Fdd's overnight brief

Iran

Member states from the United Nations atomic agency board voted Friday to condemn Iran for failing to cooperate with its probe of Tehran’s nuclear activities, a move that gives Washington fresh ammunition in its push to kill the Iranian nuclear deal. – Wall Street Journal

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Thursday that “an agreeable solution is possible” for the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s request for access to two nuclear sites in the country. – Reuters  

Britain, France and Germany will on Friday define their Iran strategy for the coming months amid talks at the United Nations and violations by Tehran of a 2015 nuclear deal, France’s foreign ministry said. – Reuters

Diplomacy over Iran’s atomic program erupted into a new level of rancor, with China warning that even a toned-down rebuke of Tehran over its alleged lack of cooperation with inspectors could unravel global efforts to contain the spread of nuclear weapons. – Bloomberg 

Todd South writes: A recent, steady flow of rocket attacks in the past week on facilities housing U.S. troops in Iraq, including Camp Taji and Baghdad, may be attempts of Iranian-backed groups to pressure an American exit. But the region’s top military commander sees little effect. […]McKenzie recounted tit-for-tat attacks and provocations by Iran and the U.S. military and coalition responses, asserting that those responses were actually de-escalations of Iranian probing. – Military Times 

Daniel Schwammenthal writes: Paradoxically, closing ranks with the U.S. and promising decisive measures against any nation supplying Iran with weapons is actually Europe’s best chance to save the remains of the nuclear deal. A united transatlantic front would give Russia and China pause for thought, pushing them perhaps to accept a new arms embargo. –  Newsweek  

Mariam Memarsadeghi writes: With such help, the Iranian people can be a most natural and loyal friend to all free nations. What’s more, their new Iran will mean all peoples of the region will not only have the chief enemy to their peace and freedom removed, but will gain a true ally to build up their countries, too, in one shared, humanist vision. – Newsweek

Farzin Nadimi writes: Iran still lacks an authentic blue-water navy, and IRIN has a long way to go in replacing its fleet with modern ships. Iranian naval vessels are also hard pressed to find ports that will accept them. Therefore, an IRIN or IRGC “stunt” mission to the Mediterranean or Caribbean Sea would not necessarily give them any sort of effective maritime global reach. Yet Tehran has never relaxed its policy of arming and empowering the IRGCN in the Persian Gulf, both to assert hegemony in the region and to challenge the Western naval presence there. – Washington Institute 

Omer Carmi writes: Iran’s recent messaging suggests that it will opt for limited retaliation against the IAEA, following in the footsteps of its 2005-2006 brinkmanship strategy. […] Changing or hindering any of its commitments to the IAEA—even if perceived by the regime as a “proportionate response”—would likely create more damage than value for Iran, pushing it closer to a noncompliance resolution or UNSC referral. The question is whether less pragmatic decisionmakers in Iran’s conservative camp and the IRGC understand this as well, and who will win this internal debate. – Washington Institute 

Yonah Jeremy Bob writes: In contrast, the Islamic Republic has a wide range of effective alliances with world powers and with militia proxies, and much of the world takes its diplomatic moves seriously. It knows how to leverage even the possibility of nuclear weapons for far more than North Korea’s already existing nuclear bombs and potential arsenal. This makes it far more deadly not only to Israel, but also to the US and the rest of the West. – Jerusalem Post

Israel

Religious Jewish settlers like Deutsch are mounting unexpected, vocal opposition as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to execute one of the provisions of President Trump’s plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. – NPR

Palestinian mothers reportedly encouraged their daughters to be terrorists, via song, on a Palestinian TV channel, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) wrote in a press release on Thursday.  – Jerusalem Post

In his new book, former US national security adviser John Bolton said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed doubts to him about the assignment of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as chief architect of the administration’s Middle East peace plan. – Times of Israel

Defense Minister Benny Gantz reportedly said in a Thursday meeting that he will not support applying sovereignty to West Bank areas with “many Palestinian residents.” – Times of Israel

Palestinians fear communities across the Jordan Valley will meet a similar fate if Israel proceeds with its plans to annex the territory, which accounts for around a quarter of the occupied West Bank and was once seen as the breadbasket of a future Palestinian state. – Associated Press

Editorial: Israeli leaders always knew how to keep Israel above political conflict in the US. These days, US politics is polarizing and it is hard to juggle between both parties. However, our prime minister, despite his friendship and interest to support the current president, should find a way to make it happen. When we hear such strong opposition from the international community – from Europe and the Arab world – we need to make sure annexation is being done right. – Jerusalem Post

Yitz Tendler writes: Opponents of sovereignty warn that its application by Israel would erode US Jewish support for Israel. The truth, in fact, is the exact opposite. Not seizing the opportunity to apply sovereignty would have the effect of alienating higher numbers of America’s most committed Zionists than allowing this unique moment in Jewish history to slip through our fingers. – Jerusalem Post

David M. Weinberg writes: And thus, Israel will not freeze development of its strategic and historic heartland while waiting endlessly for a peaceful and democratic Palestinian political culture to miraculously emerge; while waiting for a compromise deal that the Palestinian leadership doesn’t want and repeatedly rejects. Israel cannot be held hostage to never-ending Palestinian vetoes. – Jerusalem Post

Radu Golban writes: The reputation of a nation which, to avoid paying reparations, still obstinately refuses to sign a post-World War II peace treaty, is not the best. Maybe sharing the German experience with Israel’s neighbors would be a better contribution to sustainable peace instead of arrogantly pointing a moral finger at Israel. Speaking humbly of the Holocaust but criticizing a constructive peace process raises questions about the integrity of a self-declared friend. – Jerusalem Post

Seth J. Frantzman writes: This is a fact of the current century, and as China and India expand, they will both play a growing role in the Middle East, without the burdens of the past that have shaped the current prejudices that underpin conflicts in this region. Israel must and will take account of these new winds of change. – Jerusalem Post

Yonah Jeremy Bob writes: While reportedly Bolton left the Trump administration partially over the possibility that the US president might reduce Iran sanctions – something which never happened – none of the leaks to date suggest that Trump warmed up to any Iranian leaders behind the scenes. This is a win for Israel. – Jerusalem Post

Amos Harel and Amir Tibon write: Huge uncertainty is hovering over everything. If there is one thing that the intelligence personnel have learned from the events of the past few decades – the two intifadas and then the Arab Spring – it’s the hopelessness of trying to guess the public’s behavior. The same cautionary note applies in the annexation case, too. – Haaretz

Avi Issacharoff writes: While seemingly a bureaucratic detail, the change has dramatic and symbolic implications: Palestinian residents of the West Bank are now going back to conducting some aspects of their lives in direct contact with Israel’s military authorities, rather than the PA. […]Such moves may end up exacerbating the plight of PA President Mahmoud Abbas who, while championing an aggressive anti-annexation policy, has so far been largely met with indifference by the Palestinian public. – Times of Israel

Gilead Sher and Tami Yakira write: Palestinians and Israelis have each accumulated a long list of violations and infringements of signed agreements. If annexation leads to a single state, this would be lethal to Zionism and would likewise detrimentally affect the Palestinian aspiration for a peacefully negotiated statehood. Such a scenario would result in perpetual conflict and likely deteriorate into a civil war. Only a political agreement will promote Israel’s national security and inner strength and maintain its nature in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, while bringing about, gradually, a safer future. – War on the Rocks 

Michael Rubin writes: In effect, Amnesty International is defending actions by Oldon, which are little different than those of Khoudary. While Somaliland’s leadership subsequently granted Oldon a pardon, blind acceptance of Amnesty pronouncements in effect granted an engine of hatred who targeted children the mantle of “human rights defender.” Amnesty’s leadership should be ashamed, but, as with the case of Khoudary, they appear more concerned with circling the wagons than with rooting out the rot that makes such pronouncements possible. Such knee-jerk reactions erode Amnesty International’s moral legitimacy and put innocent people in jeopardy. – Washington Examiner

Arabian Peninsula

Yemen’s Houthis have said they won’t be responsible if an aging oil vessel anchored near the war-torn country’s coast starts leaking crude into the Red Sea. – Bloomberg

David Ignatius writes: MBS has defended his pressure on these prominent families as part of an attempt to stop corruption, which for many decades had been an unfortunate fact of life in the kingdom. […]Holding innocent family members hostage to extort cooperation is a practice characteristic of the most brutal regimes throughout history. Yet as the Saudi machine of repression accelerates, it has sadly become a standard part of MBS’s governance. – Washington Post 

Nawaf Obaid writes: If the West Bank annexation bill is pushed through the Knesset, all these opportunities will be reduced to a footnote of history. A unilateral annexation will send the region one clear message: Israel has decided to slam the door shut on a negotiated two-state solution, and with it on all hope of normalizing relations with the Arab and wider Muslim worlds. – Haaretz

Middle East & North Africa

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the lengthy jailing of a former head of Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party violated his rights, a decision published on Friday showed, but he was not expected to be released due to a separate investigation. – Reuters 

A financial adviser working with Lebanon’s government in talks with the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that he had resigned, citing “no genuine will” to reform and attempts to dismiss the size of losses in the financial system. – Reuters 

Jordan’s foreign minister made an unannounced visit to the West Bank on Thursday during which he warned against any Israeli annexation of occupied territory, saying it would “kill” hopes for a two-state solution with the Palestinians. – Associated Press 

Jordan’s king held a series of meetings with leading members of the US Congress on Wednesday, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, during which he expressed intense opposition to Israeli annexation of any part of the West Bank. – Algemeiner

The head of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, Sami Gemayel, spoke out against the Hezbollah terrorist movement after the movement’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah gave an address on Tuesday concerning the country’s financial and political crisis. – Jerusalem Post

NATO will investigate French accusations that Turkey’s navy failed to respond to an allied call to inspect a vessel this month in the Mediterranean, the alliance chief said on Thursday, an incident Paris suspects involved Turkish arms smuggling to Libya. – Reuters

China

Chinese prosecutors have formally indicted two Canadian citizens on espionage charges, more than 18 months after the men were first detained, advancing a pair of cases widely seen as retribution for Canada’s arrest of a well-connected Chinese Huawei executive. – Wall Street Journal 

Chinese lawmakers have been meeting behind closed doors in Beijing this week to push forward a proposed national security law that could drastically curtail free political expression in Hong Kong and add to China’s tensions with the West. – New York Times

China lashed out at the United States on Thursday after President Trump signed into law a bill that would allow him to impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the mass incarceration of more than one million Uighurs and members of other largely Muslim minorities in the western region of Xinjiang. – New York Times

As national security officials and some trade advisers in the Trump administration tried crafting get-tough-on-China policies to address what they viewed as America’s greatest foreign policy challenge, they ran into opposition from an unexpected quarter. President Trump himself was undermining their work. – New York Times

Donald Trump has renewed his threat to cut ties with China, a day after his diplomats held high-level talks with Beijing and his top US trade negotiator said severing the trade relationship was not a viable option. – The Guardian  

A senior State Department official said Thursday that the United States was disappointed by China’s attitude at a meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a top Chinese diplomat in Hawaii this week. – Associated Press 

China’s top legislative body has taken up a draft national security law for Hong Kong that has been strongly criticized as undermining the semi-autonomous territory’s legal and political institutions. – Associated Press 

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said China’s top foreign policy official committed in a meeting this week to honor all of his nation’s commitments under its first-phase trade deal with President Donald Trump. – Bloomberg 

China plans to accelerate purchases of American farm goods to comply with the phase one trade deal with the U.S. following talks in Hawaii this week. – Bloomberg 

About 20% of projects under China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to link Asia, Europe and beyond have been “seriously affected” by the coronavirus pandemic, an official from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. – Reuters 

In an interview published Thursday, US President Donald Trump repeated his suggestion that China may have deliberately started the coronavirus pandemic, while acknowledging he had no evidence to say so. – Times of Israel

Josh Rogin writes: Yang came to Hawaii because he knows China has a huge international image problem. But the days of Beijing convincing the world that avoiding tensions with China requires acquiescing to its demands are over. The Chinese government must realize it needs to act differently to achieve the international standing and respect it demands — or become a global pariah. Truly helping the world fight the pandemic would be a good start. – Washington Post

John Pomfret writes: How will these firms react when Chinese authorities approach them to take a stand on Hong Kong, Taiwan or any other sensitive topic? Beijing no longer views these businesses as simply banks or video-chat companies. Instead, it sees them as vectors of influence. They are either friends or enemies. What will Apple do, for example, when it ultimately is forced to choose between the huge market of China and its home country, the United States? – Washington Post

Robert Hormats writes: More broadly, preventing and controlling a future pandemic, developing the drugs and vaccines to control and eliminate this one, and dealing with the highly disruptive financial aftermath that will hang over the world for many years will require a substantial measure of Sino-American collaboration. – The Hill 

Yun Sun writes: Despite what the outsiders might see as China’s mistake, China is unlikely to change its current strategic assessment. China and India will eventually find a face-saving mutual compromise to end the Ladakh standoff, as neither wants a war. However, the unsettled border will continue to destabilize, fester, and brew more clashes down the road. – War on the Rocks 

Dr. Satoru Nagao writes: China’s lack of respect for international law, expansion of territorial claims where there are power vacuums, and efforts to exclude outside actors from the regional intervention are all common themes of China’s exploits in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and now the India-China border. Thus, the question remains—how do countries affected by China’s ambitions, like India, Vietnam, and Japan, respond? Knowing the pattern of China’s behaviour points toward the answer: they should do the opposite of what China wants. – Wion News

South Asia

A wave of anti-Chinese anger is cresting across India as the nation struggles to absorb the loss of 20 Indian soldiers beaten to death this week by Chinese troops in a high-altitude brawl along India’s disputed border with China. – New York Times

Weekslong tensions between China and India turned deadly this week. Here is what we know about the clashes in a remote Himalayan area that could significantly worsen relations between the neighbors. – Wall Street Journal 

India is under a lot of pressure to respond to China after a border clash high in the Himalayas left 20 Indian soldiers dead, an expert on Chinese defence and foreign policy told CNBC. – CNBC

 The United States offered condolences to India on Friday over the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers killed in vicious hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops during a clash on the two Asian giants disputed mountainous border earlier this week. – Reuters  

A Pakistani court sentenced three men to life in prison on Thursday for their part in the assassination of a Pakistani political leader who was stabbed to death in London in 2010, a government prosecutor said. – Reuters

In the days leading up to the most violent border clash between India and China in decades, China brought in pieces of machinery, cut a trail into a Himalayan mountainside and may have even dammed a river, satellite pictures suggest. – Reuters  

China’s military has released 10 Indian soldiers captured on Monday during deadly clashes between troops from the two nations along their contested Himalayan border, senior Indian officials with knowledge of the matter said. – Bloomberg 

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi thought he could count on the public support of neighbors as he faced his most significant foreign policy challenge as India’s leader, he was mistaken. – Bloomberg 

U.S. Air Force Bomber Task Forces are sustaining patrols and combat readiness in numerous areas throughout the Indo-Pacific theater to maintain war-readiness and pursue deterrence missions amid heightened tensions with China and America and growing India-China tensions. – The National Interest 

Maria Abi-Habib writes: Despite warm meetings between Mr. Modi and President Trump, their countries’ relationship has at times been rocky. But given China’s increasingly hard line in territorial disputes, some Indian officials fear there may be little choice but to look West. – New York Times

Michael Rowand writes: In 1967, India was a member of the nonaligned movement. In recent years, it has deftly maintained cordial relations with both the United States and China during their growing rivalry. Whether it will maintain such a position indefinitely after its soldiers’ blood has been spilled is less certain. – Foreign Policy 

Ramesh Ponnuru and Michael R. Strain write: Even if it were desirable to impoverish China, we do not have the power to do it at an acceptable cost to ourselves. We can and should act in concert with other nations to limit the damage that the Chinese regime can do and to encourage better behavior from it across a range of concerns. […]Trade restrictions should continue to be far down our list of preferred options to achieve these ends — and even farther down our list of methods for strengthening the U.S. economy. – National Review 

Russia

Russia scrambled fighter jets to intercept two U.S. B-52 bombers flying over the Sea of Okhotsk, off Russia’s far eastern coast, the Interfax news agency cited the Defence Ministry in Moscow as saying on Friday. – Reuters

Moscow will react if Berlin takes new actions against Russia over the killing of a Georgian national in the German capital last year, Russia’s ambassador to Germany said on Thursday, Interfax news agency reported. – Reuters  

Russia on Thursday lifted a ban on the Telegram messaging app that had failed to stop the widely-used programme operating despite being in force for more than two years. – Reuters  

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia’s approval would be required for any solution reached in peace talks between Kosovo and Serbia, whose leaders are scheduled to meet in the White House next week. – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 

Russia did not support a UN Security Council Resolution that the Obama administration considered pushing in order to force parameters for a peace agreement on Israel and the Palestinians, as indicated by recently declassified phone conversations between US President Donald Trump’s former adviser Michael Flynn and Russia’s ambassador to the US at the time Sergey Kislyak. – Jerusalem Post

The Russian Orlan-10 medium-range, multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), has been in service for a decade and it has been used in a variety of rugged terrains. This week it was further tested in the Kemerovo Region of southwestern Siberia. Teams from the motor rifle large unit of the Central Military District’s 41st all-arms army used the UAVs to deliver precision artillery strikes during a live fire exercise. – The National Interest 

Tom Rogan writes: Regardless, this is a very sorry state of affairs. Kowtowing to a killer, Georgia is only encouraging further aggression from said killer and Putin. Considering Russia already occupies significant areas of Georgian territory, this appeasement strategy is not a very clever one, to say the least. The only language Kadyrov understands is resolve. – Washington Examiner 

Cynthia Roberts writes: Debate over Russian nuclear intentions will not end with the publication of Russia’s new statement about its deterrence policy — nor should it since both the United States and Russia consider the nuclear deterrence mission as the bedrock of their national security. Nevertheless, U.S. policymakers and analysts should read Russian statements and publications more carefully to avoid succumbing to confirmation bias. A better understanding of Russian intentions and perspectives would help advance critical analyses of the nuclear policy challenges facing the United States and its allies. – War on the Rocks 

President Vladimir Putin writes: Seventy-five years have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War. Several generations have grown up over the years. The political map of the planet has changed. The Soviet Union that claimed an epic, crushing victory over Nazism and saved the entire world is gone. Besides, the events of that war have long become a distant memory, even for its participants. So why does Russia celebrate the ninth of May as the biggest holiday? Why does life almost come to a halt on June 22? And why does one feel a lump rise in their throat? – The National Interest

Peter Suciu writes: The U.S. and its NATO allies have paid similar visits to Russian waters. Last week the movements of the French guided-missile frigate Aquitaine in the Barents Sea were closely tracked by the Russian Northern Fleet, while last month four U.S. Navy warships from the U.S. 6th Fleet (C6F), along with one Royal Navy vessel, entered the Barents Sea to conduct maritime security operations, assert freedom of navigation and to demonstrate seamless integration among allies. It was the first time U.S. and British warships had operated in the Barents Sea since the Cold War. – The National Interest 

Peter Suciu writes: The Russian Aerospace Force (Air Force) will soon receive deliveries of an advanced but more importantly domestically-produced helmet-mounted target acquisition and display system for its MiG aircraft beginning next year. This is a major step as the previous versions of the helmets were produced in neighboring Ukraine, a situation that almost seems ironic given the recent history between the two nations. – The National Interest 

Peter Suciu writes: The Baltic Sea has been quite crowded with military warships and aircraft this month, and to the observing eye, it could appear that a major war is being fought in the remote corner of Europe as NATO and Russia each conducted a series of drills and exercises. – The National Interest 

Nathan Hodge writes: But Putin’s essay elevates the Soviet war in Europe to something higher: A crusade to save the world. And in doing so, he suggests that the darker wartime chapters are above criticism — and by extension, so is Putin’s Russia today. – CNN

Emil Avdaliani writes: All this is bad news for Vladimir Putin. The EEU was part of his attempt to portray Russia as a reborn great power, a Eurasian center of gravity to match Europe and China despite the dismal record of defeat and loss of influence in Ukraine, Georgia and other countries. The perception of foreign policy achievement fuels his domestic political machine, which is now attempting to persuade Russians that the country needs another decade of his rule. – Center for European Policy Analysis

Africa

African countries on Thursday backed off their call for the U.N.’s top human rights body to launch its most intense scrutiny on the hot-button issue of police brutality and systemic racism in the United States, after American officials led back-channel talks to air opposition to the idea, diplomats said. – Associated Press  

The latest round of talks between three key Nile basin countries have failed to resolve a contentious dispute over construction of a giant $4.6 billion hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia, Sudan’s irrigation minister said. – Associated Press 

Kenya was elected to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, defeating Djibouti in a second-round of voting by the 193-member General Assembly after an initial ballot failed to produce a clear winner. – Reuters  

Exiled former Ivory Coast cabinet minister Charles Ble Goude appealed to the government to let him come home, as the International Criminal Court prepares to hear an appeal against his acquittal on war crimes charges. – Bloomberg 

Kenya and other countries in Africa are in danger of being caught in the crossfire of US-China rivalry, Uhuru Kenyatta, the president, warned as he appealed for international co-operation in the face of the coronavirus crisis. – Financial Times 

Latin America

The Trump administration on Thursday blacklisted more than a dozen individuals, their businesses and tankers alleged to have been involved in as much as 40% of Venezuela’s crude-oil exports in recent weeks. – Wall Street Journal 

Secret detentions, known under international law as “forced disappearances,” are playing a critical role in the Venezuelan government’s increasingly authoritarian efforts to control its population, discourage dissent and punish opponents, according to a new report by two human rights groups, provided exclusively to The New York Times. – New York Times

Venezuela has released a video showing six American oil executives jailed in Caracas as relatives appealed for international help in securing their release over fears about the men’s health amid the coronavirus pandemic. – Associated Press  

Two travelers from Switzerland and Brazil who were kidnapped along with their pet dogs by dissident rebels in Colombia at the start of the coronavirus pandemic were rescued Thursday by the military, ending a three-month ordeal. – Associated Press

The United States is offering rewards of up to $10 million each for the arrests of two prominent Colombian rebels who were key figures in the nation’s historic peace process but have since returned to arms. – Associated Press

The Trump administration increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Thursday, targeting a lifeline he’s used for selling crude oil run by a close associate of the socialist leader who was recently jailed in Cape Verde. – Associated Press

Roger F. Noriega writes: Trump was never sold on Guaido and considered Maduro a “tough” customer. His instincts were right. He sought military options to confront the regime in Venezuela. He was right to demand options. On these extraordinarily important questions, Trump was right, and Bolton was wrong. As it happens, Bolton makes a strong case backing up Trump’s frequent complaint that the Obama administration left him many messes to clean up. – Washington Examiner

Cybersecurity

Facebook Inc. said it took down posts and ads for President Trump’s reelection campaign because they violated the social-media giant’s policy against “organized hate,” marking the latest confrontation in an escalating battle over how tech companies handle controversial political content. – Wall Street Journal 

Small and midsize companies are fighting a rising tide of cyberattacks largely out of public view, posing an underappreciated risk for the bigger companies and institutions that use their services. – Wall Street Journal 

A top French court on Thursday struck down critical provisions of a law passed by France’s parliament last month to combat online hate speech, dealing a severe blow to the government’s effort to police internet content. The court’s ruling comes as authorities around the world try to regulate what can be shared on vast internet platforms like Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, all American companies with attitudes toward free speech and government oversight that often differ from Europe’s. – New York Times

On Thursday, officials abruptly reversed course, saying Britain will join other countries and design a new contact-tracing app based on software provided by Apple and Google. – New York Times 

Twitter Inc added a ‘manipulated media’ label on a video posted on U.S. President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed on Thursday that showed a doctored news clip with a mis-spelled banner flashing “Terrified todler runs from racist baby.” – Reuters  

Officials from Twitter and Facebook said Thursday that while they have not seen any “coordinated” efforts by malicious foreign groups to spread disinformation around the 2020 elections, the groups’ tactics are changing and evolving. – The Hill  

Executives from Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Google told U.S. lawmakers they are combating disinformation on a range of subjects including the 2020 election and have taken down videos, posts and messages deemed false and a risk to health and safety. – Bloomberg 

Huawei poses challenges to national security and has engaged in unacceptable acts, Google’s former boss Eric Schmidt has told the BBC. – BBC

Kyle Sammin writes: Those tensions boiled over last month when Twitter took it upon itself to fact-check one of the president’s tweets, appending a link below his text that connected users who clicked on it with a page that said the opposite of what Trump had said. Trump reacted as expected, criticizing Twitter, on its own platform, and calling for the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That would cause more harm than good, but it does get at an important point: After 24 years, Section 230 is in need of an update. – Washington Examiner 

Lionel Laurent writes: After unity within the EU almost completely broke down early in the Covid-19 crisis, this kind of proposal helps answer a constant existential riddle: Just what is the bloc for? If the 750 billion-euro pandemic recovery plan shows the economic benefits of pooling resources, a creative push to punish trade distortions shows how it can protect its market abroad. If Vestager’s stance is anything to go by, Europe is serious about asserting itself on the world stage. – Bloomberg

Missile Defense

The Marine Corps is in talks with the Pentagon’s research and development community over how a land-based hypersonic weapon could be incorporated into the smallest service’s quick-maneuver concept. – USNI News 

The Hellfire missile was originally developed in the 1980s as an anti-tank missile, though its role has been expanded for a variety of missions thanks to the missile’s high precision. It is currently in service with a number of countries including the United States, and is most often used with the Predator or Reaper drones for operations in crowded urban environments. – The National Interest 

The U.S. Air Force is arming its cargo planes with bombs for attack missions in a clear move to expand the offensive warfare envelope for its fleet of tactical supply and transport aircraft, bringing a significant ability to drop weapons from austere, low-altitude, hard-to-reach areas. – The National Interest

Trump Administration

President Trump said that there was some systemic racism in the U.S. and that removing Confederate names from military bases would further divide the country, and took credit for popularizing Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery. – Wall Street Journal 

A top Senate Republican withdrew his objection to two Trump national security official nominees on Thursday after receiving more answers from the White House about President Trump’s reasons for removing two independent watchdogs this year. – Washington Examiner

The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to confirm a federal judge who is a protege of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to an influential appeals court in Washington. – Reuters