Today's Headlines and Commentary

White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo on Wednesday as part of a broader visit to the Middle East to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, the Washington Post reports. The meeting came one day after the United States announced that it would cut or delay nearly $300 million in foreign assistance to Egypt. A statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday warned of “negative implications” of the decision on U.S.-Egyptian relations, though a separate presidential statement released later that day made no mention the development, and instead praised the state of bilateral relations and the U.S.-led peace effort.

Also on Wednesday, Kushner met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, according to the New York Times. Kushner seeks the cooperation of Arab leaders, whose support he deems critical to reaching a peace deal. Jason Greenblatt, the U.S. special representative for international negotiations, and Dina Powell, the deputy national security advisor, accompanied Kushner on his first trip to meet. Kushner, Greenblatt, and Powell are scheduled to meet on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Airstrikes near Sana, Yemen, on Wednesday killed or wounded at least 30 civilians, the Times reports. The strikes were the first launched by the Saudi-led coalition on targets near Sana since June, when Saudi Arabia agreed to halt airstrikes on or near the Yemeni capital out of concern for civilian casualties. The strikes come at a time of high tension between Houthi rebels and supporters of the government of exiled president Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin and Raytheon separate $900 million contracts to propose designs for a nuclear-capable air-launched cruise missile that would replace the outdated AGM-86B, Reuters reports. The new Long Range Standoff weapon will modernize the “air-based leg of the nuclear triad,” part of a larger plan to modernize the country’s atomic weapons systems that analysts estimate will cost more than $350 billion over ten years. The two companies will have four and a half years to draw up plans for the missile, after which the Air Force will select one contractor for engineering, construction, and deployment work.

China condemned new sanctions announced on Tuesday targeting select Chinese firms and individuals connected to North Korea’s nuclear program, the Los Angeles Times reports. The sanctions apply to Chinese and Russian entities suspected of carrying out transactions with the North, the profits of which could aid the North’s nuclear efforts. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying critiqued the U.S.’s decision to impose sanctions independent of the UN Security Council, describing the move as “unhelpful to mutual trust and cooperation.”

ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare

Carrie Cordero argued that President Trump’s ongoing campaign to discredit the media is inconsistent with a president’s constitutional duty to respect First Amendment rights and an ability to fulfill his obligations as commander in chief.

Gabriella Blum commented that international law can offer little guidance on President Trump’s Afghanistan strategy, noting that while the jus ad bellum criteria place restrictions on waging war, they offer no framework for considering when a war waged in self-defense must conclude.

Ranj Alaaldin traced the involvement of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in contemporary Iraqi politics and considered whether al-Sadr would surface as a political actor capable of undercutting Iran’s dominance in Iraq.

Benjamin Wittes took stock of projections he made in March 2016 regarding how seven liabilities of candidate Trump would endanger national security should Trump be elected president.

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