Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israel’s Netanyahu confronts altered political landscape in U.S. Islamic Jihad attempts to launch rocket from Tulkarm WSJ Editorial: The Palestinian Authority and Hamas strike a deal in Beijing WaPo’s David Ignatius: The UAE tries to pull off an ‘Abraham Redux’ in Gaza James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies' Hanna Notte and Jim Lamson: The uncomfortable reality of Russia and Iran’s new defense relationship Kremlin pledges legal action over planned EU transfer to Ukraine of interest accrued on frozen assets Russian parliament passes measure broadening ‘undesirable’ organization criteria An unbending leader’s crackdown rains carnage on Bangladesh Hungary to block EU funds for member states until Ukraine allows Lukoil transit Poland leverages China’s rail link in Europe to rein in Belarus WSJ’s Walter Russell Mead: Tensions between Bibi Netanyahu and Kamala Harris Al Qaeda affiliate claims responsibility for northern Togo attack, SITE Intelligence Group saysIn The News
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday drops one of the world’s most polarizing politicians into the middle of an unprecedented U.S. political shake-up, a risky combination as he tries to win support from both parties for his country and its war. – Wall Street Journal
The Israeli military’s declaration that it had found remnants of poliovirus in sewage in the Gaza Strip was a reminder that nine months of war have unleashed threats beyond bombs and bullets. – Wall Street Journal
Elon Musk said his Starlink satellite internet service is now operating in a hospital in Gaza, following months of negotiations over humanitarian exceptions to an internet blackout Israel imposed across the war-battered territory. – Washington Post
Former president Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, marking the first meeting between the two men since Trump left the White House more than three years ago. – Washington Post
Seven Palestinians, including two militant commanders and a woman, were killed on Tuesday during Israeli raids targeting gunmen in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli officials said. – Reuters
More than 60 governments and other parties will be allowed to file arguments to the International Criminal Court as judges consider whether to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders on both sides of the Gaza war, court documents show. – Reuters
Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Beirut and other areas of Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese security sources and media reported, rattling nerves as the conflict between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel grinds on at the border. – Reuters
Energean will invest about $1.2 billion to develop the Katlan project off Israel, the company said on Tuesday as it announced its final investment decision, with gas output expected to commence in the first half of 2027. – Reuters
Domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enable evacuees to return home has raised the prospect of an all-out conflict, which could devastate both countries. Hezbollah, which like Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the US, has accumulated a vast arsenal of rockets since the two sides last fought a war in 2006. – Bloomberg
The International Olympic Committee was Tuesday weighing a Palestinian call for Israeli athletes to be barred from the Games over the war in Gaza, three days before the Opening Ceremony in Paris. – Agence France-Presse
The families of the Americans held hostage by Hamas in Gaza have urged lawmakers to push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal that would return their loved ones. – Washington Examiner
It’s Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first full day in Washington this week, and his arrival has been mostly met with eye rolls and shoulder shrugs on Capitol Hill. – Politico
The National Food Security Council and the Hostage Health Network issued a statement on Tuesday, expressing severe concerns over the nutritional and health conditions of the 120 hostages held in Gaza for more than 290 days. – Ynet
Two Defense Ministry employees were lightly injured on Tuesday in suspected bomb blast while on patrol near the West Bank border fence in the Gilboa region. – Ynet
The meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump on Friday will be closed to the media, The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Tuesday night. – Jerusalem Post
Masked Israelis set fire to vehicles and threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and shops in Huwara on Tuesday, following reports that Palestinians had stoned Israeli vehicles in Yitzhar, KAN reported on Tuesday night. – Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian Authority’s budget deficit is projected to surge by 172% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to a statement from the cabinet on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
After long rejecting the idea in public, Cairo is privately moving toward allowing IDF troops to remain in a key border strip used by Hamas to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Gaza, a senior Israeli official and a second official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Tuesday. – Times of Israel
For the first time, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad attempted to launch rockets at Israel from Tulkarm and failed. – Arutz Sheva
Editorial: While liberals insist on a Palestinian state, they rarely ask what kind of state it would be. At present it would be a Hamas state, by force of the ballot or the bullet. Creating a jihadist-theocracy Iranian satellite state isn’t high on a list of vital U.S. priorities. – Wall Street Journal
David Ignatius writes: Though Netanyahu publicly rejected Gallant’s proposal, Dermer’s involvement suggests he might be ready to accept a rebranded version of it […]But the real requirement in Gaza — the sine qua non, literally, is a real and lasting end to the war. And the Abu Dhabi dialogue, encouraging as it is, hasn’t done anything yet to silence the guns. – Washington Post
Larry Garber writes: Yet under the anticipated quiet of a cease-fire — once another one is finally negotiated — President Biden should encourage Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the international community to incentivize a Gaza-centric effort that would take advantage of the formidable experience of Gaza’s civil society institutions and not be seen as operating under the thumb of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, or an international body. – Middle East Institute
Amy Mackinnon writes: That raises the possibility that, without some kind of detente agreed between the two groups, Hamas could continue to play spoiler in Gaza, should the PA return to govern the strip. “There’s no way for the PA to return to Gaza and be able to function without Hamas’s acquiescence at a minimum,” Elgindy said. “Even if they’re not in government, they have the ability to disrupt.” – Foreign Policy
Iran
France should not provide a “reception and protection” to Israel‘s athletes at the Paris Olympics, according to Iran‘s foreign ministry. – Washington Examiner
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has criticized the United States over its silence on a recent Israeli strike against a port in Yemen held by a powerful militia that earlier conducted a long-range strike on Tel Aviv in a letter shared with Newsweek. – Newsweek
Hanna Notte and Jim Lamson write: Lastly, Washington should engage Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and possibly China, to exert quiet pressure on Moscow to refrain from giving certain technologies to Iran. These countries retain leverage with Russia that they can use to press the Kremlin to tone down its assistance to Tehran: China because of its overall significant economic relations with Russia; the United Arab Emirates as a conduit for Russia’s roundabout trade; and Saudi Arabia as Russia’s partner in OPEC+. Both the Gulf Arab states and Beijing rely on Middle Eastern stability to pursue their own economic agendas, which should give them a further incentive to lean on Moscow. – War on the Rocks
Russia & Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff spoke by phone with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s national security adviser, Ukraine said on Tuesday, the first such call since she emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. – Reuters
For the mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, wartime crises like water and power outages and a crumbling local economy are short-term obstacles to a long-term plan. – Reuters
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed Washington’s unwavering support for Ukraine in a call with Ukraine’s defense minister, Rustem Umerov, the Pentagon said late on Tuesday – Reuters
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Tuesday called on Russia to free Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) who was jailed last week in what RFE/RL said was “a mockery of justice.” – Reuters
Russia has accused a dual Russian-German national and lawyer, German Moyzhes, of state treason, the TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing law enforcement agencies. – Reuters
The Kremlin on Tuesday called a European Union plan to use interest earned on frozen Russian assets to fund military aid to Ukraine “theft” and said it would take legal action against anyone involved in the decision. – Reuters
A Ukrainian drone attack damaged a ferry and killed one person in Port Kavkaz in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Tuesday on the Telegram messaging app. – Reuters
Nearly a third of Ukrainians would accept some territorial concessions to Russia for a quick end to the war, a more than three-fold increase over the past year, although most still oppose giving up any land, a poll showed on Tuesday. – Reuters
A Vietnamese missile frigate arrived in Russia’s port of Vladivostok on a “business call”, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the press service of Russia’s Pacific Fleet. – Reuters
Russia’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday approved legislation expanding the reach of a law on declaring foreign-funded organizations “undesirable,” a designation that blocks their work in the country. – Associated Press
One of Russia’s internet pioneers has been sentenced to two years in prison on charges of abuse of office that he has rejected, a verdict that is seen by some as politically driven. – Associated Press
From the moment U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the race for president and backed Kamala Harris as his replacement on Sunday, Russia’s propagandists have whipped up a cacophony of unbridled racism, sexism and conspiracies. – Politico
Hezbollah
Hezbollah launched multiple drones and rockets into northern Israel on Tuesday, triggering warning sirens in a large number of communities, some deeper into Israeli territory, following an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon that killed one of its operatives and injured another. – Ynet
BBC analysis has uncovered the extent of damage caused by nine months of fighting between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel. – BBC News
Peter Marko Tase writes: It is time for Israeli and American leaders alike to end their timid posture on this issue and work to root out the corruption of Hezbollah’s South American enablers.It is incumbent upon them to grasp the full extent of the threat that Hezbollah’s foothold in Paraguay poses to their countries’ national security interests. Until then, that foothold will remain strong – and Israeli civilians will be the ones to suffer the consequences. – Jerusalem Post
Middle East & North Africa
A newspaper report that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow next month is incorrect, a Turkish diplomatic source said. – Reuters
Egyptian authorities have extended the pretrial detention of at least 125 people and arrested two journalists shortly before holding a national dialogue on Tuesday to discuss pretrial detention policies, rights lawyers and groups say. – Reuters
Recent developments in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways suggest that the threat to international shipping from Yemen’s Houthis is growing, U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. – Reuters
Eleven prominent Algerian opposition figures wrote an open letter this week, denouncing “the authoritarian climate” surrounding the country’s upcoming presidential election and calling for a broad democratic transition. – Associated Press
India said the shipping industry needs to review the training being provided to armed guards because of an increased threat to commercial vessels from seaborne drones in the Red Sea. – Bloomberg
Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the US presidential election is giving foreign leaders a lot to think about. Among them — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who one expert said would likely be wary of his presumed successor Kamala Harris. – Business Insider
Rabbi Marc Schneier writes: The ultimate prize of this normalization is not only regional peace but also a transformative shift in Muslim-Jewish relations worldwide. Let us embrace this opportunity to pave the way for a future where Muslims and Jews can coexist harmoniously, drawing strength from their common values, shared humanity and shared aspirations for peace. – The Hill
Yörük Işık writes: Turkey is not lost, but it does need greater engagement from other North Atlantic Alliance members. If and when Washington finally internalizes and accepts that Moscow sees itself at war with the West, US policy toward Ukraine will have to shift from avoiding escalation with Russia to defeating it. The success of such a more assertive policy will require close cooperation with Ankara to secure the southeastern flank of NATO and the Black Sea, as Turkey has faithfully done for the last 72 years. – Middle East Institute
Korean Peninsula
North Korean balloons carrying trash have landed near South Korea’s presidential office, the Presidential Security Service said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Vladimirovich Ruzenkov arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday at the invitation of North Korea’s foreign ministry, North Korean state media KCNA said on Wednesday. – Reuters
North Korea’s state media rebuffed comments that former President Donald Trump made about good ties with leader Kim Jong Un, saying “we do not care” and warned its nuclear arsenal stands ready for any US leader. – Bloomberg
China
A dilapidated World War II-era vessel called the Sierra Madre, run aground on a tiny reef in the South China Sea, has emerged as a potential flash point that could trigger a regional war, with the Chinese coast guard repeatedly swarming and ramming Philippine vessels to stop them from resupplying the ship. – Washington Post
Sirens rang out, roads emptied and people were ordered to stay indoors in Taiwan’s capital Taipei on Tuesday during an annual air-raid exercise simulating a Chinese missile attack. – Reuters
Taiwanese fisherman Chen Zhi-rong says that for decades it was common to sail in waters that skirted the Chinese coastline. Since Beijing seized a boat and its crew for the first time in 17 years for violating a fishing ban — and continues to detain them — all that has changed. – Bloomberg
China has demanded that the United States make commitments on nuclear weapons by adopting a no-first-use policy and giving up its “nuclear umbrella” to allies in Europe and Asia after Beijing suspended arms control talks with Washington over Taiwan last week. – Newsweek
Leana Wen writes: If nothing else, China’s checkered history, suspicious circumstances and the high-stakes geopolitical consequences should have prompted WADA to follow its own rules and suspend the athletes in 2021, pending investigation, and publicly disclose the failed tests. It did not, and WADA’s president, Witold Banka, has doubled down: “If we had to do it over again now, we would do exactly the same thing,” he said in a recent news conference. – Washington Post
Tom Rogan writes: That’s why multilateral statements, such as the one at the recent NATO leaders summit that condemns Chinese aggression, are so important (and why China places such value on France and Hungary’s efforts to undermine these statements). And as Beijing frequently reminds us, Taiwan is the red line of all Chinese red lines. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that a Chinese preemptive strike is imminent or even likely in a condition of escalated tensions. Nevertheless, it bears U.S. awareness that China is clearly preparing for the ability to fight forward, early and aggressively. – Washington Examiner
Simon Weiss and Michael Beckley write: However, agreements with China built on détente have historically failed to achieve their goals. If recent history is any guide, the best way to avoid a further escalation of the conflict in the South China Sea is to make clear that Beijing cannot conquer the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone at anything like an acceptable cost. – War on the Rocks
South Asia
For those watching from outside, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh presents a compelling story. She is among the world’s longest-serving female heads of government, a secular Muslim in colorful saris who has fought Islamic militancy, lifted millions out of poverty and deftly kept both India and China at her side. – New York Times
India’s government assigned billions of dollars for job creation and regions run by key coalition partners in a budget aimed at cementing the coalition and winning back voters after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election setback. – Reuters
India’s Finance Minister has backed her economic adviser’s suggestion to allow more Chinese investment in the country, after flows were disrupted by New Delhi’s increasingly strained ties with Beijing since 2020. – Reuters
Bangladesh partially restored telecommunication services on Wednesday although internet connection was slow and social media remained suspended, days after deadly protests against reservations for government jobs killed almost 150 people. – Reuters
The Bangladesh government said on Tuesday it would heed a Supreme Court ruling that 93% of state jobs be open to competition, meeting a key demand of students after a week of some of the country’s deadliest protests in years. – Reuters
Giorgio Cafiero and Eldar Mamadov write: Throughout the foreseeable future, Tajikistan-Taliban relations will probably remain largely frosty. Pragmatic engagement on trade and the growing acceptance of the reality of IEA rule in Afghanistan by Tajikistan’s Central Asian neighbors, as well as important external partners, such as Russia, China, and Iran, may ease some friction. But the vexing questions about security, ideology, and nationalism will continue to bedevil the Tajikistan-Taliban relationship. – The National Interest
Salil Tripathi writes: The young people on the streets today were barely 5 years old when a leader other than Hasina was in power, and few Bangladeshis have memories of the 1971 liberation war; 80 percent of the country’s population is under the age of 50. Even if the Awami League loses power, Bangladesh’s future need not be the religious state that Hasina warns about. Ideally, it would become a nation closer to its founding ideals—of a Bangladeshi republic that is multireligious and multiethnic. That’s what the 1971 generation fought for. – Foreign Policy
Asia
Japan protested to Russia on Wednesday over curbs denying entry to 13 Japanese business executives, including the Toyota Motor chairman, as part of counter-sanctions measures. – Reuters
Japan will continue to work with the United States for peace on the Taiwan Strait regardless of who is in the White House after the November presidential election, Japan’s top government spokesperson told Reuters in an exclusive interview. – Reuters
The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN met in Laos on Wednesday as it seeks to advance a stalled bid to resolve a crisis in Myanmar and cool tensions in the South China Sea, days ahead of a gathering of top diplomats from the world’s biggest powers. – Reuters
The Philippines has ordered foreigners working in offshore gambling firms to leave the country in two months’ time, its immigration bureau said on Wednesday, following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to stamp out the operators. – Reuters
Australia Defence MInister Richard Marles said on Wednesday Canberra is confident a re-elected Donald Trump will back the AUKUS security alliance and associated nuclear submarine sales after talks with his camp – Reuters
Thailand’s Constitutional Court said on Wednesday it will hand down its verdict on Aug. 14 in a case that seeks the dismissal of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing to his cabinet a lawyer who served time in jail. – Reuters
Malaysia evacuated 123 of its citizens from Bangladesh on Tuesday in response to violent unrest that has killed dozens of people. – Associated Press
Europe
France is transforming its capital city into an open-air fortress, rolling out the largest peacetime security operation in the country’s history to protect athletes, residents and more than 10 million visitors during the Olympic Games. – Wall Street Journal
A coalition of France’s left-wing parties on Tuesday tapped a little-known civil servant to be prime minister, unexpectedly ending weeks of bickering after snap parliamentary elections plunged the country into political gridlock. – New York Times
Hungary will block European Union refunds for member states that gave munitions to Ukraine until Kyiv allows the transit of oil from Russia’s Lukoil through a pipeline over its territory, the Hungarian foreign minister said on Tuesday. – Reuters
French police have arrested a man in Bordeaux, southwest France, area who planned an attack during the Olympics, a security source told Reuters on Tuesday, confirming a report in Le Parisien newspaper. – Reuters
Germany’s governing coalition and the conservative opposition on Tuesday presented a plan to protect the country’s highest court against possible future manipulation or obstruction by extremist or authoritarian politicians. – Associated Press
A consortium of international human rights organizations is calling for Belarus not to execute a German citizen recently condemned to death after being convicted of terrorism, extremism and mercenary activities. – Associated Press
A German court has ruled that there is no longer a general danger to all civilians from the long-running conflict in Syria, rejecting a claim to protected status by a Syrian man who had been convicted in Austria for involvement in smuggling people into Europe. – Associated Press
A Spanish court handed an 18-year prison sentence Tuesday to a man found guilty of sending six parcels containing explosives to Spain’s prime minister and other government, military and diplomatic targets, including the U.S. and Ukrainian embassies. – Associated Press
Britain’s defeated Conservatives will spend more than three months picking a new leader to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the party has announced. Sunak will remain acting leader until his successor is announced on Nov. 2. – Associated Press
Poland has threatened to choke off a key Chinese rail export route to the European Union in a diplomatic gambit to slow escalating the migration crisis on its eastern border. – Bloomberg
The European Union must remain committed to its policy that any talks about ending the war in Ukraine should be led by the government in Kyiv, Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said. – Bloomberg
Africa
Ugandan security forces detained dozens of young people on Tuesday, a rights group said, as they took part in a banned protest rally in downtown Kampala against official corruption and alleged human rights abuses by the country’s rulers. – Reuters
A high court in Sierra Leone has sentenced 11 people including soldiers and police officers to long prison terms for their alleged roles in a failed military coup last year. – Reuters
Kenya’s police fired tear gas to prevent scuffles between groups of protesters and government supporters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday, as youth-led demonstrations against alleged corruption and misgovernance dragged into their sixth week. – Reuters
Nigeria’s police chief warned against Kenyan-style protests on Tuesday after frustrated citizens used online platforms to call for demonstrations against poor governance and a cost of living crisis. – Reuters
Chad repatriated 157 of its citizens who had been detained in neighbouring Libya on Tuesday, working in partnership with the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Libyan state, its foreign ministry said in a statement. – Reuters
Fifteen Nigerien soldiers have been killed and another 16 injured while battling armed militants, Niger’s defence ministry said in a statement read out on state television on Tuesday. – Reuters
The United States has invited the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for U.S.-mediated ceasefire talks starting on Aug. 14 in Switzerland, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. – Reuters
The family of a Portuguese-Belgian aid worker detained in the Central African Republic for allegedly being in touch with armed groups to plot a coup maintained his innocence and called for his release Tuesday, even as the African government said it had evidence to support its accusations. – Associated Press
The Americas
Eager to jump-start the oil industry, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro toured a crude- pumping facility on a recent day when he turned to a state television camera to make a candid sales pitch to American investors. – Wall Street Journal
North American cannabis firms, facing prohibitive laws, an overcrowded market and a deeply entrenched illicit sector at home are ramping up investments in Germany after the country partly legalized marijuana use. – Reuters
Ecuador’s navy is ready to protect the seas around the Galapagos Islands from illegal fishing by foreign ships whose annual visits threaten marine wildlife in the archipelago’s waters, following training exercises with neighboring allies. – Reuters
Kristina Foltz writes: Instead of lifting sanctions, Washington should prepare coordinated new sanctions against Maduro as he tries to steal the election. Venezuelans have proved they are ready for the messy change that comes with a democratic transition. Again and again, polls show an overwhelming support for the democratic opposition. The U.S. and other Western democracies should do everything possible to promote a peaceful transition of power that honors the will of the Venezuelan people. – Newsweek
United States
As the administration’s most ardent senior-level advocate of securing a cease-fire in Gaza, Vice President Kamala Harris’s elevation to the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer now puts her in a stronger position to advocate for a shift in U.S. policy toward Israel and to carry out those changes should she win in November. – Wall Street Journal
Secret Service officials encouraged Donald Trump’s campaign to stop scheduling large outdoor rallies and other outdoor events with big crowds after the assassination attempt on the former president in Butler, Pa., according to people familiar with the matter. – Washington Post
Delegates to the Democratic National Convention support the party moving forward swiftly to nominate Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate, rather than going through a prolonged and potentially divisive debate, according to interviews conducted by The New York Times. – New York Times
Protesters against the Gaza war staged a sit-in at a congressional office building Tuesday ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, with Capitol Police making multiple arrests. – Associated Press
Hundreds of police officers from New York City and other jurisdictions will help guard the US Capitol as large protests are expected when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday. – Bloomberg
A group of major labor unions pushed President Biden in a letter Tuesday to stop military aid to Israel as it continues to wage its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. – The Hill
Former President Trump’s campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday, accusing President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of violating campaign finance laws by transferring his $91 million in fundraising cash to her new campaign. – Fox News
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton buttressed her previous endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, describing the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee as “a fresh start for American politics.” – Newsweek
Walter Russell Mead writes: It may also encourage the Iranians, sensing weakness and division within the administration, to turn up the heat on Mr. Biden, increasing the chance of a shooting war in the Gulf. What vice presidents do doesn’t normally matter much, but Kamala Harris is playing in the big leagues now. The whole world is watching, and she needs to get it right. – Wall Street Journal
Gerald Posner and Mark S. Zaid write: We think a better approach would be a Sept. 11-style commission, with broad subpoena power, free of far-right and far-left political appointees. Will its eventual report extinguish conspiracy speculation about what happened in the Trump shooting? Probably not. President Kennedy’s assassination is still a hotly contested topic more than six decades later. – New York Times
Nadia Schadlow writes: Of course, stories about U.S. allies expressing anxiety about Trump’s return and discussing ways to “Trump-proof” NATO will be prevalent in the months ahead. But the fact is, no matter who wins the U.S. presidency, Trump represents about half of the American electorate. A little more reflection and a little less contempt might go a long way toward creating the kind of enduring transatlantic consensus that’s required if democracies like ours are to prevail in the geopolitical competition we face. – Politico
Cybersecurity
Five days after a faulty update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon security software hobbled millions of Windows computers around the world, cybercriminals and hacktivist personas are taking advantage of the situation with newly registered domains, malware attached to files with CrowdStrike-themed names and at least one apparent instance of a data wiper. – Cyberscoop
An alleged Chinese government-backed hacking group has made a major update to its toolset and introduced several new versions of its malware, most likely to avoid detection after its older variants were uncovered, according to recent research. – The Record
A new cyber-espionage campaign against Ukraine’s scientific and research institutions appears to have links to the Kremlin-backed group tracked as APT28, researchers say. – The Record
Christopher Cytera and Sara Oversteyns write: As AI drives demand for more and bigger data centers, imec develops more power-efficient technology, which will transform imec’s biotech focus. Van den hove describes a looming “explosion of bio-convergence” generating enormous amounts of data that only AI can analyze. Today, only semiconductor buffs may be aware of imec. Tomorrow, pharmaceutical companies and doctors may consider it just as crucial to pushing the frontiers of knowledge – and a key player keeping the West ahead of China in the global tech race. – Center for European Policy Analysis
Defense
NATO has been closely watching how the Russian military performs in Ukraine and gathering valuable intelligence on a range of things, from Moscow’s battlefield tactics and procedures to some of its more advanced weapons systems. – Business Insider
Seeking to move away from its reliance on hauling equipment back stateside for repairs, the Pentagon is working with allies and partners to better sustain capability forward in operational theaters, beginning with the Indo-Pacific region. – Defense News
The U.S. Army hopes AI can shorten its hunt for new materials: alloys that make tanks lighter, chemicals that make batteries last longer, even 3D-printers that replace long supply lines with a forward-deployed workbench. It will explore the idea through two new contracts with SandboxAQ, an Alphabet spinoff. – Defense One
The U.S. military is experimenting with potential future weapon systems at the ongoing Rim of the Pacific 2024 exercise in Hawaii, using a weapon known as QUICKSINK during the biennial drill’s sinking exercise. – USNI News
Janusz Bugajski writes: The development and deployment of NGAD is a critical step for the U.S. and its allies to establish technological superiority over aggressive adversaries. By simply attempting to upgrade and adapt older systems such as the F-35, America puts itself and its overseas partners at risk of being overwhelmed by military powers better suited for a new age of combat. – The Hill
Long War
Germany’s interior ministry said on Wednesday it has banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH) association and its subsidiary organisations, saying it pursues radical Islamist goals. – Reuters
British radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, whose followers have been linked to numerous plots around the world, has been convicted of terrorism offences after a trial in London, the capital’s Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday. – Reuters
An al Qaeda affiliate has claimed responsibility for what it said was an attack in northern Togo that left at least six people dead on Saturday, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. – Reuters