Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israel kills new Hamas military chief 11 days after strike on predecessor U.S. military conducts new strikes on Iran Iran wants billions in frozen funds back to make a deal with Trump Iran's IRGC say they targeted US airbase after strike near Bandar Abbas AEI’s Michael Rubin: Deal or no deal, expect Iranian assassinations FP writer Deng Yuwen: China needs North Korea on its side China's military says it drove away Dutch frigate in South China Sea Zelenskiy asks Trump for air defence as Russia escalates strike threats U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan risks a nuclear escalation, study finds Canada in talks to acquire Saab spy planes, PM Carney says Key Elements Group founder David Zaikin: The US and Israel need an Iron Dome for the information war US will need years to replenish stockpiles of advanced weapons used in Iran war, new analysis findsIn The News
Israel
Israel killed Hamas’s new military chief with a strike in Gaza less than two weeks after killing his predecessor, as it works to cripple the militant group as a military or governing force. – Wall Street Journal
Twenty-five U.S. senators and more than 90 representatives have urged President Trump to “take decisive action to fully dismantle UNRWA.” The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has supported Palestinian radicalism for many decades, in the process becoming Hamas’s front office. – Wall Street Journal
Dozens of Palestinians carried the body of Hamas’ armed wing chief through the streets of Gaza City in a funeral procession on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed him as it moves to eliminate the militant group’s top brass despite a ceasefire. – Reuters
Alleged Hamas financier Amin Abu Rashid was acquitted of providing funds to the Palestinian terrorist organization, according to a Wednesday ruling by the Rotterdam Court, but was convicted of evading sanctions and continued management of a prohibited organization. – Jerusalem Post
The state told the High Court of Justice on Wednesday that Palestinian Bedouin residents of Ras Ein al-Auja may return to the Jordan Valley community in coordination with the army, but said there is currently no basis to close the area to Israelis, station a permanent security force there, or allow residents to hire a private security company. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF killed Ihab Khrizim, leader of a central Hamas funds transfer network, in a strike on Khan Yunis, the military announced on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF arrested five people during three separate counterterrorism operations in the West Bank throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, the military announced Thursday morning. – Jerusalem Post
The Foreign Ministry has accused activists from an intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla of faking their injuries, after the activists alleged they were assaulted and sexually abused in custody last week, which Israel denies. – Times of Israel
The Israeli Air Force on Wednesday received its first Boeing KC-46 “Gideon” refueling plane from the United States, the first of six KC-46 aircraft purchased by the Defense Ministry, in a move that will significantly boost Israel’s long-range strike capability, the IDF said. – Times of Israel
David Zaikin writes: An Iron Dome for the information war has the same architecture as the one overhead. Detection. Interception. A population it protects. The risk in building this capability is that it drifts inward, because the unreliable domestic voices are a vulnerability to outrun and cannot be treated as a target to silence. Defending against a foreign operation is one thing, and a government deciding what its own citizens may say is another, and the line between them cannot be allowed to blur. Iron Dome points outward, never at the people it protects, and this system has to be built the same way, with a narrow mandate, real oversight, and a single direction of fire. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
U.S. forces conducted new military strikes against Iran on Wednesday after Tehran launched drones at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials, even as Washington and Tehran continue their efforts to forge a diplomatic settlement to the conflict and keep a fragile cease-fire intact. – Wall Street Journal
At the turn of the year, Iran’s regime faced its biggest protests in years as anger spread over spiraling prices and a crumbling economy. Thousands were killed in a vicious crackdown. – Wall Street Journal
President Trump said Iran was miscalculating if it thought he would soften his position to avoid a prolonged standoff with Tehran. – Wall Street Journal
In this nautical no-man’s-land 45 miles off the coast of Malaysia, tankers laden with sanctioned Iranian oil sit low in the water, waiting to offload their cargo to vessels bound for Chinese refineries. – Wall Street Journal
Iranian state television on Wednesday released what it said were details of “an initial, unofficial document” outlining the framework for an agreement between Iran and the United States that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic. The White House immediately dismissed the report as a “complete fabrication,” and it was not clear whether the United States and Iran were any closer to an agreement. – New York Times
The United States and Iran have sent conflicting signals about what it would take to reach a deal to end the war. But amid competing demands from both sides, Tehran has not wavered from one condition: getting access to billions of its own money now frozen in foreign banks. – New York Times
The United States has sanctioned the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body Iran has set up to manage the Strait of Hormuz, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they targeted a U.S. airbase at 0450 local time after what they described as an early morning U.S. attack near Bandar Abbas airport, Tasnim news agency reported. – Reuters
Iranians began to regain internet access on Wednesday after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users said service was slow and spotty in some areas, with apps like YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted, as they were before the cutoff began during nationwide protests in January. – Associated Press
Iran is said to be ‘deeply threatened’ by the small African breakaway state, Somaliland, because of the potential for U.S., Israeli and Western powers to use its deep water port and airbase. Such moves would severely disrupt Iran’s plan to use their proxy, Yemen’s Houthi terror group, to attack Red Sea shipping. – Fox News
The Islamic regime fired at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night, state media site IRIB reported. – Jerusalem Post
Michael Rubin writes: In an age where journalists and human rights activists embrace moral equivalence, Iran might seek revenge for the tragic missile strike on a girls’ school with a similar attack on an American school. The regime often acts with plausible deniability. In Berlin and Buenos Aires, it used Lebanese Hezbollah. When it sought to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C., it sought to contract a Mexican drug cartel. Ironically, if Trump unfreezes Iranian assets, he may pay the contract criminals and hitmen who will target Americans. There is only one sure way to prevent the coming bloodbath. End the regime, not fund it. – Washington Examiner
Menahem Merhavy writes: The most dangerous moment for the Islamic Republic may thus come not during the war, but after it. A ceasefire, if it holds, will deprive the regime of the patriotic cover that a foreign attack temporarily supplied. It will also return attention to January’s dead – to the families who lost children, to the unanswered demands for accountability, and to a government that proved capable of killing its own citizens but incapable of protecting the country from devastating attacks from without. – Jerusalem Post
Arash Azizi writes: But professing hatred for the U.S. and Israel won’t solve Iran’s problems. Neither will the interim agreement to end the war, even if it is as favorable to Iran as my sources project. Iran was apparently unable to secure a provision to end Israel’s war on Hezbollah; instead, Israel has engaged in direct talks with Lebanon, much to Tehran’s chagrin. And in order to get the sanctions relief that it will need to reconstruct its economy, Iran still has to come to a nuclear agreement with the U.S.. Meanwhile, Iran has further alienated its Arab neighbors by attacking them, and Israel will not rest easy alongside an adversary committed to its destruction. The Islamic Republic’s leaders may soon learn that the problems of peace are the hardest to solve. – The Atlantic
Russia and Ukraine
First came a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv early this month that killed 24 people, including three children. Then, on Sunday, Russia launched one of the heaviest missile and drone attacks of the war against the city, Ukraine’s capital. – New York Times
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has submitted a draft law on ratification of a loan agreement with the European Union, a document posted on parliament’s website showed on Thursday. – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged U.S. President Donald Trump to help Ukraine with air defence systems and interceptors as Russia threatens new strikes, saying that ballistic missiles remain Moscow’s “last major advantage on the battlefield.” – Reuters
Ukrainian drones have strayed into Baltic countries’ airspace in recent weeks, sowing confusion and raising tensions with Russia at a time when U.S. commitment to NATO’s collective security is in question. – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rebuffed the idea of Ukraine getting partial membership of the European Union, arguing that his country deserves to be granted full status because its forces are defending all of the bloc from Russia. – Bloomberg
Ivan Nechepurenko and Siobhán O’Grady write: Russia is trying to show that it’s ready to expand the scale of pressure on Kyiv while simultaneously sending a signal to Washington: further cooling toward the Ukrainian issue will not free the U.S. from the need to participate in the search for a solution,” Mr. Grashchenkov said. “And if they fail to find a solution on a security architecture,” he added, “sooner or later Russia will have to use heavier weapons, including tactical nuclear weapons. – New York Times
Lebanon
Israel ramped up its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday, further eroding an already tenuous cease-fire and raising fears of a return to full-scale war. The Israeli military said in the wake of increased Hezbollah drone attacks it had struck more than 150 targets associated with the militant group in the past day and had issued evacuation warnings for Nabatieh and Tyre, two of the largest cities in the country’s south. – New York Times
The Trump administration will extend deportation protections and work permits for thousands of Lebanese nationals in the U.S. for six months, according to a notice posted to the Federal Register on Wednesday. – Reuters
When the Lebanese militia Hezbollah entered the US-Israeli war against Iran by firing rockets and drones into Israel the day after the conflict began on Feb. 28, officials there saw in the crisis sweeping the region a chance to finally drive the militia, already weakened by a series of setbacks, away from Israel’s northern border. – Bloomberg
A soldier was killed and two reservists were wounded in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack near the Lebanese border, the military announced Thursday, as fighting along the restive frontier continued to intensify. – Agence France-Presse
Christina Goldbaum writes: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel vowed on Tuesday to “increase the blows” against the group and over the next two days his forces launched more than 150 airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon — some of the heaviest bombardment in recent weeks. Israeli ground forces also pushed deeper into southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, too, ratcheted up the pressure. On Sunday, Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, warned the Lebanese government against confronting Hezbollah, which has long been the most powerful political and military force within the country, and commands vast support among Lebanon’s Shiite Muslims. He also denounced the government’s rare diplomatic talks with Israeli officials in Washington. – New York Times
Middle East & North Africa
President Trump on Wednesday warned the Gulf state of Oman, a U.S. ally, not to enter into any agreement with Iran to share control of the Strait of Hormuz or else face an American bombing campaign. Quickly after making the threat, Mr. Trump said he didn’t believe the United States would have to take such an action. – New York Times
Kuwait’s army said on Thursday that its air defences were intercepting hostile missile and drone threats, but did not say where they were coming from. – Reuters
Andrew J. Tabler writes: For Syrian officials, the message is simple: they want foreign capital to flow quickly given the country’s many urgent needs, but they have to understand that such a pace is impossible so long as the outside world sees their government as an opaque regime with unclear authority, factional infighting, uncertain legal protections, and unresolved military tensions with powerful neighbors. Syria may indeed be one of the Middle East’s most promising post-conflict energy opportunities. But until politics catches up with ambition, the sector will generate more headlines than actual recovery. – Washington Institute
Korean Peninsula
As part of a push to modernize his conventional forces, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the test of a new missile system that resembles U.S. Himars—the truck-based weapons system that Washington has deployed to Ukraine and the Middle East. – Wall Street Journal
South Korean exports likely rose for a 12th straight month in May, as a global boom in AI investment drove a surge in chip sales, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday. – Reuters
Saeed Koozechi, the Iranian ambassador to South Korea, denied Iran’s role in the South Korean vessel attack saying his country “took no part” in it, local news agency Yonhap News reported. – Reuters
Singapore’s foreign minister held talks with a top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a rare visit to Pyongyang, urging the isolated state to keep channels for dialogue open with the outside world. – Bloomberg
China
“Made in China” is becoming “made by China”—all over the world. Faced with higher Western tariffs and weak demand at home, many Chinese factories are moving abroad, making everything from appliances to automobiles everywhere from North and South America to Eastern Europe. – Wall Street Journal
China is willing to work with the Czech Republic to improve ties and revive a traditional friendship, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Czech counterpart Petr Macinka, state broadcaster CCTV said on Wednesday. – Reuters
China’s military said it organised naval and air forces to drive away Dutch frigate De Ruyter, which it accused of illegally intruding into the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday. – Reuters
Deng Yuwen writes: A Xi visit won’t mean contradictions between the two sides over the nuclear issue have completely disappeared. But they will build a more pragmatic bilateral relationship based on reality. The two sides will continue to emphasize traditional friendship. Pyongyang will continue to need China’s protection and assistance, while Beijing will continue to need North Korea as its own bargaining chip. Each takes what it needs—and a relationship of mutual pragmatism can last a long time. – Foreign Policy
South Asia
Since Pakistan declared an “open war” on Afghanistan in late February, the two countries have been clashing regularly, despite efforts by China to resolve the dispute by sending an envoy to both capitals and hosting talks last month. – New York Times
Sri Lanka’s surprise 100 basis-point interest rate hike risks tipping into over-tightening just as a fragile, IMF-backed recovery takes hold, signalling a shift by policymakers back to crisis-prevention mode as external pressures mount, analysts said. – Reuters
Russia’s top security official has warned that the Afghanistan-based Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) is actively recruiting citizens from Central Asian countries and migrant workers in Russia into terrorist networks operating across the region. – Jerusalem Post
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s India visit ended with the language of momentum, but the subtext was repair. Officially, Washington and New Delhi framed the trip around the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, the four-nation grouping of India, the United States, Japan and Australia. – Newsweek
Asia
Rescuers on Wednesday found five people alive who have been trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for a week and are searching for two others who remain missing. The group of seven, who entered the cave in search of gold, were stranded after torrential rain flooded the cave and blocked the entrance with gravel and dirt. – New York Times
The first sign that something unusual was unfolding in the Solomon Islands was when the Chinese police showed up at Fighter One, a quiet village ringed with banana trees. The Chinese officers gathered villagers on a grassy patch and proposed a system they said would help keep them safe. – New York Time
An Australian woman who returned home in September from a Syrian refugee camp has been charged with allegedly joining Islamic State and entering and remaining in a declared conflict zone, authorities said on Thursday. – Reuters
Australia’s health minister said on Thursday the quarantine period for repatriated passengers on a Dutch-flagged luxury cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak will be extended to 42 days total until June 23. – Reuters
A conflict between the U.S. and China over Taiwan would risk a nuclear escalation with both militaries likely to stage sweeping operations targeting rival command and communications hubs, a leading defence research centre said on Thursday. – Reuters
A Cambodian court has convicted and sentenced six Chinese nationals to life in prison on charges they tortured and murdered a South Korean student involved with one of Cambodia’s notorious scam centres, a court spokesperson said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Judges at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday set November 30 as the start date for the trial of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who is charged with crimes against humanity during his deadly war on drugs. – Reuters
A commission was launched in the Philippines on Wednesday led by a former International Criminal Court judge to investigate a bloody “war on drugs”, aiming to document alleged extrajudicial killings and compile evidence for potential legal cases. – Reuters
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is receiving an exceptional level of hospitality in a four-day state visit to Japan that culminates Thursday. There is a palace banquet, a prestigious national award and a clear message that Tokyo is keen to upgrade ties with a nation it sees as a key defense partner. – Associated Press
Vietnam and Thailand agreed to deepen security and defense ties, as well as cooperation on technology sharing and green energy, during To Lam’s first visit to Thailand as Vietnam’s top leader. – Bloomberg
The Trump administration is removing some tariffs on imports from Taiwan to implement parts of a previously agreed trade deal with the US. – Bloomberg
Europe
Across Estonia, on NATO’s eastern border with Russia, preparing for potential war has become a part of everyday life. – Wall Street Journal
A former member of an infamous left-wing terrorist group was convicted and sentenced on Wednesday to 13 years in prison for a string of violent robberies she committed in Germany to finance her life on the run. – New York Times
Norway will open talks with France on joining its nuclear umbrella, French President Emmanuel Macron and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Wednesday, reflecting growing European concerns about relying on the United States for security. – Reuters
Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, the leftist firebrand who ran Greece at the height of its debt crisis in 2015, has launched a new political party, promising to fight corruption and seek inclusive economic growth. – Reuters
German police arrested a Syrian citizen on Wednesday suspected of aiding and abetting attempted murder and grievous bodily harm in an attack on a tourist at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin last year, prosecutors said. – Reuters
Russia said on Wednesday it had warned Armenia it would suspend or terminate the supply of cheap oil, gas and rough diamonds if Yerevan pressed ahead with its bid to join the European Union. – Reuters
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she had discussed Ukraine’s path to EU membership with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. – Reuters
European Union foreign ministers will discuss on Thursday how to approach any possible future talks with Russia, as Ukraine pushes for Europe to play a role in negotiations with Moscow and with the U.S. focused on the war with Iran. – Reuters
The European Union should take the lead in talks with Russia to end its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bulgaria’s newly-appointed prime minister said, as member states discuss whether to directly engage with the Kremlin. – Bloomberg
President Petr Pavel chided the government for halting financial support for a Czech-led multinational ammunition program for Ukraine, saying the move weakened other allies’ willingness to contribute, Seznamzpravy.cz reported. – Bloomberg
Hungary withdrew its decision to exit the International Criminal Court, reversing a process initiated by the country’s previous leader, Viktor Orban. – Bloomberg
The Czech Republic is prepared to help protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and is aligning closely with the Trump administration on security, NATO and Israel, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview at the United Nations in New York. – Fox News
Editorial: European Jews have heard versions of this message before: you may live here, but not fully as Jews. And it hasn’t ended well. Having said that, there is something else that needs to be asked but too often is not: If this is the atmosphere in the country, if Jews are being harassed in the street, synagogues are being attacked, and Israel is regularly delegitimized, then why do Jews want to live there? Might this not be the time for Belgium’s Jews – and, indeed, Jews of other countries where Jewish life is coming under daily attack – to ask themselves whether they belong in a country sending unmistakable signals that they are not wanted? – Jerusalem Post
Celeste A. Wallander writes: Moscow will be deterred only by an integrated strategy that promises Russian failure. If Washington signals an unwillingness to engage in conventional military action to defend Europe, Putin will conclude that Russia has escalation dominance on the continent and may climb the conventional rungs. That would leave the American president with a stark choice: concede Russian gains or leap to the nuclear rung. The United States would then face a historic strategic dilemma of its own making. – Foreign Affairs
Africa
As a deadly outbreak of Ebola spreads through the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, one conspiracy theory is that nonprofit workers brought the disease to get more money. Another is that the outbreak has been fabricated to frighten the population and gain access to minerals, including gold. – Washington Post
In an extraordinary move, Ghana on Wednesday chartered a flight to repatriate about 300 of its citizens living in South Africa, Ghanaian officials said. The mass repatriation came amid rising anti-immigrant protests in South Africa, where for nearly two decades the authorities have been troubled by violent anti-migrant attacks, mostly on Africans. – New York Times
Uganda closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, citing growing concerns about the possible spread of the Ebola virus, the country’s health ministry said. – New York Times
Zambia’s state investment firm ZCCM Investments Holdings said on Wednesday it has partnered with Chinese-owned Wonderful Group to revive a near-century-old industrial-scale lime and cement production facility in the country’s Copperbelt region. – Reuters
Australia’s Invictus Energy signed a petroleum production sharing agreement (PPSA) with Zimbabwe on Wednesday, a key step as it looks to advance its Cabora Bassa gas project, company executives said. – Reuters
Survivors of a three-day paramilitary assault in western Sudan began showing up in the desert town of Tine, on the Chad-Sudan border, in early November 2025. There, a team of Reuters journalists spoke with some of them about the horrors they say they faced fleeing the Rapid Support Forces takeover of al-Fashir, a large city in Sudan’s Darfur region. – Reuters
The South African government and advocacy groups for the country’s Afrikaner white minority on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s position that there’s a humanitarian emergency affecting white people in South Africa. – Associated Press
The Americas
Brazilian Senator and presidential contender Flavio Bolsonaro said he met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, following an Oval Office visit with President Donald Trump the day before. – Reuters
Panama’s National Assembly approved a law that requires multinational entities domiciled in the country to demonstrate real local operations or face a 15% tax on passive foreign income, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz on Wednesday took steps toward potentially declaring a state of emergency as anti-government protests have escalated in the early months of his administration. – Reuters
When interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez’s administration announced the oil-rich country was embarking on an overhaul of its more than $150 billion in debt, it committed to transparency, an approach that would mark a break with previous governments. – Reuters
The U.S. military on Wednesday struck another vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two men. U.S. Southern Command posted video on social media showing a boat resting on the water before being struck by an explosion. – Associated Press
Colombia will elect a new president and vice president on May 31 in a vote that has been cast as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies. – Associated Press
Brazil was set to join other Latin American countries that have shortened working hours as the lower house approved a constitutional amendment Wednesday establishing a 40-hour, five-day workweek. The proposal is widely popular in Brazil ahead of presidential elections in October, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sponsored the move and has repeatedly promoted it. – Associated Press
North America
Canadian officials have entered into talks to acquire surveillance aircraft from Saab, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, as the nation rebuilds its military and strengthens security ties with Europe. – Wall Street Journal
Former Canadian cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault said on Wednesday he plans to step down from his seat in parliament, citing his desire to fight for environmental protections after objecting to decisions by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government. – Reuters
The Trump administration’s trade agency said on Wednesday it will kick off the first of three negotiating rounds with Mexico this week to revamp the North American trade agreement, but made no mention of any talks with Canada. – Reuters
The Pentagon has spent months positioning the troops and weapons needed for the U.S. to launch a military attack on Cuba — all it needs is a final go-ahead from Donald Trump. – Politico
Arturo McFields writes: Rubio noted that “All of this exists in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and even just 90 miles away, in Florida. If owning your own business and having the right to vote is possible around Cuba, why is it not possible for you in Cuba?” Havana’s dictatorship is on the verge of collapse, and China is not in the business of bailing out failed states. Meanwhile, Russia is embroiled in its own war of aggression against Ukraine, and Venezuela no longer provides free oil. The signs are clear: The oldest dictatorship in the Americas is about to fall. – The Hill
United States
A top New Jersey Democrat seeking to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman once volunteered in Bosnia with a Chicago-based nonprofit whose offices were raided by the government in 2002 after it was determined to be a front for al-Qaeda. – Washington Post
The United States has re-added Francesca Albanese, a U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, to a list of sanctioned individuals, according to a notice posted to the U.S. Treasury’s website on Wednesday. – Reuters
The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime target of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials, in the latest sign of warming relations between the White House and the oil-rich nation. – Associated Press
Moshe Davis writes: The anti-Israel movement promises easy answers and social media virality. It gives frustrated people someone to hate and activists someone to target. But what it delivers is higher rents, fewer jobs, weaker cyber defense, smaller pensions and a Jewish community increasingly wondering whether it still belongs in the city it helped build. The very New Yorkers Mamdani claims to fight for are the ones his politics ultimately hurt. Mamdani has confused activism with leadership and grievance with governance. – Fox News
Cybersecurity
Canada said it is willing to address worries raised by some of the world’s biggest technology companies about proposed legislation to give police access to information stored on digital devices. – Wall Street Journal
When Google arrived last year in this sleepy coastal Indian city, the government rolled out the welcome mat, offering billions of dollars’ worth of incentives for the U.S. company to build data centers for artificial intelligence. – Wall Street Journal
The European Union plans to reserve most of its lucrative mobile satellite spectrum for homegrown operators from next year, the bloc’s latest move to curb reliance on foreign tech companies. – Wall Street Journal
A software engineer at Google unlawfully used confidential company information to make a series of bets that won him about $1.2 million on the online prediction market Polymarket, the Justice Department alleged in a criminal complaint Wednesday. – Washington Post
Samsung Electronics plans to invest 39 trillion dong ($1.5 billion) in Vietnam to build a semiconductor testing plant, its proposal document showed, an expansion that will help ease a global shortage of memory chips driven by surging AI demand. – Reuters
Chinese technology giant ByteDance is developing its own central processing units (CPUs) to support its growing AI infrastructure needs, three people familiar with the matter said, as surging chip prices and prolonged supply shortages constrain its expansion plans. – Reuters
OpenAI on Wednesday hailed its plans to safeguard information and aid cybersecurity defenders in the 2026 midterm elections, including work to combat deepfakes and other forms of artificial intelligence misuse. – Cyberscoop
Editorial: Most fanciful is the pope’s claim that the mandarins at the United Nations should be entrusted with overseeing AI. He says they “are essential instruments for promoting a civilization of love, for they can foster dialogue among nations and promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts.” This is truly the triumph of hope over experience. There’s no doubt that as AI develops it will need an ethical rudder, and the pope’s contributions are worth listening to. But his faith in a beneficent state is misplaced. – Wall Street Journal
Editorial: AVs will ultimately be safer, cheaper, more efficient and friendlier to the environment than those driven by humans. But that can only happen if the technology is allowed to flourish and evolve. States whose legislatures are not beholden to union bosses will open a lead in the autonomous revolution. In turn, that will push blue states to race to catch up, especially as improvements to road safety and economic growth become undeniable over time. – Washington Post
Editorial: Claims that the data centers will drain the city’s water supply are bogus. The Detroit River is a plentiful, sustainable source of freshwater connected to the upper Great Lakes. The city’s water system once supported a population of nearly 2 million, but today’s population is just under 650,000. Some opponents complain the number of jobs created will be small and largely end after the construction phase. There are concerns about the noise from computers whirring 24/7, but that’s not a significant issue with new construction techniques. Others say the facilities could eventually become neighborhood eyesores if the technology advances to make such concrete buildings obsolete. – Washington Post
Defense
U.S. military contractors need at least three years to replenish stockpiles of three key weapons systems used heavily in the Iran war, according to an analysis released Wednesday, adding to concerns that American forces would have limited firepower in any future conflict with China. – Associated Press
Tension between the US and other NATO members is driving countries in Europe to consider collective defense that’s less reliant on America – yet the picture is much different in Asia. – Bloomberg
U.S. Special Operations Command is looking to build a new testing ground for drones in Mississippi as the Pentagon grapples with ever-evolving autonomous technology that has come to define modern warfare. – Defense News
George F. Will writes: In the first days or weeks of a war with China, a smaller-than-planned F-35 fleet would be unable to generate sufficient sorties, absorb losses and support allies in several theaters. If the necessity of a substantial support infrastructure is an argument against the F-35, what of an aircraft carrier’s large enveloping group of support vessels? The estimated $2 trillion price of the F-35 program is in “then-year dollars” over a decades-long program, allowing for inflation, sustainment, and modernizations, involving multiple services. – Washington Post
Gordon G. Chang writes: As it turned out, sensors aboard satellite Kosmos 1382 had misinterpreted sunlight bouncing off the tops of clouds as incoming missiles. A human instinct — what Petrov later called “a funny feeling in my gut” — saved a good portion of humanity. An AI-controlled Dead Hand in this situation would probably have launched what it thought was a counterstrike on the American homeland, but in reality would have been a first strike. The development of such automatic systems suggests that regimes are thinking of aggression. – The Hill
Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park write: The DOD will need to make plans for dealing with this gap. Some munitions could be substituted, but these carry tradeoffs. Alternative ground attack munitions, for example, are short- or medium-range and increase vulnerability of the launch platforms. Alternative counter-drone systems are expensive. The situation in the Western Pacific is not all bleak, however. The world has seen the great skill of U.S. military forces not just in the conflict with Iran but in operations against Venezuela and the Houthis. China is deeply aware that it has no recent combat experience and that it performed poorly in its last war—against Vietnam in 1979. That difference in experience may preserve deterrence until munitions inventories are restored. – Center for Strategic and International Studies