Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Gaza holds first local election in 20 years Israeli court uncovers covert Hamas funding network, key figures sentenced Aborted Pakistan trip leaves Trump with tough choices on Iran talks Iranian foreign minister heads to Russia, Trump says 'call us' to negotiate Johns Hopkins University Professor Michael Mandelbaum: Donald Trump, foreign-policy traditionalist Mood in Russia turns bleak as war in Ukraine drags on and economy suffers JPost Editorial: Through the excitement of Israel-Lebanon talks, Hezbollah must not be forgotten North Korea's Kim to continue support for Russia, state media says Ukraine is Europe’s war now Al-Qaeda-linked militants launch coordinated attacks across Mali Colombia hit by deadliest wave of bombings for civilians in years WSJ Editorial: A ‘friendly federal assassin’ in WashingtonIn The News
Israel
One Gazan city held local elections for the first time in more than 20 years this weekend, in a largely symbolic vote that allowed some Palestinians to express a desire for change in the enclave that has been ruled by Hamas for decades. – Wall Street Journal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that he had been diagnosed with and treated for early-stage prostate cancer but delayed revealing his condition for two months to avoid it being used against Israel amid the war with Iran. – Washington Post
For months, President Isaac Herzog of Israel has deliberated over the politically fraught question of whether to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon in his long-running corruption trial. It’s a highly contentious issue that has divided Israelis and drawn pressure from President Trump, who has aggressively intervened on Mr. Netanyahu’s behalf. – New York Times
The centrist leader of Israel’s opposition, Yair Lapid, and a right-wing former prime minister, Naftali Bennett, announced on Sunday that they would combine forces in elections later this year. The merger is an apparent bid to reconstitute a partnership that temporarily unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu five years ago. – New York Times
Israel’s president said on Sunday that he will consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pardon request in his long-running corruption trial only after efforts to reach a plea deal are exhausted, signalling no decision will come soon. – Reuters
Israeli military attacks killed at least four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, health officials in the enclave said. – Reuters
Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the appointment of the Israel’s first ever ambassador to Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. – Bloomberg
After roughly six weeks of delays in his testimony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to testify on Monday in his criminal trial. But, about 90 minutes before the hearing was scheduled to begin, it was abruptly canceled, following a request from Netanyahu’s attorney, Amit Hadad. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF has launched an investigation into a video in which Israeli soldiers are seen destroying solar panels in a village in Lebanon, Israeli media reported on Saturday night. – Jerusalem Post
A recent ruling by the Central District Court has unveiled a covert financial network designed to funnel money to Hamas, thereby supporting the terror group’s efforts in the Israel-Gaza conflict. – Jerusalem Post
Israel reimposed some gathering restrictions Sunday in the north, including the cancellation of a mass pilgrimage planned for next week, amid persistent attacks by Hezbollah despite a ceasefire in Lebanon. – Times of Israel
Iran
President Trump scrapped a trip by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran, leaving himself tough choices over how to force Iran to make concessions the White House wants to strike a deal. Trump said Iran can reach out to the U.S. if it wants to negotiate an end to the conflict. “They can call us,” he told Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing,” adding any talks would be conducted by phone. – Wall Street Journal
Tensions between Iranian leaders over talks with the U.S. spilled into the open this week, highlighting how difficult it will be for President Trump to secure the diplomatic win he wants to end the war. The disagreements were apparent in the first round of talks earlier in April. Mediators said Iran became vague when pressed by the U.S. for specifics on issues it had said it was willing to discuss, people familiar with the matter said. – Wall Street Journal
As President Trump struggles to negotiate or intimidate his way out of the war he began with Iran, he is confronting the complicated legacy of his decision, eight years ago, to cancel what he has called “a horrible, one-sided deal.” – New York Times
The United States rolled out a blitz of sanctions on Friday, targeting 40 shipping firms and vessels that it identified as being part of Iran’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers, as the Trump administration broadened its efforts to cripple the Iranian economy. – New York Times
U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war, as Tehran’s foreign minister landed in Russia on Monday to seek support from President Vladimir Putin. – Reuters
Iran through Pakistani mediators gave the U.S. a new proposal on reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the ending of the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, Axios reported on Sunday, citing a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge of the matter. – Reuters
Iran executed a man convicted of being a member of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl and carrying out attacks on Iranian security forces, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday. – Reuters
Iran said it had hanged an Iranian working for Israeli intelligence on Saturday for vandalism and violence during nationwide protests this year, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. – Reuters
President Donald Trump says the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea route for oil shipments whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy. – Associated Press
Images of bareheaded women sipping coffee in cafes in Tehran, in apparent defiance of the Islamic Republic’s strict dress rule, have stirred interest outside Iran — but for Elnaz, 32, it is no breakthrough. – Agence France-Presse
Iran on Saturday executed a man for his role in mass anti-government protests in January, claiming he was carrying out a “mission” on behalf of Israel’s spy agency, the judiciary reported. – Agence France-Presse
Michael Mandelbaum writes: The outcome of the Iran war, and the balance of successes and failures that it will bring, isn’t yet clear. It seems probable, though, that the U.S. won’t achieve all its goals, at least in the short term. This, too, would be in keeping with the history of the American encounter with the world. The victory in World War I didn’t bring lasting peace, as Woodrow Wilson hoped it would. Two decades later an even more destructive conflict began. The triumph in World War II left Central and Eastern Europe in the grip of communist repression. Were the Iran war to turn out a complete and unqualified success, that would represent the sharpest imaginable break with the American tradition in foreign policy. – Wall Street Journal
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez writes: So far, there are no reports of new massacres carried out by the Islamic Republic, like those carried out during the January protests, though some executions have already occurred. Tehran has imposed an internet blackout, which prevents the rest of the world from gaining further information about what new repressive activities the Islamic Republic is carrying out, and if any non-Persian groups have been specifically targeted. As for the future of Tehran-Baku relations, much will depend on the future of the conflict. Baku will want to remain neutral and avoid being dragged into the war. It is unlikely that Tehran will want to open a new theater of military operations by attacking its northern neighbor. Unfortunately, the suffering of the civilian population of Iran—Azerbaijanis, Persians, and everyone else—is unlikely to abate. – The National Interest
Russia and Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin is facing rising discontent across Russian society as the war against Ukraine drags on, the economy flounders and public dissatisfaction mounts over government restrictions on internet access. – Washington Post
With President Trump and his team preoccupied with the war in Iran, Europe is preparing for a longer war in Ukraine, with dwindling expectations for a negotiated settlement between Moscow and Kyiv. – New York Times
The central bank of Russia further reduced its benchmark interest rate on Friday, trying to find a way to revive the country’s economy after President Vladimir V. Putin scolded officials over its lackluster performance. – New York Times
An overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa wounded 10 people, including two children, and damaged residential buildings, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. – Reuters
A fertiliser plant in Russia’s Vologda region was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday, local governor Georgy Filimonov said. – Reuters
Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner of war swap on Friday, sending back 193 captured personnel each in an exchange both sides said was facilitated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. – Reuters
Strikes across Ukraine, Russian-occupied territory and Russia over the past day killed at least 16 people, authorities said Sunday as the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster prompted new warnings about risks posed by attacks near the plant during Russia’s more than four-year invasion of its neighbor. – Associated Press
Russian drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least five people and wounded 46, authorities said Saturday. The bodies of four people were found in the ruins of a house destroyed in overnight attacks, Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said. – Associated Press
Some Russian influencers recently released public appeals to President Vladimir Putin, criticizing his government and policies, and a number of his loyalists even threatened a revolt — the latest wave of public outcry over the country’s strained wartime economy and mounting internet restrictions. – Associated Press
Ukraine will contract 25,000 unmanned ground vehicles in the first half of 2026, more than double the 2025 total, as the Defense Ministry moves to shift all frontline logistics off soldiers and onto robots. – Defense News
David French writes: But you cannot threaten the free world and lead it at the same time. No nation can match American might, but for the first time in my adult life, the moral and strategic heart of the defense of liberal democracy doesn’t beat in Washington. It doesn’t beat in London or Paris or Berlin or Ottawa, either. It’s in Kyiv, where a courageous leader and a courageous people have picked up the torch America has dropped. – New York Times
William Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk write: Any post-Putin Russia, even a weakly reconstituted one, has the chance to reduce the now deeply embedded structural requirement for perpetual external aggression. The alternative is not the status quo. It is the permanent management of an ever more hostile, militarized, and nuclear state with no structural incentive to change course. To do so will come at an economic, military, and political cost far beyond what the West is currently paying, with no strategic endpoint—and the near-certainty that a regime under these structural pressures will eventually generate another, potentially more dangerous crisis for the West. The objective is not a democratic Russia, but a Kremlin that is no longer compelled to be confrontational just to maintain power. That is a realist goal, not an idealist one—and it is one that the West must pursue. – The National Interest
Hezbollah
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued Friday even as President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. Hezbollah reacted with contempt to the extension, calling the truce “meaningless.” The Iran-backed militant group is still a powerful force in Lebanon, and concerns over the government’s ability to bring it under control have raised questions about the ceasefire’s long-term prospects. – Washington Post
Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes in Lebanon on Sunday, and talks to end the war in Iran were in limbo, putting two Mideast truces on shaky ground. The Israeli military said that overnight it had attacked structures used across southern Lebanon by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group. The attacks were launched just days after the cease-fire in Lebanon was extended. – New York Times
Israeli strikes killed 14 people and wounded 37 on Sunday, Lebanon’s health ministry said, as the Israeli military warned residents to leave seven towns beyond the “buffer zone” it occupied before a ceasefire that has failed to fully halt hostilities. – Reuters
Israel said on Saturday it would attack Hezbollah targets forcefully, further testing a fragile ceasefire with Lebanon that U.S. President Donald Trump recently said had been extended by three weeks. – Reuters
Lebanon is no longer holding any Hezbollah operatives accused of violating its new arms restrictions, according to Lebanese media reports, after two members of the group were released on bail set at 100 million Lebanese pounds (approximately $1,120) on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
Editorial: For the ceasefire to continue and for talks to be fruitful, the main focus must be on how to defang and marginalize Hezbollah. If Trump has a plan, he should share it with the sides, and he should make it clear to the Lebanese government that Israel is not going to withdraw from its security zone or stop targeting terrorists who are threatening the lives of the residents of the North, until that happens. Because, let’s be clear. It’s all about Hezbollah. – Jerusalem Post
Syria
The first public trial in Syria of officials linked to the rule of former President Bashar Assad opened Sunday in Damascus. – Associated Press
Syrian authorities said Friday they have arrested a former intelligence officer who appeared in a video leaked four years ago that purportedly showed him and his comrades fatally shooting dozens of people during the country’s civil war. – Associated Press
Syrian authorities have accused Hezbollah-linked cells of plotting attacks inside Syria and across its borders, marking a striking turn in the relationship between Damascus and a group that helped prop up Bashar Assad during the Syrian civil war. – Jerusalem Post
Turkey
Turkey this week passed legislation barring children under 15 from social media, joining a small but growing number of nations seeking to protect underage users from the potential harms of the online world. – New York Times
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Turkey could consider taking part in demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz following a possible peace agreement between Iran and the United States. – Reuters
Asli Aydintasbas writes: In short, Turkey needs a coherent strategy that will enable it to preserve domestic stability with the Kurds, secure its borders, and emerge as a hub for regional connectivity in energy and trade. This means maneuvering through the ups and downs of war and great-power rivalry—but not settling for better relations with Washington alone. Declaring neutrality in a conflict may seem the right decision for a country in Turkey’s position. But if Turkey is to emerge from a period of regional turmoil more secure rather than more vulnerable, it cannot remain entirely on the sidelines. – Foreign Affairs
Gulf States
U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who was detained in Kuwait over online posts related to the Iran war, has been released and departed the Gulf nation. – Reuters
Kuwait’s army said two drones launched from Iraq targeted two northern border posts on Friday, causing damage. It added there were no casualties. – Reuters
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is driving nations’ efforts to develop alternative Gulf-to-Europe trade routes, with Iraq’s $24 billion “Development Road” project at the forefront, analyst says. The route from Iraq’s Grand Faw Port to Turkey and on to Europe, is advancing “with discipline,” Middle East Council on Global Affairs analyst Muhanad Seloom told Fox News Digital, calling it a “permanent” and “transformative” wartime shift. – FOX News
Israel sent an Iron Dome system and dozens of IDF troops to the United Arab Emirates during Operation Roaring Lion, its recent war with Iran, according to foreign sources. – Jerusalem Post
Middle East & North Africa
Prominent Tunisian reporter Zied Heni was detained on Friday after writing an article criticising the judiciary, according to his lawyer, a move the journalists’ union said was part of a broader crackdown on free speech. – Reuters
Tunisian authorities on Friday ordered a one-month suspension of activities by the Human Rights League (LTDH), according to a statement from the group, which was among the civil society quartet that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015. – Reuters
Towering over the Moroccan capital’s historic cityscape, a $700 million, 55-story skyscraper opened this week in a move that underscores the country’s expanding global ambitions. – Associated Press
Korean Peninsula
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would continue to support Russia’s policies and discussed bolstering military ties with Moscow, state media KCNA reported, as analysts said such cooperation looked set to endure beyond the war in Ukraine. – Reuters
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has arrived in North Korea, Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday, the second senior Russian official to visit Pyongyang in recent days. – Reuters
The speaker of Russia’s parliament, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, arrived in North Korea on Saturday to attend an event to commemorate Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to help Moscow in the Ukraine conflict, Tass news agency reported. – Reuters
China
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sweeping sanctions on 40 shipping firms and vessels, as well as a Chinese oil refinery, in a widening crackdown on maritime business with the Iranian regime. – Washington Post
Taiwan’s defence minister downplayed on Monday the impact of Chinese sanctions on seven European companies over arms sales to the island, saying it was not the first time China had taken such action and it would not affect Taipei’s ability to source weapons. – Reuters
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday during a visit aimed at strengthening the countries’ strategic partnership and expanding cooperation. – Associated Press
China said it will take necessary measures after the European Union added Chinese entities to its latest Russia sanctions package, warning that all consequences would be borne by the EU. – Bloomberg
South Asia
Key roads leading into Islamabad are shut down and a strict security cordon envelops the administrative centre, the so-called “Red Zone”. In the adjacent “Blue Area”, cafes have run out of fruit, markets are deserted and with no service at bus terminals, weekend commuters are struggling to get home. – Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party strengthened its position in parliament’s upper house after seven opposition lawmakers joined it, a parliamentary list showed on Monday, a shift that could ease the government’s passage of legislation. – Reuters
India’s central bank-supervised clearinghouse is making changes to its trade reporting system to bring it more in line with global standards and to make it easier for lenders to disclose their offshore rupee trades, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
Arjun Singh writes: To these ends, trade was already increasing between Afghanistan and Central Asia. Uzbekistan, the largest adjacent economy, traded $1.7 billion with Afghanistan in 2025, on par with Iran and Pakistan. Uzbek exports consist mostly of grain, petroleum, and electricity, of which it is Afghanistan’s biggest supplier. With Tajikistan, trade with Afghanistan grew by 30 percent in 2025. More must happen before Afghan trade with Central Asia can reach its full potential, chiefly the building of road and rail infrastructure. However, at the very least, there is a third frontier that can rescue Afghanistan, sandwiched between two wars, from its precipice. So long as it remains open, Afghanistan has hope. – The National Interest
Asia
The Pentagon’s push to get its hands on the rarest of the rare-earth elements leads all the way to this small port city in Malaysia. Here, Lynas Rare Earths, an Australian company, has begun pumping out heavy rare earths, the elusive kind that China dominates. – Wall Street Journal
Jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has withdrawn his appeal against a court ruling denying his request to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, local media The Edge reported on Monday, citing court documents. – Reuters
The top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan on Monday pressed the island’s opposition-majority parliament to pass a “comprehensive” defence budget, saying integrated air and missile defence systems and drones are critically important and in high demand globally. – Reuters
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Sunday said she would visit Japan, China, and South Korea this week for talks on energy security in the face of disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict. – Reuters
Two Americans were among 19 suspected communist guerrillas who were killed in clashes with Philippine troops in a central province earlier this week, a government anti-insurgency task force said Saturday night. – CNN
Catherine Thorbecke writes: Koike said she already uses AI extensively, pointing to how much it has improved for administrative work. The city is applying it to sewage systems, aging infrastructure and disaster resilience. It’s a more compelling vision of AI; not as a spectacle but as a tool that can actually help people in daily life. And that may be where Tokyo’s opportunity is greatest. If AI can supercharge the city’s startup ambitions, it can lead the world in creating an ecosystem built around solving real-world problems. Silicon Valley made AI lucrative. Tokyo could make it useful. – Bloomberg
Europe
The fight against Russia in Ukraine is now firmly Europe’s war. The European Union this week signed off on the equivalent of $105 billion in loans to keep Kyiv afloat through the end of next year—but officials warned that it may not be enough. With Russia determined to continue its four-year invasion until it dominates its neighbor, and President Trump pulling back from Europe and focused on the Middle East, Ukraine finds itself reliant on the traditionally gun-shy EU in its war for survival. – Wall Street Journal
The German government believes that Russia could be responsible for phishing attacks targeting high-profile politicians, diplomats, military officers and journalists, government sources told Reuters on Saturday. – Reuters
Slovenia was left without a prime minister-designate in the wake of last month’s election after President Natasa Pirc Musar said on Saturday she would not nominate one because no parliamentary group had secured enough support to form a governing coalition. – Reuters
Romania recovered fragments of two drones after an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, its defence ministry said in statements on Saturday, while the foreign ministry said it had summoned the Russian ambassador in protest. – Reuters
The U.S. and the European Union on Friday deepened their coordination on critical minerals as part of a broader push by Western allies to loosen China’s grip on materials crucial to advanced manufacturing. – Reuters
China’s Commerce Ministry said on Friday it was banning exports of dual-use items to seven European entities over arms sales to Taiwan, placing them immediately on its export control list, in a rare case of Europe-targeted, Taiwan-related sanctions. – Reuters
British police said on Monday they had arrested a 37-year old man in relation to a series of attacks on Jewish-linked premises in north west London. – Reuters
Poland’s finance minister is campaigning to unlock new European sources of defense funding to avoid further straining the budget. Andrzej Domanski told Bloomberg News that even as Poland’s budget deficit ballooned to an unsustainable 7.3% of economic output last year, defense spending is and will remain Warsaw’s top priority, propelling the government to look for additional funding abroad. – Bloomberg
The Italian government is giving up a chance to grab an extra €12 billion ($14 billion) in defense spending as it shifts its focus to keeping energy bills down ahead of national elections next year. – Defense News
Souhire Medini writes: If the Trump administration does not wish to directly encourage the European-led effort, it could still serve American interests by avoiding statements that obstruct the mission and potentially deter additional countries from participating in it. This includes ceasing hostile remarks against European nations and officials, which cause gratuitous damage to allied perceptions of Washington. U.S. officials could also help by publicly and privately reinforcing the many other ties and shared interests between coalition participants and the U.S. military. Before that can happen, President Trump must first be willing to move past transatlantic disagreements over the Iran war, which seemingly prompted his negative reaction to the Paris summit. – Washington Institute
Africa
Islamist militants with a powerful al-Qaeda affiliate and separatists launched attacks across the West African nation of Mali on Saturday, in what analysts say constitute the biggest strikes since militants overran much of the country in 2012. – Washington Post
A court of appeal in Kenya on Friday struck down a ruling that had affirmed the right to an abortion, dealing a blow to reproductive rights in a country where thousands of women die each year from unsafe abortions. – New York Times
Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack by an al Qaeda affiliate on his residence near the main army base outside Bamako on Saturday, France’s RFI radio and two relatives said on Sunday. – Reuters
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung arrived in Eswatini saying Taipei would not be held back by “authoritarian forces”, after the government accused China of pressuring three African states to block overflight permission for President Lai Ching-te. – Reuters
Editorial: Trump’s embrace of “trade over aid” reflects not U.S. withdrawal from Africa, but an overdue upgrade to a more mutually profitable relationship. Lifesaving humanitarian aid remains essential, especially in conflict zones, where government services are nonexistent. The president is right to stop treating Africa like a perennial beggar or basket case. The U.S. needs Africa’s minerals. Africa needs infrastructure and investment. Partnering is a win-win. – Washington Post
The Americas
Bombings allegedly perpetrated by a drug-trafficking group in southern Colombia killed at least 20 people, authorities here said Sunday, marking the deadliest wave of attacks on civilians in years and heightening security concerns a month before the South American country’s presidential elections. – Wall Street Journal
Peru’s military moved ahead this week with a deal to buy American fighter jets despite the president’s public objections, after pressure from Washington triggered a cabinet shake-up and political turmoil in the South American nation. – New York Times
For weeks, Jair Bolsonaro’s closest advisers had proposed alternatives. The former president of Brazil, serving 27 years in prison for attempting a coup after his 2022 election loss, was looking for a successor to lead the populist movement he created into this year’s presidential contest. – Washington Post
The United States has agreed to modify its sanctions on Venezuela to allow the South American country’s government to pay Nicolás Maduro’s defense lawyer, backing off a restriction that had threatened to derail the drug trafficking case against the ousted Venezuelan president, a court filing showed on Friday. – Reuters
Argentina’s government on Friday reiterated its willingness to resume bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom in regards to a sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina knows as the Malvinas and has long claimed sovereignty over. – Reuters
Police raided the home of Peru’s former chief electoral official on Friday as part of a new probe into alleged electoral irregularities, after he resigned this week over delays in counting votes from the April 12 general election. – Reuters
North America
The U.S. military said it attacked another boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Sunday, killing three people and raising the death toll to at least 185 in the campaign against people the Trump administration accuses of smuggling drugs at sea. – New York Times
Russia said on Friday that it stood in solidarity with Cuba and would continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Communist‑run island republic, rejecting what it described as blackmail and threats from Washington. – Reuters
Mary Anastasia O’Grady writes: The goal is to make final products from Mexico and Canada less affordable for U.S. consumers. But in an “affordability” crisis, that sounds like a bad political strategy. If Mexico City and Ottawa retaliate as they have in the past, they’ll probably close markets to American farm and liquor exports that come from Trump country. And because a web of supply chains now criss-cross the continent, with the U.S. producing most high-tech components that go into final products from north or south of the border, the 232 tariffs are bound to inflict wounds on lots of American companies. One wonders whose side Mr. Trump is on. – Wall Street Journal
United States
At the same hotel where then-President Ronald Reagan was shot 45 years ago, it was remarkably easy for a shooter to charge toward a ballroom where President Trump—along with his cabinet members and the reporters who cover his administration—were dining Saturday night. – Wall Street Journal
The 31-year-old Caltech grad, who authorities say opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday, called himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and said he was targeting Trump administration officials, according to the writings of the suspected gunman. – Wall Street Journal
King Charles III arrives in Washington on Monday to publicly celebrate 250 years since a nascent U.S. republic ousted his forebears, and privately ensure that a fraying trans-Atlantic relationship can cope with another two-plus years of President Trump. – Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration provided a lower level of security for the White House correspondents’ dinner than it has for other gatherings of high-ranking officials, even though the president and many Cabinet members were in attendance, according to officials familiar with the plan. – Washington Post
Federal authorities are investigating a note they said was written by the man being held in connection with the attack at the White House correspondents’ dinner that suggests he was angered by the actions of the Trump administration. – New York Times
President Trump extended a waiver of a maritime law, contending that relaxing the rule had bolstered supply chains in the United States, a White House spokeswoman said on Friday. – New York Times
Editorial: This marks the third apparent assassination attempt against Mr. Trump, and there is something to his point that he is targeted because he has been consequential. He is attempting to change much of the Washington status quo, which in addition to his own often nasty rhetoric has caused many of his opponents to lose all judgment and proportion. Rep. Ro Khanna, the California Democrat with his own designs on the White House, called Sunday for a commission on political violence. But we don’t need a study group to tell Americans how to behave. We need our political and media classes to stop talking and writing in apocalyptic terms and restore reason to political debates. We need to revive the traditional moral line that violence is unacceptable. That won’t stop the truly deranged from criminal acts, but it might trigger fewer Cole Allens from thinking their resort to violence is morally justified. – Wall Street Journal
Kevin Corinth, Scott Winship, Mason M. Bishop, et al. write: Trust in our civic institutions has declined dramatically in the past several decades. Loneliness is on the rise, polarization is rampant, and suicides and drug overdoses have pushed up mortality rates. Winship and Thomas O’Rourke explain how we can start to repair the social fabric by relaxing regulations and government programs that keep people apart and confronting problems with social media and mental health. These are essential steps for ensuring that the American Dream, broadly defined, is attainable for all. – American Enterprise Institute
Cybersecurity
As Elon Musk’s trial against OpenAI begins this week, legal experts and prediction markets agree that he will enter the Oakland federal courthouse as an underdog. Since March, Kalshi has put his chances of victory at about 40% on average, down significantly from the 57% Musk touted in January when he posted on X, “Can’t wait to start the trial.” – Wall Street Journal
The Italian government has decided to extradite a Chinese man wanted by U.S. authorities on hacking charges that include stealing COVID-19 medical research, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. – Reuters
Editorial: In his fine concurring opinion in Chatrie for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld the warrant, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson put it well: “As we contemplate the future, Fourth Amendment interpretation leads to twin risks. One is the risk that privacy will succumb to the evermore invasive technological capabilities at the hands of an evermore intrusive state. The other risk, which is just as real, is that of privileging those who break the law over those who would enforce it.” The bottom line? Geofence warrants are a useful tool that can be limited in space and time and don’t necessarily violate the Fourth Amendment. Extending Carpenter in this way would let criminals exploit technology while denying the same to law enforcement. – Wall Street Journal
Paul Ford writes: In this new world, there are so many new things to regulate: Deepfakes, A.I. liability, copyright rules, model bias concerns and ecological costs top the list. And we will also need to protect the digital commons and incentivize people to write and do things online. So there will need to be a very long A.I. bill, and Congress will probably use ChatGPT to write it. At the risk of overstepping, I’d call it the Keeping American Ingenuity, Jobs and Unity Act. Or, the KAIJU Act. I hope that eventual bill’s authors consider restoring the web a little, like a wetlands — if for no other reason than we should be feeding our Godzillas healthy discourse, to help settle their nuclear heartburn. – New York Times
Defense
The U.S. military is once again pursuing flying directed energy weapons to counter threats to American airspace, according to the Defense Department’s missile defense boss. – Defense News
American officials are considering foreign designs and having U.S. warship components built in overseas yards as part of an expansive manufacturing study proposed in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, USNI News has learned. – USNI
Alexander Benard writes: The Iran conflict has made clear that the drone threat is only going to grow, and major civilian infrastructures are at a heightened risk as a result. The government and the private sector must work together to establish a strategy and regulatory framework to build a shield and protect the infrastructure facing new danger from the sky. – Washington Post
Roslyn Layton writes: The United States will not achieve optimal military overmatch by hoarding spectrum under a static defense model while commercial technology advances at speed. Instead, it will do so by harnessing commercial innovation, securing it for military use, and fielding it faster than its adversaries. – War on the Rocks
Craig Johnson writes: For years, the service has been caught between congressional expectations for visible presence and the need to allocate resources efficiently. As the Coast Guard prepares to grow its workforce, these stations offer a practical way to reconcile those pressures. Reimagined as multi-mission hubs, they can maintain their local role while generating the surge capacity, training throughput, and recruiting access needed to meet evolving demands. In a maritime environment defined by disruption and increasing operational requirements, that alignment strengthens both the Coast Guard and the nation’s ability to respond when it matters most. – War on the Rocks