attention to their struggle against corruption in the Balkan country. – Associated Press
Emmanuel Macron is exploring the possibility of dissolving parliament and holding snap elections as soon as this fall as a return to international prominence helps boost the French president’s popularity at home. – Bloomberg
Earlier this year, Poland’s minister of national defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz spoke with his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson, and the conversation turned to procurement. The Swedes were aware that they sold a lot to Poland, from ships to planes to anti-tank missiles, Kosiniak-Kamysz recalled. They wanted to know what they could buy in return. – Bloomberg
Switzerland adopted further Russia sanctions imposed by the European Union including widening an advertising ban on media organizations, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said in a statement. – Bloomberg
Portugal’s Air Force is considering scrapping its plan to buy $2.2 billion worth of American-made F-35 fighter jets. Instead, it would buy Swedish-made Saab Gripen war jets — at half the price. – New York Sun
Africa
A court in Ivory Coast ruled on Tuesday that opposition leader and former Credit Suisse Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam should be removed from the electoral roll because he was a French national when he registered, his lawyer said. – Reuters
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo with immediate effect and initiated an investigation in response to three petitions filed against her, a statement said. – Reuters
Kenyan police have recovered two bodies and rescued 57 people at a church in the country’s west, according to an internal report, in a case with echoes of the starvation of hundreds of people in a doomsday cult in Kenya two years ago. – Reuters
Nigeria will fully automate its expatriate residence permit process from May 1, a move aimed at significantly speeding up approvals and reducing opportunities for corruption, the Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said. – Reuters
Burkina Faso’s military government has said it foiled a “major plot” to overthrow junta leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighbouring Ivory Coast. – BBC
Zineb Riboua writes: Now, Russia is eyeing the Atlantic. While no naval base on Africa’s west coast has been announced, with deepening ties in Guinea, Mauritania, and Equatorial Guinea suggest it’s only a matter of time. What starts as a logistics hub today could become a military outpost tomorrow, giving Moscow a strategic foothold to challenge NATO dominance and potentially disrupt Western supply lines. – National Interest
The Americas
In late January, Ricardo Prada Vásquez, a Venezuelan immigrant working in a delivery job in Detroit, picked up an order at a McDonald’s. He was heading to the address when he erroneously turned onto the Ambassador Bridge, which leads to Canada. It is a common mistake even for those who live in the Michigan border city. But for Mr. Prada, 32, it proved fateful. – New York Times
Costa Rican authorities this week said they would make it possible for dozens of migrants deported from the United States to legally stay in the country — or leave if they so choose to. – New York Times
A top hospital in Haiti is closing its doors due to worsening insecurity after gangs attacked the central city of Mirebalais, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday, marking another blow to the country’s fragile health sector. – Reuters
The party of Ecuadorean opposition leader and former presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez on Tuesday asked the country’s electoral council to review presidential vote tallies from 1,729 ballot boxes, part of its effort to prove what it says was a massive fraud. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration would be willing to offer Argentina a credit line if an “external shock” jeopardized the country’s economic turnaround, according to a transcript of comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seen by Reuters. – Reuters
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took his election campaign to Quebec on Tuesday, saying only he could protect the predominantly French-speaking province from U.S. President Donald Trump. – Reuters
A panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices unanimously accepted criminal charges Tuesday against six more key allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged coup plot to keep him in office after his 2022 election defeat. – Associated Press
United States
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday unveiled a plan to significantly reorganize the State Department, saying the redesign would reverse “decades of bloat and bureaucracy” and seek to eradicate what he suggested was an ingrained “radical political ideology.” – Washington Post
Two U.S. judges on Tuesday extended temporary blocks on some deportations of Venezuelan migrants and signaled that President Donald Trump’s invocation of a 1798 law historically used in wartime to speed up their removal from the United States may not survive judicial review. – Reuters
Swiss pharmaceuticals powerhouse Roche announced Tuesday it plans to invest $50 billion in the United States over the next five years, creating 12,000 jobs. – Associated Press
Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration claiming that its freezing of federal grants worth billions of dollars is unlawful. – BBC
Jews in America faced more than 25 antisemitic incidents per day last year — or more than one per hour — with most of the hatred for the first time related to opposition to Israel, a startling new report released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League found. – New York Post
Eli Lake writes: Now it appears that Caldwell and his network are at war against their former boss, Hegseth. At the end of his interview with Carlson, Caldwell let slip that MAGA bête noir and former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice is still on the Defense Policy Board. “That doesn’t mean she can go into the building and get access to whatever she wants, but it means she works with DoD employees and has access to them, and she still has the credential. – The Free Press
Cybersecurity
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he expects to receive pressure from social media giants to ease Australia’s impending ban on children using their platforms, with opposition Liberal leader Peter Dutton keen to agree with him in an election debate on Tuesday. – Reuters
Russia is increasing its hybrid attacks aimed at undermining society in the Netherlands and its European allies, and Russian hackers have already targeted the Dutch public service, Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said on Tuesday. – Reuters
The smartphones and applications used by criminals to recruit, organize and carry out crime sprees are increasingly the target of European law enforcement and politicians alike. So-called end-to-end encrypted technology — a pillar of privacy-friendly and cybersecure digital communication — is seen as a foe by police and investigative authorities. – Politico
EU regulators are looking into a wave of social media videos promoting extreme thinness under the hashtag “SkinnyTok” to assess whether TikTok is doing enough to protect kids online. – Politico
Early into his tenure as head of U.S. Transportation Command, Air Force Gen. Randall Reed is keen to expand the hub’s application of data analytics and artificial intelligence, including via the Maven Smart System, to inform decision-making and enhance operational efficiency, he told DefenseScoop. – Defensescoop
A long-running cyber espionage operation linked to China breached multiple prominent government and business organizations in a single Southeast Asian country during a campaign from August 2024 to February 2025. – The Record
Jeff Le writes: President Trump and Congress have a rare opportunity to reinvigorate U.S. maritime cybersecurity. A Coast Guard reimagination, deeper technology investments, more resilient SLTT communities, and a stronger shipping economy can transform U.S. homeland security and close cyber gaps. As adversaries deploy more audacious digital attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure, necessary innovations to American maritime transportation systems and interests are essential to reinforcing America’s position as the gold standard. – Cyberscoop
Catherine Thorbecke writes: On the other side of the Pacific, fears that the tariff turbulence could cost Silicon Valley’s AI dominance are piling up. But while policymakers and business leaders are distracted by the fallout from the multi-front trade war, they have no excuse to be caught off-guard again by another DeepSeek-style breakthrough from China. – Bloomberg
Defense
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Tuesday of possible prosecutions of former senior advisors who were fired during a probe into leaks of Pentagon information to the media, saying evidence would be handed over to the Department of Justice once the investigation is completed. – Reuters
The United States nuclear forces validated the readiness and capability of bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles by conducting an exercise and a test earlier this month. – Newsweek
U.S. Marines will test one of the service’s newest counter-drone defense systems during this year’s Balikatan military exercise in collaboration with the Philippine military, according to the Marine Corps. – Defense News
In the wake of its loss in the Next Generation Air Dominance competition, Lockheed Martin plans to take the technology from its bid and funnel it into its F-35 program to pitch a lower-cost alternative to the future F-47. – Defense One
The U.S. Coast Guard’s quest to buy a new fleet of icebreakers has drawn interest from both domestic and international shipyards as the service collects responses to a request for proposal due this week. – USNI News
The Air Force has reactivated an electronic warfare unit that aims to more quickly respond to changes in the spectrum. – Defensescoop
Joshua Tallis writes: To best harness allied expertise and scale, the U.S. must enter with a clear-eyed assessment of our own strengths, weaknesses and business cases for mutual gain. Part of the answer to that equation is the following: What we lack in an industrial maritime footprint, we make up for in innovation, capital markets and financial services. Therein lie the onramps to a truly American foray into the maritime ecosystem, one built on competitive advantages and the power of friends. – Defense News